So, what is Part L?

Part L of the Construction Regulations stemmed from the Government’s Energy White Paper which aims to reduce the carbon footprint of buildings by limiting heat losses and excessive solar gains and installing energy efficient building services. The new owners will have to be given all the information they need to maintain the energy efficiency of the building.

In recent years, though, they have become much tougher. As James explains, this is creating new pressures for clients.

“They have changed over the years from being relatively straightforward to achieve to 2013 regulations now which are significantly more difficult,” he explains. “And on a regular basis we do come up against issues on behalf of our clients in achieving Building Regulations.”

The key change came in 2013 with regulations demanding an increased reduction in CO2 emissions of 6% for residential buildings and 9% for non-residential buildings over the existing legislation from 2010 and 9%. That, he says, creates pressure.

Builders, he said, know what they know. Methods which have historically been compliant are suddenly outlawed by the regulations. As such, they are having to rethink the way they do things.

“Maybe the elemental build-up, so walls, floors and ceilings have historically been for a cavity wall, brick or block with 150ml cavity and they would generally put some insulation in there or 100ml cavity with 50ml insulation and a 50ml cavity,” he says. “Now that perhaps won’t be enough if you’ve got other elements which aren’t good enough too. So, if you haven’t got enough insulation in the floor, you don’t give them a good enough U-value there, then you have to counter balance that with a better U-value in the walls or the ceiling in the roof.”

On top of the existing CO2 limits, the 2013 rules have now added fabric energy efficiency targets. Construction firms will have to examine the energy efficiency of the fabric they are using; if it doesn’t meet the Government’s demands, the building will fail.

It is, then, a challenging time and construction firms are having to rethink their approach and the materials they use. James regularly finds himself offering advice to firms about how they can meet these new challenges, so here are his seven most important tips for doing so.

• Focus on the roofs and walls. If you can make sure the U-ratings are good at the walls and roofs, it will help you to meet fabric energy efficiency targets.

“So, we’re looking a floor of 0.16, walls of 0.16 and a roof. If it’s joist level insulation by 270ml of fiberglass insulation, you’d probably get a U-value of 0.12/0.13,” he explains. “So, using those values you should easily pass the fabric energy efficiency tests.”  

• Windows and doors: Looking at the way joints and junctions of doors and windows are built could be critical. The regulations can cause restrictions on the space you have. To reduce heat loss, you may have to make walls and ceiling cavities much thicker, but this can reduce the space you have available. “If you have those restrictions,” he says. “It may well be worth looking at junctions and maximising the benefits you can get from really well-designed junctions.”
• Double glazing: Doors and windows are always a common source of heat loss, but double glazing is now becoming more affordable. It should be possible to improve the energy efficiency of windows in a relatively affordable way. For example, if the windows are currently at 1.6, they could be reduced to 1.2. Insulated doors could bring the rating down to 1, putting you in a good overall position to achieve your target.
• Avoid electric central heating: Many developers prefer to use electric central heating because it is easier to install, but this can be inefficient and can see you running into trouble from a Part L perspective. Instead, he recommends using high efficiency heating such as gas which is more effective at achieving Part L.
• Keep it simple: The simpler your floor plan is the more efficient your building will be. “When designs are intricate, and they’ve got lots of inverted corners and extra pieces of a building which stick out of a main block, it does cause issues, potentially, with passing Part L,” he says. “So, keeping the floor plan simple in terms of a rectangular shape does help.”
• Air leakage: He recommends setting an air leakage target for your building. “If it hasn’t got air conditioning or mechanical ventilation, a minimum of five and a maximum of three is your target,” he says. “So, anything between three and five is a good target to try and achieve.”
• Get your designs in early: Last, but not least, when working with his clients he always recommends they get their designs in early. “If you can get it to our team early in the design process,” he says. “That helps immeasurably where everybody knows then what they’ve got to achieve to get compliance.” Getting in early and putting all the groundwork in place will help you to iron out any issues or problems without compromising your building schedule.

Working with a firm such as CGC can feel like an added expense but harnessing their expertise can help contractors overcome some of their most pressing problems. It is, he says, a collaborative approach – one in which he works to understand the objectives and challenges facing his clients.

“We know that most clients don’t want to spend a fortune, so we’re mindful of the fact that we don’t want to be over costly in our solutions,” he adds. “We try to be very cost-effective in the way we deliver what we deliver, and ultimately a cost-effective pass is what we want to achieve for them.”

So, while we shouldn’t under-estimate the challenges Part L presents, it is be no means impossible to satisfy the regulations while still maintaining a profit. To do so, you need to look at your methods and identify new ways to meet these more demanding rules.

