Implications Of Omitting Carbon Emissions From Part L

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18 September 2019 | Updated 20 September 2019

The world’s largest electric heating manufacturer 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 EU Energy Performance of Building Directive (EPBD) which requires all new buildings to be nearly zero energy buildings (NZEB) from 31st 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.

According to Glen Dimplex Heating & Ventilation (GDHV), 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.

• 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.

• The introduction of two targets to address the difference in energy consumption between apartments and houses.

Shaun Hurworth, Head of Channel Marketing at GDHV said: “It’s imperative that the industry changes its approach to the design and specification of heating.  We welcome the move towards including primary energy but urge that this doesn’t become a direct replacement for carbon emissions targets.

“Instead we need a holistic approach that incorporates both primary energy and carbon emissions to ensure that we continue to reduce carbon emissions from new developments, while helping the UK achieve compliance with the EPBD. Policy makers and industry leaders need to work together to ensure that we can reach the nearly zero energy target without increasing the use of higher carbon systems, which could add cost and complication when achieving future, carbon-based targets.”

GDHV has been engaging with government and regulatory bodies to better understand the implications of any changes. It has a team of experts committed to understanding the potential impact of future legislation on the specification of HVAC solutions.

To download the full report, Staying on Target: combining nearly zero energy buildings and low carbon HVAC - Click Here

Article written by Brian Shillibeer | Published 18 September 2019

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