Two New Building Regs and Why We Need To be Aware of Them.

Part O (Overheating) Part S (Electric Vehicle Charging) are now requirements. We have mentioned these two items previously, but there’s a real need to think about implementation now. 

This is because if your project had Building Regulations approval before 15 June 2022 then the old standards will only apply up until 15 June 2023. After that Part O and S will require new compliance. 

What are they about? 

The idea behind Building Regulation Approved Document Part O is to limit excess solar gain in new and existing homes and remove excess heat. This can be achieved through one of two methods either a) The Simplified Method ( Calculations rather than a visual representation) or b) The Dynamic Thermal Modelling Method (A 3D assessment of a room showing cooler areas). The standards are based on whether a house is cross-ventilated or not and a further standard is included for the maximum amount of glazing allowed in a single room. 

Building Regulation Part S creates the installation of charging points for electric cars and provides technical guidance. To be clear they are required in all new builds whether mixed use, commercial or residential, as well as renovations where ten or more dwellings are being created. Change of use developments to residential are also applicable. 

In order to avoid too costly an impact, a £3,600 price cap per charge point will be introduced, designed to stop the installation of EV chargers being prohibitively expensive. 

The big picture is that in 2023 a full technical consultation for the launch of the Future Buildings Standard will begin, ahead of the Standard's introduction in 2025.

Richard Stephens, May 2023