WALES BUILDING REGULATIONS
achieved under national planning policy is Code Level 3; in addition, there is a higher expectation for the energy/CO2 credits. As long as this overall score is attained, most credits are non-mandatory and should be selected on the basis of being the most appropriate for the development in question. This ‘higher expectation’ for the energy/
CO2 credit (Ene1) reflects the importance of energy in the built environment in Wales: it sets a standard between Code Levels 3 and 4, and is mandatory; this equates to a 31% improvement on the 2006 Building Regulations baseline for all new dwellings. The 2010 Building Regulations, on their own, represent at least a 25% improvement on the 2006 Regulations. In its statement on Building Regulations
last year the Welsh government indicated that it would review the implications of the proposed introduction of Welsh Building Regulations on the national planning policy,
Implementation of the proposed changes to Building Regulations in Wales is expected to bring additional costs, benefits and opportunities
and can vary quite markedly between local authority areas. Moreover, they typically apply only to major developments (the definition of which varies), and are often very challenging. By contrast, the enhanced requirements for
the energy performance of buildings set out in Welsh planning policy suggest the primary aim of the Welsh government was to find a route to secure low carbon development in a consistent and flexible manner.
Devolved power Ahead of assuming powers to introduce its own Building Regulations, the Welsh government has already determined its policy for new dwellings and is considering targets for other sectors – although, the policy is still subject to consultation and impact assessment. The updated Approved Document
L1A 2013 will require a combination of energy efficiency and low and zero carbon technologies to achieve the proposed carbon emission reduction target for dwellings set at a 55% improvement (over the 2006 Building Regulations England and Wales); which is a further improvement of 24% against current national planning policy in Wales. Implementation of the proposed changes
to Building Regulations in Wales is expected to bring additional costs, benefits and opportunities. In terms of costs, experience of building performance, occupant behaviour and comfort gained from the current social housing pilot programme aimed at Code Levels 4 and 5 (and a number of Passivhaus demonstration houses) will inform the development of standards for 2012 and beyond. Early indications from the pilots are that
which will also include considering whether the policy is still necessary.. For non-residential developments the environmental assessment method used is BREEAM (or equivalent). The ‘expectation’ is for a BREEAM Very Good rating (at least 55%) combined with an Excellent score for energy/CO2 (Ene1) credit to be achieved on all applications with a floor space of 1,000 sq m or more. Code/BREEAM methods enable a holistic approach for achieving environmentally sustainable buildings. Indeed, many local authorities in England have used these two assessment methods to secure low carbon or environmentally sustainable new developments that are above the standards required in the Building Regulations. However, in contrast to Wales, energy requirements in England are set locally
40 CIBSE Journal October 2011
The Welsh Assembly, the seat of government, which is assuming powers to make Building Regulations
costs of achieving a Level 4 home (a 44% improvement on 2006 AD L1A) are around 3% to 4% higher than Level 3. In addition, the levels of air tightness being achieved are regularly exceeding expectations. Work undertaken by the UK Zero Carbon Hub in relation to fabric efficiency standards and primary energy use, and discussions through the Wales Low Zero Carbon Hub, show that for a typical private sector semi- detached house served by mains gas, the additional construction costs of achieving a 55% improvement are estimated at 9% at 2010 prices, excluding site works. Further recent work published by the Department of Communities and Local Government points to reducing costs of meeting Code standards as experience builds (
www.communities.
gov.uk/publications/planningandbuilding/ codeupdatedcostreview).
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