Building Regulations Revisions from 6th April 2006

Part L - Conservation of Fuel & Power

Part F - Ventilation

From 6th April 2006 the above regulations are being revised. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) have recently released the final versions of the Approved Documents covering these regulations which are linked to below.

                  Part F                         Part L

The new Part L will alter the way that energy conservation measures are calculated in buildings and will have the effect of making new buildings at least 20% more energy efficient over buildings designed to current regulations. There are four Approved Documents that support Part L.

• Approved Document L1A: Conservation of fuel and power (New dwellings) (2006 edition)
• Approved Document L1B: Conservation of fuel and power (Existing dwellings) (2006 edition)
• Approved Document L2A: Conservation of fuel and power (New buildings other than dwellings) (2006 edition)
• Approved Document L2B: Conservation of fuel and power (Existing buildings other than dwellings) (2006 edition)

There are transitional provisions with regard to these revised regulations which have been detailed by the ODPM. If you have any queries on how these transitional provisions will work please contact Building Control.

Revised Building Regulation Charges

From 1st April 2006 the building regulation charges are being revised slightly. The only change is that the plan charge for domestic extensions and loft conversions has been raised to £150 (inc. VAT). The inspection charges will remain the same. Details of the building regulation charges can be found on the Building Regulation Application Form.

We are pleased to announce that once again LABC Wessex have been able to agree a common set of charges across the region to give consistency to our customers. The nine LABC Wessex authorities are  Bath & North East Somerset, Bristol City, Kennet DC, North Somerset, North Wiltshire DC, Salisbury DC, South Gloucestershire, Swindon BC and West Wiltshire DC.

What is Part P?

'Part P – Electrical Safety' is a new part of the Building Regulations.

From 1 January 2005, the design, installation, inspection and testing of electrical installations has been controlled under the Building Regulations. The new Part P will apply mainly to houses and flats including the garden and outbuildings such as sheds, detached garages and greenhouses.

Local authorities will have to satisfy themselves that electrical work has been carried out safely. In practice, evidence will be required to show that the electrical work has been designed, installed and tested in accordance with BS7671.

There are two routes available to applicants to ensure they comply with Part P:

1. Use an electrician/installer who is registered with a Competent Persons Scheme in which case a Building Regulation application will not be required for the electrical work. However, the work will need to comply.
2. Submit a Building Regulation application:

Where an electrician tests the work and issues a design, installation and test certificate under BS7671. Building Control will accept the certificate as evidence that the work complies with Part P:

Where the work is carried out by an unregistered electrician the applicant is required to have the work inspected and tested as above.

There are currently five "Competent Persons' Schemes" in operation and we believe there will be ‘Defined Scope Schemes’ for other trades who carry out limited amounts of electrical work – eg: kitchen and bathroom fitters.

We would encourage householders to ensure that any proposed electrical work is carried out by a person competent to do so. Please ask your electrician or builder.

Further Information

We are still waiting for further clarification from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister on procedures and charges. Meanwhile, further information can be obtained from the following websites:

Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's website (www.odpm.gov.uk)

ECA website (www.eca.co.uk)

ELECSA website (www.elecsa.org.uk)

IEE website (www.iee.org)

NICEIC website (www.niceic.org.uk)

NAPIT website (www.napit.org.uk)

LABC website (www.labc.uk.com)