The Department of Finance published the June 2022 edition of Technical Booklet F1 on 25 March 2022, and it came into effect on 30 June 2022, replacing the 2012 edition1. The booklet sets out guidance on regulations 39 to 47 of the Building Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2012, which cover the conservation of fuel and power in dwellings1. It applies to new plans applications made from 30 June 2022; work arising from applications made before that date falls under the previous editions, amended in 20142.
"This edition of the guidance came into effect on 30th June 2022."
The booklet carries minimum standards for fabric and services. Limiting U-values are given as 0.18 W/m2K for walls and floors, 0.16 W/m2K for roofs, 1.40 W/m2K for windows, rooflights, curtain walling and pedestrian doors, and 0.00 W/m2K for party walls2. Where space heating is underfloor heating, the maximum floor U-value should be 0.15 W/m2K2. The limiting extent of external doors and glazed openings should be no greater than 25 per cent of a dwelling's floor area2. Maximum permissible air permeability is 10 m3/(h.m2) at 50 Pa, though the booklet says dwellings are expected normally to achieve an assessed figure of 5 m3/(h.m2) at 50 Pa or less2.
| Element | Limiting U-value (W/m2K) |
|---|---|
| Wall | 0.18 |
| Floor | 0.18 |
| Roof | 0.16 |
| Party wall | 0.00 |
| Windows, rooflights, curtain walling, pedestrian doors | 1.40 |
On carbon performance, the dwelling emission rate for dwelling houses should better the target emission rate by a minimum of 40 per cent, and for flats by a minimum of 25 per cent2. The booklet gives an example: where the target emission rate is 20 kgCO2e/m2/yr, a new dwelling house would require a rate of 12 kgCO2e/m2/yr or less, and a new flat 15 kgCO2e/m2/yr or less2. Central heating systems should have a minimum of two independent heating zones2. Where a heat pump or other system is proposed without an export connection, designers are encouraged to engage early with Northern Ireland Electricity Networks to confirm an export connection can be provided, and the booklet notes that a performance gap is likely where no export connection exists2.
Why it matters for households
The booklet is guidance rather than a product or a grant, so it does not change an existing home's bills directly. Its effect is on what gets built and on the standard a new home in Northern Ireland is expected to meet. The fabric figures, the air permeability expectation and the two-zone heating requirement all bear on how much energy a dwelling needs to keep warm, and therefore on how exposed a household is to movements in the price of whatever fuel it uses. A tighter envelope and zoned heating reduce the energy a home must buy in, which is the practical meaning of energy independence at the level of a single dwelling. For anyone buying or commissioning a new home, the edition in force on the date plans are deposited determines which standards apply, and the booklet states that following its guidance creates a presumption of compliance that can be overturned2. The Building Regulations in Northern Ireland and the Technical Booklets set out how that framework operates, while the regulation-policy hub covers the wider rules affecting household energy.
What happens next
The booklet states that regulation 43B on nearly zero-energy requirements for new buildings came into operation for newly erected dwellings from 31st December 2020, and that the June 2022 booklet provides guidance on the relevant standards for new plans applications made from 30 June 20222. No further dated steps are given in the published material1.
Sources2 cited
- Technical Booklet F1 - Conservation of fuel and power in dwellings – June 2022 | Department of Finance, finance-ni.gov.uk
- TB_Part_F1_2022_On-Line_Publication.pdf, buildingcontrol-ni.com