Insulation and Glazing news, page 7
- June 2022
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.