What does Part L of the Building Regulations cover?

Part L is a building regulation that concerns construction projects that are new, or result in the change of use of a dwelling or all other buildings in England. It sets the standards for the energy performance and carbon emissions of new and existing buildings.

When did floor insulation become part of building regulations?

INTRODUCTION. While it has long been common practice to insulate upper floors to reduce noise and to cut heat loss, only since 1990 have Building Regulations required that ground floors be insulated in order to save energy.

What is Part M building regulations?

Summary. Approved Document M provides information about the ease of access to, and use of, buildings, including facilities for disabled visitors or occupants, and the ability to move through a building easily including to toilets and bathrooms.

What is Part F of the Building Regulations?

Summary. Approved Document F provides guidance on building ventilation, including building air quality and preventing condensation in a domestic or non-domestic structure.

What is the minimum U value for walls?

Solid brick wall: 2 W/(m²K) Cavity wall with no insulation: 1.5 W/(m²K). Insulated wall: 0.18 W/(m²K). Single glazing: 4.8 to 5.8 W/(m²K).

What range of energy efficient window systems are required to comply with Building Regulations?

At the heart of the Building Regulations relating to window performance lies PART L – Conservation of fuel and power, which states that windows and doors must have a minimum u-value of 1.6 W/m2K or lower, or a ‘C’ Energy Rating or better.

Is it worth insulating a suspended floor?

Generally speaking, you only need to insulate the ground floor. If you’re on an upper floor, you don’t usually need to insulate your floor space. However, you should consider insulating any floors that are above unheated spaces such as garages, as you could be losing a lot of heat through those.

How thick should my floor insulation be?

Building Regulations would require at least 70 mm of high-performance foam insulation, or 150 mm of mineral wool, (although this will vary depending on floor type, construction, shape and size).

Is Approved Document M mandatory?

The ‘approved documents’ provide guidance for how the building regulations can be satisfied in common building situations. They are given legal status by the Building Act 1984. There is no obligation to adopt the solutions presented in the approved documents.

Do you have to comply with Part M?

The building as a whole must not be less compliant with Part M than it was before the material alteration was carried out, including access from site boundary / on site car parking.

Do you need building regs for replacement windows?

Replacing windows and doors Since April 2002, all replacement glazing has come within the scope of the Building Regulations. This means anyone who installs replacement windows or doors has to comply with new thermal performance standards. (Just replacing the glass is exempt).

How do you calculate purge ventilation?

The general rules for ventilating a room are: Purge – this is achieved by opening the window. The opening should have a typical area of at least 1/20th of the floor area of the room served, unless it is a bathroom which can be any openable size.

What does L2a stand for in building regulations?

This approved document, Approved Document L2A: Conservation of fuel and power in new buildings other than dwellings, supports the energy efficiency requirements of the Building Regulations.

What are the parts of part L2 regulations?

They are divided into Part L2A which covers new build and Part L2B which covers renovations. We’ve given an introduction to the Part L2 regulations in an earlier post, which talks about what buildings they do and don’t cover and what they look for.

Are there any changes to Part L regulations?

Please note that these earlier 2010 editions do not incorporate the changes to regulation numbers resulting from the Building Regulations 2010 and Building (Approved Inspectors etc) Regulations 2010. An amendment slip was published which listed the changes: From 2006 there were four Part L Approved Documents:

What are the new building regulations for 2014?

• A new requirement, regulation 26A has been introduced that requires new non-domestic buildings to achieve or better the target primary energy consumption rate. • The Part L 2014 specifications have been strengthened to deliver 20% carbon dioxide savings across the new non domestic build mix relative to Part L 2010.