On June 15 2022, the new Building Regulations and updates became law, with the revisions for Part F and Part L applying to all new and existing dwellings.
The law change has brought about changes to Part F (Ventilation) and Part L (Conservation of fuel and power), as well as the introduction of Part O (Overheating) and Part S (Infrastructure for the charging of electric vehicles).
It’s important to reiterate that as an industry leader, we’ve been aware of likely changes and have been continually seeking advice from energy and sustainability assessors, and monitoring the government’s movements in anticipation of these amendments to ensure we’re as prepared as we can be.
We have developed an in-depth understanding of what the new Part L regulations mean for our future homes
How will each new element of the new regulations enhance the service being delivered for each of our partners and, resultantly, the homebuyers that get their dream home through our services?
We’re going to strip it down piece by piece!
Part O relates to overheating, which is something we have considered on projects already, especially where there are restrictions on opening windows and doors due to noise levels imposed by unique circumstances such as adjacent roads and railways.
Compliance with this will therefore be reviewed at the same time as the thermal analysis is undertaken for each build, complying with Part L to ensure we are creating comfortable environments that can be managed effectively by our clients once our work is done. With this in mind, Part O will also require us to look at the number of glazed areas in comparison to the room sizes as well as the orientation and shading of the building elevations.
Part F relates to ventilation of the properties, and bearing in mind the air tightness that we are achieving to comply with Part L, this ensures that each new home we create is well ventilated through innovative mechanical technology.
Part S now calls for us to implement suitable infrastructure to accommodate electric vehicle car charging for all of the dwellings. We’re ahead of the curve here already, as this is something that we were providing under the previous Low Emission Strategies, a requirement within various local authority planning policies.
We have assisted clients such as Housing 21 making their new homes ‘fossil fuel free’ and will continue to develop the design of future facilities
Why are the Part L regulations of particular importance to Deeley Homes?
Focusing on the here and now, the new Part L regulation places an emphasis on the fabric of the buildings and air tightness solutions, which creates a completely sustainable and healthy environment that’s easily controlled.
From a Deeley Homes perspective, this will fully support the house associations, purchasers and tenants that we work with as partners, providing them with better control of their dwellings, allowing them to be more energy efficient and therefore more cost effective, which, especially noting the current climate, is incredibly useful.
In anticipation of an altered on-site homebuilding process, Deeley Homes has instigated numerous workshops and information events to ensure employees across the business are aware of these changes, as well as spending time and money on having ‘out of the box’ strategies in place for achieving compliance with the main Part L for both affordable and market sales houses.
We recognise that the homes we build will be guided by the new regulations, and this places a requirement on ourselves to control the quality of the building activities on site, with increased energy efficiency at the forefront of our work.
Deeley Homes will help manage this by implementing software to assist managers in the checking and signing off process and making sure any remedial and rectification works are undertaken before works progress onto the next stage of the build.
Looking ahead to Part L and the future of Deeley Homes
As part of the review into compliance to the new Part L, undertaken by Deeley Homes, we’re continually considering our work from a practical and cost basis for our clients.
Our focus is on making sure we provide homes that comply with the new Future Homes Standard, thus ensuring we are prepared for the next stage – which is houses becoming more energy efficient and reducing demand for natural resources.
For us, our job is to use our expertise to create homes that are accessible to every prospective homeowner. That, after 85 years of home creation, is the modern Deeley way.
