18th November 2013
The much anticipated Part L changes have now been published and on 6th April 2014, Part L1A 2013 will come into force.
A brief overview of some of the key points in the 2013 edition of the Approved Document L1A covering new homes are presented below –
- There are now two targets to meet. As well as the Target Emission Rate (TER) the dwelling needs to meet a Target Fabric Energy Efficiency (TFEE) measured in kWh/m2/year.
- The new target of a 6% reduction as compared to Part L 2010 may be achieved through the specification of the notional dwelling.
- The TER and TFEE are both based upon the performance of a newly defined Notional Dwelling. This dwelling has a fixed specification for U values, heating etc that provides a ‘prescription’ for one way of meeting the target. However, the builder has total flexibility in the specification they choose as long as these two targets are met.
- The TFEE is quite simply the FEE for the notional dwelling. There are not differing targets for various built forms as outlined in the consultation.
- The limiting fabric values are unchanged from Part L 2010
The Approved Documents for Part L 2013 and the updated Design Compliance Guide can be found here.
The finalised SAP 2012 document can be found here.
We are happy to answer any queries you may have in relation to this update.