So, what is Part L?

Part L of the Construction Regulations stemmed from the Government’s Energy White Paper which aims to reduce the carbon footprint of buildings by limiting heat losses and excessive solar gains and installing energy efficient building services. The new owners will have to be given all the information they need to maintain the energy efficiency of the building.

In recent years, though, they have become much tougher. As James explains, this is creating new pressures for clients.

“They have changed over the years from being relatively straightforward to achieve to 2013 regulations now which are significantly more difficult,” he explains. “And on a regular basis we do come up against issues on behalf of our clients in achieving Building Regulations.”

The key change came in 2013 with regulations demanding an increased reduction in CO2 emissions of 6% for residential buildings and 9% for non-residential buildings over the existing legislation from 2010 and 9%. That, he says, creates pressure.

Builders, he said, know what they know. Methods which have historically been compliant are suddenly outlawed by the regulations. As such, they are having to rethink the way they do things.

“Maybe the elemental build-up, so walls, floors and ceilings have historically been for a cavity wall, brick or block with 150ml cavity and they would generally put some insulation in there or 100ml cavity with 50ml insulation and a 50ml cavity,” he says. “Now that perhaps won’t be enough if you’ve got other elements which aren’t good enough too. So, if you haven’t got enough insulation in the floor, you don’t give them a good enough U-value there, then you have to counter balance that with a better U-value in the walls or the ceiling in the roof.”

On top of the existing CO2 limits, the 2013 rules have now added fabric energy efficiency targets. Construction firms will have to examine the energy efficiency of the fabric they are using; if it doesn’t meet the Government’s demands, the building will fail.

It is, then, a challenging time and construction firms are having to rethink their approach and the materials they use. James regularly finds himself offering advice to firms about how they can meet these new challenges, so here are his seven most important tips for doing so.

• Focus on the roofs and walls. If you can make sure the U-ratings are good at the walls and roofs, it will help you to meet fabric energy efficiency targets.

“So, we’re looking a floor of 0.16, walls of 0.16 and a roof. If it’s joist level insulation by 270ml of fiberglass insulation, you’d probably get a U-value of 0.12/0.13,” he explains. “So, using those values you should easily pass the fabric energy efficiency tests.”  

• Windows and doors: Looking at the way joints and junctions of doors and windows are built could be critical. The regulations can cause restrictions on the space you have. To reduce heat loss, you may have to make walls and ceiling cavities much thicker, but this can reduce the space you have available. “If you have those restrictions,” he says. “It may well be worth looking at junctions and maximising the benefits you can get from really well-designed junctions.”
• Double glazing: Doors and windows are always a common source of heat loss, but double glazing is now becoming more affordable. It should be possible to improve the energy efficiency of windows in a relatively affordable way. For example, if the windows are currently at 1.6, they could be reduced to 1.2. Insulated doors could bring the rating down to 1, putting you in a good overall position to achieve your target.
• Avoid electric central heating: Many developers prefer to use electric central heating because it is easier to install, but this can be inefficient and can see you running into trouble from a Part L perspective. Instead, he recommends using high efficiency heating such as gas which is more effective at achieving Part L.
• Keep it simple: The simpler your floor plan is the more efficient your building will be. “When designs are intricate, and they’ve got lots of inverted corners and extra pieces of a building which stick out of a main block, it does cause issues, potentially, with passing Part L,” he says. “So, keeping the floor plan simple in terms of a rectangular shape does help.”
• Air leakage: He recommends setting an air leakage target for your building. “If it hasn’t got air conditioning or mechanical ventilation, a minimum of five and a maximum of three is your target,” he says. “So, anything between three and five is a good target to try and achieve.”
• Get your designs in early: Last, but not least, when working with his clients he always recommends they get their designs in early. “If you can get it to our team early in the design process,” he says. “That helps immeasurably where everybody knows then what they’ve got to achieve to get compliance.” Getting in early and putting all the groundwork in place will help you to iron out any issues or problems without compromising your building schedule.

Working with a firm such as CGC can feel like an added expense but harnessing their expertise can help contractors overcome some of their most pressing problems. It is, he says, a collaborative approach – one in which he works to understand the objectives and challenges facing his clients.

“We know that most clients don’t want to spend a fortune, so we’re mindful of the fact that we don’t want to be over costly in our solutions,” he adds. “We try to be very cost-effective in the way we deliver what we deliver, and ultimately a cost-effective pass is what we want to achieve for them.”

So, while we shouldn’t under-estimate the challenges Part L presents, it is be no means impossible to satisfy the regulations while still maintaining a profit. To do so, you need to look at your methods and identify new ways to meet these more demanding rules.