New Building Regulation ventilation standards were introduced through Approved Document F on 15 June 2022, according to guidance published by BEAMA, the electrotechnical and energy infrastructure trade body1. The same guidance states that the document makes it the explicit responsibility of a building contractor, sub-contractor or installer to ensure that all work complies with and meets Building Regulation requirements1.
The guidance sets out minimum extract ventilation rates for the rooms where moisture and pollutants are generated most. These are the figures it gives1:
| Room | Minimum extract rate |
|---|---|
| Kitchen | 60 l/s (or 30 l/s if the extract is a cooker hood) |
| Utility room | 30 l/s |
| Bathroom | 15 l/s |
| Sanitary accommodation (toilet) | 6 l/s |
BEAMA's guidance frames the standards around the effect of energy efficiency work on existing homes. Before large scale energy efficiency improvements accelerated from the 1970s onwards, homes benefited from a greater air change rate through the natural leakage of a building, it says. Without that natural air flow, homes can see an increase in indoor pollution and a deterioration in indoor air quality, and as work is carried out to make existing dwellings more energy efficient, occupants become more reliant on forced (mechanical) ventilation to replace or supplement natural leakage1.
The guidance states that any building work on an existing dwelling must not reduce the level of ventilation unless it can be demonstrated that the ventilation provision after the work is completed meets the minimum standards of Building Regulations. It advises that an assessment should determine what additional ventilation provision is needed, based on the estimated impact of the work, and that the assessment should account for measures fitted since the dwelling was originally constructed, not only the planned work1. It also points to PAS2035, the publicly available specification for whole house retrofit, and notes that this work is subject to inspection from a buildings inspector or building control officer1.
"New Building Regulation ventilation standards were introduced through Approved Document F on 15 June 2022, stating that it is the explicit responsibility of a building contractor, sub-contractor or installer to ensure that all work complies with and meets Building Regulation requirements."
Why it matters for households
Ventilation sits alongside insulation and glazing in determining how a home performs, and the two pull in opposite directions. Fabric measures that cut draughts and air leakage also cut the incidental ventilation a leaky home once provided, so a tighter home depends more on deliberate extract. The rates above are the benchmark against which that extract is judged, and the guidance places the duty to meet them on the people doing the work rather than on the householder1.
The guidance also sets out the health case for getting this right. It cites research estimating that poor housing costs the NHS in England up to £1.4bn per year, with nearly £1bn related to indoor comfort aspects1. It lists indoor pollutants including moisture from washing and cooking, carbon monoxide and oxides of nitrogen from combustion appliances and smoking, volatile organic compounds from aerosols, candles, air fresheners and formaldehyde in some furniture, allergens from house dust mites, CO2, environmental tobacco smoke and odours1. Short term symptoms it associates with poor indoor air quality include coughing, sneezing, watery eyes, fatigue, dizziness, headaches, wheezing and reduced cognitive function, while longer term conditions listed include allergic and asthmatic symptoms, respiratory infections, lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and cardiovascular disease1.
For a household, the practical point is that a ventilation installation is part of the regulated fabric of the home, not an optional extra, and that its performance can be inspected. The guidance notes that if the performance or fitting of ventilation units or systems in a dwelling do not meet specific requirements and performance standards, levels of indoor air pollutants may rise above safe levels, breaching regulations1.
What happens next
The guidance states that this work is subject to inspection from a buildings inspector or building control officer1. No further dated steps are set out in the guidance.