Regulations

Building Regulations apply in England & Wales and promote standards for most aspects of a building’s construction, energy efficiency in buildings, the needs of all people, including those with disabilities, in accessing and moving around buildings.

Their are fourteen technical “Parts” of the Building Regulations’ which are summarised on the Planning Portal.

Key elements of the Regulations for Sustainable construction are the Code for Sustainable Homes, EPC for Construction and Part L.

Code for Sustainable Homes

The Code is the national standard for the sustainable design and construction of new homes. The Code aims to reduce our carbon emissions and create homes that are more sustainable.

The Government’s Code for Sustainable Homes was launched in 2006 is intended as an environmental national standard to provide industry guidance in the design and construction of sustainable homes. It will serve as guidance in the future direction of building regulations in relation to the implementation of renewables and sustainable energy products. Technologies such as solar thermal, solar PV (photovoltaic), heat pumps, domestic combined heat and power and rainwater harvesting will be use in order to achieve particular code levels and the associated sustainability rating. The sustainability rating range from one star to six stars, with one star being the entry level above the building regulations and six stars being the highest rating, a “zero” carbon home.

The Code will bring numerous benefits:

• Quality: the Code can be used by homebuilders to demonstrate the sustainability performance of their homes and to differentiate themselves from competitors.
• Flexibility: the achievement of the levels is not set out so homebuilders can innovate to find the most effective solutions.
• Lower Running Costs: social housing providers and consumers will find that homes built to this code would have lower running costs and this help fuel poverty.
• Environmental Impact: homes built with Code standard will reduce the carbon footprint and will ensure that future housing stock will have a lower negative impacts on the environment.

Further details are available on The Code website.

Travis Perkins provides a service to help you comply with the Code for Sustainable Homes.

EPC for Construction

The Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) is similar to the labels now provided with domestic appliances such as refrigerators and washing machines.

When the construction of a new building is completed, the builder or person responsible for the construction is responsible for obtaining the certificate and providing it to the owner.

Find out more about Energy Performance certificates on Directgov.

Travis Perkins provides a service to help you meet your EPC requirement.

Part L

The aim of the Part L regulation is to cut carbon emissions through savings in the energy needed to heat, cool, ventilate, light, and supply hot water to new buildings.

Our easy-to-read, handy Part L guide shows you how to achieve this, and how Part L affects your work and the products and supplies you use. It shows you how you can meet the legislative demands working with the Travis Perkins Group and how we can help you along the road to zero carbon construction.