The Future Homes and Buildings Standard consultation has been released for comments on the 2025 uplift to L & F and a review of the effectiveness of O. This has updated consultation versions of Approved Documents L and F and will close for comments on 6 March 2024.
This consultation relates to buildings in England only.
The majority of the consultation has regard to new homes and non-domestic buildings. A small number of sections are also relevant to existing buildings. These are:
If you would like to respond to the consultation, you can do so here.
Approved documents are approved by the Secretary of State and give practical guidance on common building situations about how to meet the requirements of the Building Regulations 2010 for England. Different approved documents give guidance on each of the technical parts of the regulations.
Each approved document covers the requirements of the Building Regulations 2010 relating to a different aspect of building work. Building work must also comply with all other applicable requirements of the Building Regulations 2010 and all other applicable legislation.
Building regulations Part L covers the Conservation of Fuel and Power in the building of new homes in England.
Both AD volumes covering dwellings and non-dwellings can be found here.
Building regulations Part F covers Ventilation in the building of new homes in England.
Both volumes covering dwellings and non-dwellings can be found here.
Building regulations Part O covers Overheating in the building of new homes in England.
This approved document can be found here:
The UK government has set a legally binding target of reaching net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
The minimum energy efficiency requirements for new homes and non-domestic buildings are set through Part L (Conservation of fuel and power) of Schedule 1 and Part 6 of the Building Regulations. In 2021 the government implemented an uplift to Part L and introduced regulations to reduce overheating risk in new residential buildings (Part O), which came into effect on 15 June 2022.
As a result of the uplift, new homes and non-domestic buildings are now expected to produce significantly lower carbon emissions compared to those built to the 2013 standards. The uplift represents an important step towards a cleaner, greener and safer built environment.
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Every care was taken to ensure the information in this article was correct at the time of publication (December 2023). Guidance provided does not replace the reader’s professional judgement and any construction project should comply with the relevant Building Regulations or applicable technical standards. For the most up to date Premier Guarantee technical guidance please refer to your Risk Management Surveyor and the latest version of the Premier Guarantee Technical Manual.
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