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Building regulations 2021: Parts F, L, O and S

Purpose

Supporting the sector to comply with 2021 Building Regulations Parts F, L, O and S by providing guidance and tools and overcoming barriers.

Context

The updated Approved Documents F (ventilation) and L (energy and carbon emissions) and new Building Regulations O (overheating) and S (electric vehicles) came into force in June 2022. These regulations introduce: higher standards of energy efficiency, intended to reduce carbon emissions as an interim step towards the Future Homes Standard in 2025, and additional requirements on ventilation, overheating and for electric vehicles charging.


The programme of work has brought together developers, designers, suppliers and other industry experts to understand the challenges of these changes, identify viable solutions and to provide guidance and design tools to help the sector build homes to the new regulations.

Planned projects and output


Timescales

The activity will focus on delivery of guidance and supporting information during the implementation period for the new regulations. We will compile a schedule of outstanding issues that enables dialogue between policy makers, developers, SAP software developers and other stakeholders, and informs the implementation of the 2025 Future Homes Standard. 

Participants

The work has been overseen by an industry oversight group, supported by the following expert groups:

  • Fabric group
  • Direct electric group
  • Infrastructure group
  • ,Heat pump group
  • Hot water group
  • Overheating group
  • Customer group

Expert group members

The following organisations are actively delivering the Future Homes Hub work programme.

Oversight Group

Building Performance Network

McBains

Taylor Wimpey

HTA Design LLP

UKGBC

Bellway

Persimmon

Telford Homes

Univeristy of Salford

Baker Estates

Countryside PLC

Crest Nicholson

Keepmoat
Daikin

NHBC

Thakeham

HBF

Bre Group

CIBSE

Fabric Expert Group

Building Performance Network

McBains

HTA Design LLP

Vistry Group

Good Homes Alliance

AES Sustainability Consultants

Bellway

Thakeham

Countryside

Springvale

EnvioVent

Knauf Insulation

Barratt Developments PLC

Green Box rep. Passivhaus Trust

Churchill Retirement Living Limited

BRiCS Development

Taylor Wimpey

Heat Pump Expert Group

Building Performance Network

McBains

St Modwen Homes

Redrow

Heat Pump Association (& NIBE)

EGP

Peabody

Telford Homes

Daikin

Gleeson Homes Ltd

Taylor Wimpey

Cala Homes 

Direct Electric Heating Expert Group

Building Performance Network
McBains

Elite NuGEN Homes

Energy Carbon Ltd

Galliard Homes

Miller Homes

Ideal Boilers / Stelrad Radiators

EGP

Keepmoat

Fairgrove

Ideal Boilers / Stelrad Radiators

Wondrwall Group

Infrastructure Expert Group

Building Performance Network

ENA (Energy Networks Assoc)

Carr Builders

Crest Nicholson

Eco2 Solar Limited

McBains

Independent Networks Association

Barratt Developments PLC

Persimmon

BUUK Infrastructure

Beama UK

Octopus Energy

Customer Expert Group

Building Performance Network

McBains

Places for People

Crest Nicholson

McCartney Stone

NHBC

Thakeham

HBF

Citizens Advice

Taylor Wimpey

Pollard Thomas Edwards

Hot Water Expert Group

Building Performance Network

Future Homes Hub

Elite NuGEN Homes

Building Products Distributors Ltd. (Showersave)

Galliard Homes

EGP

Keepmoat

Daikin

Wondrwall Group

Mixergy

Overheating Expert Group

DLUHC

Building Research Establishment

Future Homes Hub

Story Homes

Loughborough University

Barratt Homes

Town

Levitt Bernstein

CIBSE

AHMM

Future Homes Hub

Taylor Wimpey

Terms of Reference for the Expert Groups

  • Oversight Group

    • To oversee the Hub strategy for the delivery of FHS, including the overall specification for the interim uplift and full FHS.
    • To ensure collectively the outputs of the groups are coherent and accessible in supporting delivery of the regulations.
    • To make sure that consequences of recommendations are fully understood and that they do not reflect a technological cul-de-sac that will have to be reversed out of as new regulations apply.
    • To identify key actions to ensure the supply chain and skills required to deliver on the regulations
    • To review the recommendations of the work with regard to customers/occupants. including running costs, ease of use, thermal comfort and safety.
    • To review the recommendations of the work on dwelling layouts
    • To identify the risks and transition issues that need to be overcome
    • To consider the implications for SAP.
    • To inform Government for example helping in the preparation of the 2023 consultation on the FHS.
    • To advise on and support good dissemination.
    • To oversee the FHS pilots.
  • Fabric Expert Group

