Ingleton Wood offers sustainability support as new building regulations come into effect Friday, 17th June 2022

Updated building regulations have come into force affecting ventilation, overheating and electric car charging on new build housing.

In order to reduce energy usage, new homes must produce 30% less emissions than previous standards. The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DHLUC) have said the new regulations will help the UK reduce carbon emissions to net-zero by 2050.

If you’re struggling to get to grips with the impact on your business, our specialists can help.

Sustainability specialist, Laura Mansel-Thomas, Senior Partner at Ingleton Wood said: “From 15 June 2022, a new set of building regulations have come into force as the UK moves towards net-zero.

“Here at Ingleton Wood, we strive to be at the cutting edge of sustainable solutions for the built environment. We understand that new regulations can be daunting, which is why we have a sustainability team available to provide fully integrated consultancy support to clients and our internal design teams, preparing all of our builds to meet changing guidelines.”

The building regulations that have come into effect as of 15 June 2022 are:

Approved Document L: Conservation of fuel and power

This consists of two volumes: Volume 1: Dwellings, and Volume 2: Buildings other than dwellings. The volumes include updated insulation requirements for new builds, which will be assessed under a new Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP) calculation, SAP10.

Some regulations will also affect changes in existing homes. For instance, a minimum new fabric efficiency standard will apply if you are adding new or replacement thermal elements to your home, such as windows and doors.

Approved Document F: Ventilation

Also consisting of Volume 1: Dwellings, and Volume 2: Buildings other than dwellings, these documents outline changes to ventilation requirements. When energy efficiency work is undertaken in existing homes, the ventilation must be either kept the same or improved upon, in line with existing measures for controlled services and fittings.

Approved Document S: Infrastructure for charging electric vehicles

Under this regulation, a new residential building with associated parking must have access to electric vehicle charge points. A £3600 price cap per charge point has also been introduced.

Approved Document O: Overheating

This new Approved Document aims to limit excess solar gain in new and existing homes and prevent overheating. There are two methods of compliance: the simplified method (considering the location of the building and whether it has cross-ventilation) and dynamic thermal modelling (a standardised approach to predicting overheating risk).

Ingleton Wood’s accomplished sustainability team have expertise in building regulation and offer a range of sustainability services including BREEAM assessments, energy audits, appraisals and surveys, and SAP / SBEM calculations.

If you have any questions about these changes and the impacts on your business, please contact our sustainability team at sustainability@ingletonwood.co.uk.

To see the full Approved Documents, see the government website for Approved Document L, Approved Document F, Approved Document S and Approved Document O.