STYROFOAM Manufacturer Offers Part L 2013 Summary

STYROFOAM manufacturer Dow Building Solutions has released a new, independent publication summarising key changes to Part L of the Building Regulations, which come into force from April 6 2014.

Authored by Huw Evans of JPA Technical Literature Ltd, the paper describes key changes to Part L of the Building Regulations introduced in England in 2013 and 2014, made as part of the triennial revision cycle.

The changes are a further step towards the Government’s longterm commitment to reduce carbon dioxide emissions to 80% below 1990 levels by 2050. They also move standards for new dwellings closer to the 2016 zero carbon target, and new buildings other than dwellings towards the 2019 zero carbon target.

“The key thing to note is that there is much more emphasis on reducing energy demand through improved fabric efficiency – and that merely specifying fabric which meets the limiting values will not be sufficient for new dwellings, for example,” explained Huw Evans. “The introduction of the target fabric energy efficiency – the TFEE – means designers will no longer be able to compensate for poorly performing fabric with renewables but must ensure the building fabric is efficient in its own right. Designers will also need to pay more attention to the calculation of junction heat losses, as standard psi-values in notional dwelling calculations are, in some cases, substantially lower than those of accredited construction details – which could require further compensating measures elsewhere in the fabric.”

Chris Gimson, Commercial Director for Dow Building Solutions, added: “Effective insulation is still one of the simplest, most cost-effective ways of improving energy efficiency, and our STYROFOAM product range – recently joined by XENERGY XPS – has for decades offered a tried and tested method of meeting evolving building regulations.”

To access the Part L guide, visit www.styrofoam.co.uk, email dbsuk@dow.com or call 020 3139 4000.