The 2021 edition incorporating 2023 amendments of Approved Document L, Conservation of fuel and power, Volume 2: Buildings other than dwellings is valid from 2 February 2023, according to the Planning Portal1. The document was first published in December 20211.
Approved Document L Volume 2 applies to buildings other than dwellings, and gives guidance on how to comply with Part L of Schedule 1 to the Building Regulations and the energy efficiency requirements for those buildings1. Part L is split into two volumes: Volume 1 covers dwellings, Volume 2 covers buildings other than dwellings1. The guidance covers insulation regulations, boiler productivity, lighting and storage techniques for hot water, along with fixed standards for Carbon Index ratings, solar emissions, heating and ventilation systems, space heating controls and air conditioning systems1.
The Planning Portal states that the guidance changed as of 15 June 2022 under The Building Regulations etc. (Amendment) (England) Regulations 2021, with two approved documents in force: Volume 1 for dwellings and Volume 2 for buildings other than dwellings1. These replaced four earlier parts1:
| Replaced document | Subject |
|---|---|
| Approved Document L1A | Conservation of fuel and power in new dwellings |
| Approved Document L1B | Conservation of fuel and power in existing dwellings |
| Approved Document L2A | Conservation of fuel and power in new buildings other than dwellings |
| Approved Document L2B | Conservation of fuel and power in existing buildings other than dwellings |
"Approved Document L Volume 2 applies to buildings other than dwellings"
The Planning Portal notes that these documents are updated regularly because of improvements in technologies and materials available in the construction and modification of buildings, and advises checking that the most up to date copy is being read1. A consolidated version of the individual Approved Documents is published by the government as a single, searchable PDF, and previous versions are held in an archive list1.
Why it matters for households
Volume 2 does not set the rules for homes; Volume 1 covers dwellings1. Its relevance to a household lies in the buildings around it. Extensions, conversions and work to a home are governed by the dwelling volume, but the same Part L framework sits behind the energy efficiency requirements applied through building control, and the regulation-policy hub tracks how that framework changes.
The practical effect for a household is indirect but real. Where a home sits next to, or forms part of, a building that is not a dwelling, the standards applied to that building's insulation, heating, ventilation, lighting and hot water storage are set by Volume 21. Guidance on carbon ratings, solar emissions and heating controls in non-domestic buildings shapes how much energy those buildings draw and, in shared or mixed-use premises, what services and running costs a household may encounter.
For older or protected properties, separate consent questions arise alongside building regulations, which the guide to listed buildings and conservation areas sets out.
What happens next
The document is valid from 2 February 20231. The Planning Portal states that the guidance changed as of 15 June 2022 under The Building Regulations etc. (Amendment) (England) Regulations 20211. No further dates for subsequent amendments to Volume 2 are given in the published page1.