28
INDUSTRY VIEWFINDER
Year on year comparison of understanding of the new Regulations: g Very Good g Good g Acceptable g Poor g Very Poor
over the year by reproducing a series of questions from previous study for a direct comparison. The results were largely positive, in that many architects and specifiers we surveyed reported that their knowledge of – and issues with tackling – the updated Parts L and F and the new O, had improved as expected since the mandatory deadline of June 2023. However, there were one or two surprising findings, where levels of understanding of the new standards had dropped for example, although these could suggest that the intervening year had thrown up new questions after the standards had been in operation on live schemes. Also, the arrival of the consultation document on the FHS in December has caused another wave of speculation and concern about the likely outcomes, and the new Parts L, F and O are fundamental components of this.
Comparing progress
The consultation document on the proposed Future Homes Standard was finally released to industry in December 2023, however many in the sector and outside complained that the performance values required within it did not go far enough, and were inadequate for achieving the hoped-for carbon savings. UKGBC for one has been scathing about this perceived watering- down of the aims given our climate challenges, but our survey responses were inconclusive, with 31% saying that the consultation aims were not inadequate, and 41% saying they didn’t know. By contrast, there are industry concerns about the potential requirements for performance ratings such as for U-values to be given on each separate element of a building (such as individual windows), which could lead to smaller windows failing to comply, for example). A more holistic approach would be more fit for purpose and avoid such penalties, according to commentators. In comparing our 2023 responses with those received this year, we were able to gauge the progress which had been made by architects on compliance following the updates to the Regulations, covering a variety of areas. These began with their levels of understanding, including in specific areas of Part L. We then asked them their views on the difficulties of the challenge in general, and in specific areas, as well as the main barriers, and the critical
WWW.ARCHITECTSDATAFILE.CO.UK
priorities they perceived in designs for Part L, F and O compliance. We asked respondents in 2023 – and again this year – to divulge the building technologies and solutions they were prioritising to achieve compliance, grouped under the ‘eco’ banner but spanning everything from thermal breaks and air-tightness tapes to district heating and battery storage. As sets of responses to several of the original questions asked in 2023, the results provide a useful comparison which threw up some contrasts as well as some similarities across the two survey cohorts of 2023 and 2024.
Key regulation changes The updated Parts L and F, and the newly introduced Part O, require a series of fundamental changes to specification in new builds in both the domestic and non-domestic sectors. In the domestic sector, in order to achieve the 31% fewer emissions required, the installation of solar PV renewable generation, alongside electric heating systems to replace current gas options, such as electric-powered air source heat pumps will be part of the solution adopted in housing designs, in many cases. However, all specifiers are likely to be increasing building fabric performance in the first instance, such as increasing insulation to deliver the more stringent target U-values required for walls, windows and doors. In order to produce the designs required, the Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP) now includes a ‘notional building’ approach, which is a hypothetical building model created with the same dimensions, use, orientation and shading as the proposed dwelling. The notional building has a set of reference values within it which enable designers to determine the Target Emission Rate (TER) and Target Fabric Energy Efficiency (TFEE) required for a completed dwelling to receive Building Control approval under the new Part L (Part L1A). Many designers and housebuilding firms may already have adapted to such an approach, but we discovered that a large portion still see this as a challenge. Many bemoaned the loss of the Code for Sustainable Homes under David Cameron’s administration (alongside the canning of the pioneering 2016 Zero Carbon Homes target). However something of this endeavour has been retained in the 2021 Part L, which adopts the ‘Full Fabric Specification’ approach to achieving
ADF MARCH 2024
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84
