Today (24th May), the Welsh Government has released the next version of Building Regulations and Approved Documents F (ventilation), L (conservation of fuel and power) and O (overheating) for domestic buildings.

The new approved documents have been released following a lengthy consultation period and are due to come into force on 23^rd November 2022.

The release of these documents marks the first significant change to welsh building regulations in over a decade. These new standards will ensure that building work moving forward will deliver a better standard of living when it comes to health, safety and energy efficiency. This will go some way in helping Wales to reach its aim of getting the country to net zero by 2050.

Following the release of the new approved documents, Elmhurst has undertaken a quick review and has highlighted the significant changes that will be introduced come this November;

• There will be a 37% reduction in carbon emissions in new homes compared with Part L 2014 standards
• A Primary Energy compliance metric has been introduced alongside the existing carbon emissions standard
• A new minimum energy efficiency standard has been introduced for new builds set at a minimum EPC rating of 81 (B)
• Tightened limiting fabric standards for thermal elements
• Mandatory airtightness testing will be introduced for all new homes
• Air tightness testers will be able to choose between either Pulse or blower door testing as methods to determine airtightness in dwellings
• Overheating risk has been addressed in its own approved document (Part O) and is no longer featured in Part L and SAP
• The SAP 10 methodology will be adopted.

Elmhurst expects that the Non-Domestic regulations will be published later in 2022.

Elmhurst’s New Build Dwellings Manager, Jason Hewins comments;

“We welcome the new version of the Approved Documents which will improve the energy efficiency of new homes in Wales. As expected the new standards will commence in November 2022 and we await information from the BRE which will enable us to update Design SAP 10 for On Construction Domestic Energy Assessors (OCDEAs) to start understanding the impact of these new standards.

We also agree that overheating is a serious concern for buildings of the future, so we are delighted to see that the new standards will set out detailed requirements to mitigate this. For individuals looking at providing services for the detailed method, Elmhurst’s Overheating Competency Scheme will likely be of interest to you.

We will now digest the changes in more detail and expect to launch CPD events in due course.”