New buildings and developments in England all have to comply with Building Regulations, one such area is the area known as Part L Regulations. The Part L Regulations cover the energy efficiency of buildings and their environmental impact.

Part L Regulations are made up of a number of assessments and criteria that need to be met if a building is to be deemed as Part L compliant. There are many different assessments ranging from air testing, the overall energy performance of the building as well as the efficiency of the build, the required assessments differ from building to building depending on the purpose for which it is to be used.

Architects and developers should be aware of what is required to be compliant with the Part L Regulations. However, there are professional services available who can visit properties or sites and advise what assessments need to be carried out.

Air Testing is used to measure the flow of air through a building, with a focus on how much air is leaving the building through non conventional places. Usually an air test is carried out and assessed in one day. The process normally involves sealing all of the doors and windows throughout the house, then using fans air is blown throughout and the amount escaping is measured. The less air escaping, the less hot air can escape, meaning less energy is needed to heat the house and as a result the more efficient the building will be as a whole.

A hot topic with regards to the Environment is carbon emissions. The Code for Sustainable Home covers this for Part L Regulations, whereby it rates a building on its current carbon emissions and is used to set a target emissions rate for the building to achieve within a set number of years.

An assessment that forms part of the Code for Sustainable Homes is the Ecohomes Assessment. Ecohomes Assessments score a building on its overall sustainability and energy efficiency. Is there a shower or bath fitted? Are there any energy saving devices installed? All of these factors are taken into consideration to give one overall score that forms part of the overall assessment.

Part L Regulations and the Code for Sustainable Homes are part of a wider initiative to drive down the amount of carbon emissions and to protect our Environment. Complying with them and following the guidelines is for the benefit of everyone and our planet.

If you would like to find out more about Part L Regulations then take a look at the Energist UK website for more information.