The F-Gas Regulations might not initially seem all that relevant to many UK builds and refurbs. After the summer we’ve had – where the sunny days only seemed to last until some time in July – you’d be forgiven for thinking that air conditioning isn’t really a big concern for our temperate isle. 

Office-to-residential conversions have seen a sharp rise in popularity thanks to a subdued office market, demand for housing, and an amendment to the General Permitted Development Order 1995 which enables change of use without Planning Permission.

Last April we brought you news of the Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) regulations, and how they will affect landlords after April 2018 – it will be unlawful to let a property in England or Wales without an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) of at least ‘E’, whether the lease is a new one or a renewal. These regulations will also apply to all existing commercial tenancies from April 2023, and all domestic tenancies from 2020.

A new research project on cavity party wall heat loss is being undertaken by the Leeds Sustainability Institute at Leeds Beckett University – in collaboration with Cambridge Architectural Research Ltd – commissioned by the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. 

Energy efficiency measures haven’t always been on people’s home improvement ‘to do’ lists. Even just a few years ago, you could mention the idea of solar panels (whether photovoltaic or thermal) and the majority of people would give you a blank look, or maybe even tell you that they considered such things only for ‘alternative’ types who grew their own veg and knitted their own socks.

Even just a few years ago, an M&E specialist consultant was a fairly unusual addition to a smaller-scale project team – with responsibility for the design of HVAC and other building services systems often falling to the sub-contractor tasked with the installation.

Who doesn’t want to cut the costs associated with running their commercial building? By opting to improve energy efficiency it’s possible to reduce energy bills, sometimes quite significantly, so that the measures pay for themselves – often over a relatively short payback period.

We’ve been involved in a number of sustainable self-build projects, so we’re well acquainted with both the pressures and the joys involved. We also know that many self-builders are creating their forever homes, and because of that they’re more likely to pay close attention to sustainability and of course liveability – that’s where we come in.