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New Regulations Challenge the Industry
Open dialogue between FENSA , GGF and government
The changes to Approved Documents F , L & O of the Building Regulations understandably caused a huge amount of discussion in the industry since they were first published in December last year .
Approved Document F has , in particular , been the topic of many a debate this year . The new regulations will require most replacement windows and doors to be fitted with trickle vents dependant on the room type , volume of windows / doors fitted and if sufficient proof can be provided that the installation does not make the situation any worse .
What has been hugely encouraging is that despite the changes that have been made to the regulations , the vast majority of the industry have made the necessary changes to ensure that homeowners in England will continue to receive a high quality , compliant installation .
The GGF and FENSA continue to have an open dialogue with the relevant government departments about the changes to the Building Regulations and our combined wealth of expertise and industry insight makes us ideally placed to provide our GGF Group Members with the data and information on which to make informed decisions .
Below is a summary of the changes which have been brought in and we would encourage everyone in the industry to download and read the documents in full from the government website ;
APPROVED DOCUMENT F - VENTILATION
The compliance of windows and doors is mostly contained with Section 3.14 to 3.16 of the new document although additional information is provided in Section 1 .
SECTION 3.14
• Refers to windows being removed which contain trickle vents . For compliance the new windows must contain trickle vents which are no smaller in Equivalent Area than those being removed and controllable either automatically or by the occupant .
• If the size of the trickle vents in the windows being replaced are not known , then follow the guidelines in 3.15 .
SECTION 3.15
• Refers to replacing the windows that will make the dwelling more airtight . If there is no mechanical ventilation with heat recovery in the dwelling , the installer must ensure that ventilation is no worse than before the new windows were installed .
• Trickle vents must be fitted to windows in each habitable room and kitchen to provide a minimum Equivalent Area of 8,000mm 2 .
• For bathrooms with or without a toilet you should provide trickle vents with a minimum Equivalent Area of 4,000mm 2 .
• Habitable room trickle vents can be reduced to an EA of 4,000mm 2 if the dwelling has continuous extract ventilation ( excluding Wet Rooms ).
Installing trickle vents can be excluded if another ventilation provision meets the requirements and can be proven to Building Control as meeting the following conditions in Section 3.2 : - a . meet the standards in the relevant approved document b . not be less satisfactory than before the work was carried out .
NOTE : Ventilation through infiltration should be considered to be part of the ventilation provision of a dwelling . Reducing infiltration might reduce the indoor air quality of the dwelling below the standards required .
• If it is not technically feasible to fit trickle vents to the minimum Equivalent Area then you are required to fit trickle vents as close to the minimum value as possible .
• The Equivalent Area is measured by room , not by window , so trickle vents can be fitted to multiple windows in a room .
• Night latches are not acceptable as ventilation .
If the Energy Efficiency works is only the replacement of windows and doors then you need to follow 3.14 to 3.16 . In addition , there are the following considerations .
• Trickle vents must be 1700mm above floor level .
• Trickle vents are intended to normally be left open .
• If the room has windows in opposing walls then trickle vents should be fitted to both windows for cross ventilation .
• If the window is close to an area of sustained and loud noise then a noise attenuating trickle vent should be fitted .
• If fans and trickle vents are fitted in the same room , they should be at least 500mm apart .
APPROVED DOCUMENT L – ENERGY EFFICIENCY
The U Values , Window Energy Ratings ( WER ) and doorset energy ratings ( DSER ) of replacement windows and doors
• Must be no worse than that of the element being replaced and
• Must meet the limiting standards of Table 4.2 below
Description ‘ U ’ Value WER / DSER Windows 1.4W / m 2 K B
Doors with glazed area greater than 60 %
www . FENSA . org . uk
1.4W / m 2 K C Other doors 1.4W / m 2 K B
CLEARVIEW-UK . COM JULY 2022
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