Insulation and Glazing news from 2022
38 stories, newest first
- December 2022
BEIS opens consultation on the design of the ECO+ scheme for 2023 to 2026
BEIS opened a consultation on 6 December 2022 on the design of the ECO+ energy efficiency scheme for 2023 to 2026, a £1bn programme aimed at households outside existing fuel poverty support.
- November 2022
Approved Document L Volume 1 takes effect in Wales
The 2022 edition of Approved Document L Volume 1, setting energy efficiency guidance for dwellings in Wales, takes effect on 23 November 2022, with transitional arrangements running to November 2023.
Trickle vent rules take effect in Wales
Changes to Approved Document F requiring trickle vents in the majority of replacement windows and doors came into effect in Wales on 23 November 2022, five months after the same rules began in England.
ECIU analysis finds insulation could cut gas imports by three times more than new North Sea drilling
Analysis from the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit finds insulating UK homes to a basic standard could save more gas by 2035 than already approved North Sea fields would produce.
ECO insulation delivery reported stalled after internal government delays
Analysis from the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit says insulation delivery under the Energy Company Obligation has stalled, with 18,750 low income households potentially missing measures worth £300 each.
- October 2022
Which? publishes 11 tips for cutting heating bills this winter
Which? has published eleven measures for cutting heating bills in winter 2022, covering boiler settings, cylinder and pipe insulation, heating controls, draught-proofing and professional loft insulation.
ECIU analysis finds poorly insulated band F homes cost £1,000 more to heat this year than band C homes
Analysis by the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit finds that homes rated EPC band F will cost around £1,750 more in total energy costs this year than band C homes, split between household bills and Government support.
RPSA and PCA spray foam guidance withdrawn for review
Industry guidance on spray foam insulation published by the RPSA and PCA in November 2021 was withdrawn in October 2022 pending a full review, leaving surveyors and lenders without a shared framework.
- September 2022
Mini-Budget pledges over GBP1bn for home insulation
The Chancellor's mini-Budget pledged more than GBP1bn of extra funding for home insulation over three years, which the End Fuel Poverty Coalition says falls far short of the GBP5bn needed.
- August 2022
Updated IWI moisture guidance distributed by TrustMark at BEIS request
Guidance clarifying that moisture-closed internal wall insulation is not prohibited on solid walls has been released by Dr Sarah Price and distributed by TrustMark at the request of BEIS.
Poorly insulated homes to pay £1,000 more on gas bills this winter
ECIU analysis published on 10 August 2022 finds homes rated EPC band F face a gas bill £968 higher than band C homes this winter, as the price cap is forecast to reach £3,958.
ECO 4 becomes a reality but delivery is at 25 percent of traditional capacity
The Installation Assurance Authority says ECO 4 legislation has been laid after delays, but industry delivery is running at only 25 percent of traditional capacity as installers consider layoffs.
Government decides not to double ECO scheme
The Government decided not to double the Energy Company Obligation, an industry-developed proposal, as analysis showed poorly insulated homes facing gas bills almost £1,000 higher than band C homes.
- July 2022
ECO4 legislation comes into place and SWIGA publishes funding feature
SWIGA has published a feature listing grant funding streams for solid wall insulation after ECO4 legislation came into force, setting out eligibility and timescales for schemes running to 2027.
- June 2022
Approved Document F ventilation rules come into force
Building regulations known as Approved Document F took effect on 15 June 2022, requiring extra background ventilation in habitable rooms when more than 30% of a property's windows are replaced.
Approved Document L restructured into two volumes
From 15 June 2022 Approved Document L is restructured into two volumes covering dwellings and other buildings, replacing the four parts L1A, L1B, L2A and L2B in England.
Part L uplift and Part O came into effect
The 2021 uplift to Part L of the Building Regulations and the new Part O overheating requirement took effect on 15 June 2022, setting fabric and ventilation standards for new homes in England.
Rules and RegulationYour Type of HomeCooling and Air Conditioning
New ventilation standards introduced through Approved Document F
Approved Document F, introduced on 15 June 2022, set new Building Regulation ventilation standards and made compliance the explicit responsibility of contractors, sub-contractors and installers.
West Midlands households lined up for free retrofit under Sustainable Warmth funding
More than 300 homes in Foleshill, Coventry and Elmdon, Solihull will receive free insulation, heating systems and solar panels under Sustainable Warmth funding, with work due to start in September.