    • To support the development of fabric and ventilation scenarios and associated SAP and overheating calculations.
    • To consider the ease of use of overheating calculation software
    • To advise planners on overheating mitigation and permitted development rights
    • To recommend existing and future generic products; their supply chain availability and their cost effectiveness
    • To supply a variety of solutions:
    •       Houses – timber frame and masonry
    •       Apartments – RC and steel
    • To advise on installation advantages and disadvantages
    • To advise on issues around supply of both product and installation skills.
    • To advise on quality of design and insallation.
    • To define a cost-effective method to comply with the photographic evidence requirements of the regulations that works for builders of all sizes.
    • To advise on the potential advantages/disadvantages to customers/occupants; including running costs, ease of use, thermal comfort and safety.
  • Heat Pumps Expert Group

    • To support the decision-making process for heat pump solutions in relation to fabric and hot water scenarios.
    • To recommend existing and future generic products; their supply chain availability and their cost effectiveness
    • To advise on any embodied carbon implications, potential contribution to dwelling overheating, noise and space implications of electric heat installations; especially when compared to gas boilers.
    • To advise on installation best practice for space heating and hot water.
    • To advise on issues around supply of both product and installation skills.
    • To advise on the MCS scheme and other warranties.
    • To advise on any issues with regard to the technology and its use in SAP.
    • To advise on the potential advantages/disadvantages to customers/occupants; including running costs, ease of use, thermal comfort and safety.
    • To advise on heat networks as an energy option for achieving FHS.
  • Direct Electric Heating Expert Group

    • To support the decision-making process for direct electric solutions in relation to fabric and hot water scenarios.
    • To recommend existing and future generic products; their supply chain availability and their cost effectiveness
    • To advise on any embodied carbon implications, potential contribution to dwelling overheating, noise and space implications of electric heat installations; especially when compared to gas boilers.
    • To advise on installation best practice for space heating and hot water.
    • To advise on issues around supply of both product and installation skills.
    • To advise on any issues regarding the technology and its use in SAP.
    • To advise on the potential advantages/disadvantages to customers/occupants; including running costs, ease of use, thermal comfort and safety.
  • Electrical Energy Infrastructure Expert Group

    • To support the decision-making process for energy infrastructure in relation to fabric, hot water scenarios and heating services scenarios within the homes and network load distribution.
    • To identify any challenges in terms of the wider energy networks and systems required on or beyond the development to achieve FHS and the solutions required to overcome them.
    • To advise on solar PV especially with reference to grid infrastructure and the MCS and other warranties.
    • To advise on how EV charging points impact energy infrastructure and FHS decision making.
    • To advise on the impact, if any, of battery technology on achieving the FHS.
    • To recommend existing and future generic products; their supply chain availability and their cost effectiveness
    • To advise on any embodied carbon implications, potential contribution to dwelling overheating, noise and space implications of various installations.
    • To advise on installation best practice.
    • To advise on issues around supply of both product and installation skills.
    • To advise on any issues regarding the technology and its use in SAP.
    • To advise on the potential advantages/disadvantages to customers/occupants; including running costs, ease of use and safety.
  • Customer / Occupant Expert Group

    • To conduct upfront work to understand current customer views on existing new build and future new build homes
    • To develop the customer strategy for the Hub/delivery plan, as a whole.
    • To specifically feed in to the FHS project.
    • To review the technical proposals from the other expert groups for their consideration of customer / occupant needs
    • To guarantee that the customer/occupant voice is heard in this project; especially with regard to running costs, ease of use, thermal comfort and safety
  • Overheating expert group

    This project is to write an accompanying user guide to Approved Document Part O: Overheating, ready for June 15th 2022 when the regulation goes live in England. The guide will build upon the work previously contained in well received reports written on the subject by GHA and the Zero Carbon Hub but will also focus on helping design teams and users achieve compliance with the new Part O regulation.

     

    The steering group for the project will include: 

     

    Victoria Tink (DLUHC)

    Mitch Swainson (Building Research Establishment)

    David Adams (Future Homes Hub)

    Simon McClelland (Story Homes)

    Professor Kevin Lomas (Loughborough University)

    Danielle Michalska (Barratt Homes)

    Neil Murphy (Town)

    Clare Murray (Levitt Bernstein)

    Anastasia Mylona (CIBSE)

    Martina Pacifici (AHMM)

    Tessa Hurstwyn (Future Homes Hub)

    Dale Saunders (Taylor Wimpey)

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