Part L and Part F Building Regulations set to tighten this year for non-domestic buildings
The government has laid out plans to raise energy performance standards for non-domestic buildings in 2021, in a bid to get all buildings zero carbon ready in four years’ time.
The second stage of a two-part consultation was launched last week, setting out the government’s vision for implementing a “Future Buildings Standard” from 2025. It builds on the Future Homes Standard consultation (which has now concluded) by setting out energy and ventilation standards for non-domestic buildings and existing homes and includes proposals to mitigate against overheating in residential buildings.
Fundamental to the transition will be an uplift in Part L and Part F of the Building Regulations, which cover energy performance and ventilation respectively.
While the Future Buildings Standard won’t come into force until 2025, the proposed pathway includes tightening Part L and Part F standards this year. It calculates that this will deliver a 27% reduction in carbon emissions on average per building compared to the existing Part L standard, as well as preparing construction professionals and supply chains for working to higher specifications in the future.
The uplift will also apply to existing buildings in certain circumstances, such as during the major refurbishment of an office building. Many of the non-domestic buildings that will exist in 2050 have already been built.
Heating and powering buildings currently account for 40% of the UK’s total energy usage. In 2019 the government introduced a legally binding target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050.
If you’d like advice on the likely changes to energy performance standards for non-domestic buildings, and how we can help, get in touch.
