Finally! It has been one “L” of a wait

Even by Government standards the Part L tanker has been slow to turn, but today we have finally received the long awaited response to the Part L consultation – finally we can start to move forward with some certainty.  In our original response we warned of moving too far too fast and thankfully the net impact on woodworking manufacturers seems to be light – this is welcomed at a time when we are already pedalling fast to implement changes necessary due to the EU Timber Regulation and the Construction Products Regulation.

Approved Documents containing fuller detail are due to follow (no timescales as yet) but in the announcement today from Baroness Hanham clarified some key points.

Implementation has been confirmed for April 2014, almost 2 years after the original consultation on Part L closed (and six months later than the intended timescales).

It was noted that there will be no change in standards for replacement windows or doors.  Doors are not specifically mentioned, but our assumption at this stage is that the following extract covers all external fenestration:

“I am also announcing today the decision not to proceed at this time with a strengthening of the minimum energy efficiency standards for extensions and replacement windows to existing homes.”

These products have been flagged for future upgrades to meet projected zero carbon requirements, but will not be impacted by changes in 2014.

New build homes will required to be 6% more efficient in terms of carbon emissions from April 2014. The change falls short of the government’s original proposals to tighten standards by 8% for new build homes and is a bit of dent in the target of Zero Carbon Homes by 2016.

For woodworking companies, this is likely to result in an increased focus on lowering the thermal transmittance of external fenestration as a means to hitting more rigorous targets, but these are likely to be less severe than had originally been anticipated.  We are confident that our members are keen and well equipped to work with designers and builders to help meet these targets and that timber is well positioned to deliver the required results.

Uplift in efficiency standards of 9% for non-domestic buildings has also been announced, but again this is not anticipated to have an onerous impact on our members.

As per our announcement earlier this year, Consequential Improvements remains in the political long grass with DCLG suggesting that growth would be stifled if Part L changes were too heavy handed.

The announcement today did not include detail on the Housing Standards Review and Allowable Solutions, which may prove to be highly significant for the timber industry.

We welcome the announcement and look forward to working with government and the wider industry to improve the Carbon footprint of both the construction sector and the built environment in the UK.

To read the written ministerial statement in full, click here
To read the original consultation on Part L of the Building Regulations (issued in January 2012). Click here