Omitting carbon emissions from Part L could have huge implications for HVAC industry, says GDHV

Glen Dimplex Heating & Ventilation (GDHV) is calling for carbon emissions targets to remain a core component within the amended government building regulations due to be released this autumn.

The final consultation paper on the proposed amendments to Part L of the Building Regulations is expected to include a shift towards using primary energy as the main metric for meeting building compliance. This is in response to the European Union (EU) Energy Performance of Building Directive (EPBD) which requires all new buildings to be nearly zero energy buildings (NZEB) from 31 December 2020.

The proposed revisions represent a significant change in the UK’s compliance procedures, as the focus will move to primary energy, rather than carbon emissions. The change could result in higher carbon heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) solutions performing better than lower carbon alternatives in the government’s Standard Assessment Procedure for Energy Rating of Dwellings (SAP).

In anticipation of the release of the Part L consultation, GDHV has produced a report outlining a number of recommendations in response to the proposed changes including:

• The inclusion of a low carbon emission target alongside primary energy
• The introduction of two targets to address the difference in energy consumption between apartments and houses
• Consideration of a reward for any futureproofed solutions installed
• Apply due consideration to the need for skilled labour and the installation and running costs of specifiable systems
• Continue to maintain the trend for improving air quality
• Consideration for the growing issue of overheating in new build developments
• Support for heat pump technology to help move towards electrification of buildings

Download the full report, Staying on Target: combining nearly zero energy buildings and low carbon HVAC solutions here.

Disclaimer
Please note the full report has not been ratified by CIAT and does not represent the views of the Institute.