Briefing updated with estimate that 9 million homes missed insulation upgrades since 2013
The Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit has updated its briefing on insulation and gas prices, estimating that nine million homes missed upgrades and that £4.57 billion in extra gas costs will have accrued by the end of March 2023.
Climate Change Committee publishes 2022 Progress Report to Parliament warning of major failures in home energy efficiency delivery
The Climate Change Committee's 2022 Progress Report to Parliament identified "major failures in delivery programmes" on home energy efficiency and called for more homes to be insulated.
Northern Ireland introduced Phase 1 interim uplift
Northern Ireland's Department of Finance has confirmed that Phase 1 of its building regulations review delivered an interim uplift to energy efficiency standards from June 2022, ahead of further planned phases.
Updated ventilation standards enacted
Ventilation standards introduced on 15 June 2022 place explicit responsibility on contractors, sub-contractors and installers to ensure work complies with Part F of the Building Regulations.
- May 2022
Scottish government proposes Passivhaus standard for all new-build housing
The Scottish government has proposed that all new-build housing in Scotland meet the Passivhaus standard or a Scottish equivalent, under a Member's Bill lodged in May 2022.
Wales published changes to Part L
Wales published changes to Part L, the building regulation covering the conservation of fuel and power, in May 2022, according to a UK government research report updated in December 2022.
- April 2022
British Energy Security Strategy published
The British Energy Security Strategy, published in April 2022, set out extra support for home energy efficiency, including five years without VAT on energy saving materials.
Energy Security Strategy published with home energy efficiency largely absent
The UK Green Building Council said the government's Energy Security Strategy was "deeply disappointing" on home energy efficiency, with four policy measures announced but no comprehensive plan for upgrading the country's 29 million homes.
Final impact assessment published for Wales Part L, Part F and Part O changes
The Welsh Government has published its final impact assessment for changes to Parts L, F and O of the Building Regulations for residential buildings in Wales.
Rules and RegulationScotland, Wales and Northern IrelandCooling and Air Conditioning
Ofgem introduces pitched roof insulation, hybrid wall insulation and district heating connection measures in ECO4
Ofgem has confirmed its final ECO4 scoring methodology, adding pitched roof insulation, hybrid wall insulation and district heating connection measures with partial project scores.
Solid wall minimum target of 90,000 measures set for ECO4
The government has set a minimum target of 90,000 solid wall insulation measures under ECO4, the four-year Energy Company Obligation running from 2022 to 2026, alongside a 150,000-home minimum for private tenure band E, F and G homes.
- March 2022
Deadline for completion of Green Homes Grant work
The Green Homes Grant voucher scheme closed to new applicants in 2021, and all insulation and low carbon heating work funded through it had to be finished by 31 March 2022.
Proposed backstop date for all Scottish private rented dwellings to reach EPC of E
Scottish Government proposals would require every private rented home in Scotland to reach EPC band E by 31 March 2022, with a higher D standard proposed from 2022 and by 2025.
Aereco introduces the Heatpex Aria range
Aereco has announced the Heatpex Aria ventilation and heat recovery system, a semi-rigid ducting range for single-family houses that the company says meets the ATC1 airtightness class.
Government publishes response to PAC report on the Green Homes Grant
BEIS has answered the Public Accounts Committee's criticism of the Green Homes Grant, accepting an unrealistic timetable and promising better design, contractor checks and an evaluation due in August 2023.
Green Homes Grant scheme closes
The Green Homes Grant, which covered up to two-thirds of the cost of energy efficiency works in England, closed in March 2022, leaving households to look to successor schemes.
- February 2022
BEAMA publishes white paper on ventilation and indoor air quality
BEAMA has published a white paper calling on the Government to raise ventilation standards in newbuild homes, pair energy efficiency retrofits with ventilation measures and treat poor indoor air quality as a public health emergency.
MPs warn UK lacks clear plan to decarbonise heating and insulate homes
The Commons business, energy and industrial strategy committee has said the government's approach to decarbonising home heating lacks clear direction and that current policies are not on the scale required.
- January 2022
Working from home raises household gas use amid cost of living crisis
The Resolution Foundation says working from home in the cost of living crisis raises average household gas use by around 50 per cent, and calls for better home insulation.