The latest Part L changes were released on 15th December 2021, so you’d be forgiven for perhaps not yet being quite aware of all the ins and outs of this latest uplift in Building Regulations standards – just before Christmas is certainly not the easiest time to assimilate such essential new knowledge!

The latest version of The London Plan was published in March this year by the Greater London Authority. Among the various updates designed to shape the way the capital evolves, and improve life for both Londoners and visitors, were some key changes to energy efficiency requirements. 

Thermal comfort isn’t currently a hot topic, if you’ll pardon the pun. Keeping cool in the office might not seem important right now, as we’ve had a very wet month that’s apparently been the coldest May in 25 years.

Totally off-grid developments aren’t all that common in the UK – at least, not when it comes to the plots that people want to build on. There are actually relatively few areas that aren’t inhabited to the level that means mains electricity is available, though there are more places without access to the mains gas network, which doesn’t have the same coverage, especially in rural Britain.

Sustainable approaches to waste water aren’t just for self-build eco-homes lived in by people determined to lighten their impact on our planet – they can also be a means of helping to achieve Planning Permission and Building Regulations compliance in standard dwellings.

Comfort levels. They’ve always been a consideration when designing and building both domestic and commercial buildings – and Building Regulations help by mandating certain standards – but one might argue that comfort levels haven’t always been given the consideration that they should be afforded. As a result, a proportion of the UK’s building stock isn’t really very comfortable to live in.

Better ventilation in homes could be considered one of the biggest factors in improving the wellbeing and comfort of the occupants, at least after heating to comfortable levels year-round has been taken care of. Is a mechanical ventilation and heat recovery (MVHR) system the ideal solution?

Hybrid heating systems are a fairly logical step to reducing reliance on fossil fuels and carbon emissions, even though until now electrification has rather been assumed to be the way in which tighter Part L requirements will be met in future.

In October 2018 the Greater London Authority (GLA) issued an updated version of its benchmark guidance document on strategic planning application energy assessments, outlining how to comply with the requirements of the London Plan Policy 5.2 (and of course it’s also a useful basis for preparing energy assessments for planning authorities anywhere in the country).

Off-grid living has received plenty of press over recent years – but as well as being an eco-friendly lifestyle choice, it’s also a fact of British life, whether you have any aspiration to live in a more environmentally friendly manner or not.