Building Regs Announcement: A New Dawn for the Heating Industry

NEW Part L – The Details

The long-awaited changes to Part L Building Regulations have now been confirmed to be regulated in December 2021, coming into force in 2022.

This means all new build properties will run low carbon heating systems and we’ll start to see the widespread adoption of renewable energy technologies.

The changes are part of the Government’s Future Homes Standard – the consultation for which was closed last year was to determine which renewable energy technologies are appropriate for supplying our domestic housing market, and how the HVAC and housebuilding industries might manage this shift change. The Standard will ensure an average new home will produce at least 75% lower CO2 emissions than one built to current energy efficiency requirements.

The Government has stated it should be a priority to implement an interim Part L uplift for new homes – this year. So, with these changes in place, housebuilders will now have the timeline to turn their attention away from gas boiler installations and traditional convection heating systems. Wall-mounted radiators will, more than likely, become a thing of the past and homeowners will begin to discover a new way of heating their homes.

Non-exhaustive list of key points:

  • The 2021 uplift will mean 31% lower CO2 emissions.
  • Maximum designed flow temperature to be 55°C or lower and defined low temperature as 50°C or lower.
  • A carbon target will be retained alongside primary energy, fabric efficiency and product efficiency standards.
  • To ensure as many homes as possible are being built in line with new energy efficiency standards, transitional arrangements will now apply to individual homes rather than an entire development and the transitional period will be one year.
  • The latest version of SAP will be adopted, which will be SAP 10.3, at implementation of Part L 2021.
  • Local Authorities will for now retain the ability to set their own local energy efficiency standards.

Part L does suggest that a heat pump/underfloor heating system would be an ideal option. It’s a tried and tested solution, easy to specify, install and maintain and distributes heat effectively throughout a home at the required low temperature.

There will always be discussions about which is the right system to specify, but the changes have been made and before too long, underfloor heating will become the norm on the new build specification list.

Ashley Cooper

Managing Director

WMS Underfloor heating

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