You are here: Home | Legislation - what do you need to know?

Legislation - What do you need to know?

Home Information Pack (HIP)^*

All homes marketed for sale in England or Wales now require a Home Information Pack (HIP). HIPs are designed to bring together valuable information for the potential buyer at the start of the sales process and are made up of some mandatory documents and some optional ones.

One of the compulsory items is the Energy Performance Certificate (EPC), which shows how energy efficient a property is by giving it a rating from A to G (with A being the most efficient).

EPC's provide both an environmental rating (to measure the impact a property has on the environment in terms of its CO₂ emissions) and an energy efficiency rating (to measure a home’s overall efficiency). Each rating is based on the performance of the building itself and its services, rather than the appliances within it – known as asset rating.

Code for Sustainable Homes

The 2010 Building Regulations are currently being reviewed, and it is thought that the standards might be raised to level three of the Code for Sustainable Homes, which calls for a 25 percent improvement on carbon emissions compared to the current Building Regulations. New homes might eventually have to comply with level four of the code, a 44 percent improvement.

The Merton Rule ^**

The Merton Rule is the groundbreaking planning policy, pioneered by the London Borough of Merton, which requires the use of renewable energy onsite to reduce annual carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions in the built environment.

The Government expects all planning authorities to include policies in their development plans that require a percentage of the energy in new developments to come from onsite renewables.

The majority of them have set a requirement for 10 percent where it is viable, but the figure varies between authorities.

Building regulations

If you’re developing or extending a property you must comply with Part L1A of the Building Regulations. Implemented in 2005, Part L1A set out to reduce new-build carbon emissions by 20 percent. Part L1A gives developers actual permission to build, based on carbon emissions, with each new property having a carbon emissions target (TER: Target CO₂ Emission Rate).

To pass, and to be able to build, the dwelling’s actual emissions (DER: Dwelling CO₂ Emission Rate) must be the same or lower than the target ^***.

The Building Regulations do not stipulate that you have to install heating based on renewables, but do state the amount of carbon your property is allowed to emit. Therefore, including renewable technologies in your design might give you the scope to build a more interesting home by including things that might otherwise be denied – for example large glass windows.

If you upgrade your heating system or fit a new one, a high efficiency condensing boiler must be installed under Part L of the Building Regulations.

There are a few exceptions and exemptions to the legislation, where it is too costly or impractical to fit a condensing boiler, but this only affects a small percentage of properties. It is likely that boiler and radiator controls will need to be
upgraded too.

The Energy Saving Trust (EST) estimates that homeowners can save up to 40 percent on their heating bills if a condensing boiler is installed, and recommends that homeowners should consider replacing their boiler if it is over 15 years old, even if it still works.

Sources