Clearview Midlands January 2014 - Issue 146 | Page 51

ENERGYEFFICIENCY

LATEST ADVICE ISSUED
TO HOMEOWNERS
REGARDING PART L
Building Regulations Energy Efficiency
And Your Conservatory.
Part L1 Conservation of fuel
and power.
These regulations cover the
energy efficiency of your new
conservatory, if you are going
to extend the new conservatory
into your home without the
benefit of external quality doors
you will generally need to have
a CO2 calculation carried out.
This is in two parts, the first
is concerned with a “Notional
Extension” or conservatory which
is an extension that has 25% of
the floor area as glazing. This will
produce a Notional CO2 figure
expressed in kg/year.

The second part is the
Proposed Extension, which has
the required amount of glazing
which can be significantly
higher up to and including 80%
glazing.
To compensate for the higher
heat loss through the glazed walls
and roof it will be necessary to
improve the efficiency of the
home and conservatory.
This can be done in a number
of ways such as using high
performance glazing, increasing
the efficiency of the conservatory
over and above that required by
the building regulations.

Improving the efficiency of the
existing home by:
• increasing loft insulation, wall
insulation, floor insulation,
improving the boiler efficiency
and improving the efficiency of
the doors and windows

• Siting of the conservatory can
be beneficial, utilising a south
facing elevation solar gain can
be useful in improving the
overall efficiency particularly
with the use of solar control
glazing.

HOUSEHOLDS CONTINUING TO MAKE
THEIR HOMES MORE ENERGY EFFICIENT
Latest Green Deal Assessment research shows over
eighty per cent of people will take action.
In establishing Green Deal, the government
has set the conditions to grow the energy
efficiency market in Great Britain. Although
still in the early stages, activity so far shows
that consumers are being helped to make
their homes more efficient. Over 100,000
assessments have been undertaken since
January, with latest research suggesting that
households find them helpful in reducing
their energy consumption.
The latest research on consumer reaction to
the Green Deal, ‘Wave Three’, is shows:
• 81 per cent of households intend to or
have already had at least one recommended
measure installed: (65 per cent have had work
carried out, six per cent are in the process
of installing improvements, and a further
10 per cent intend to install at least one
recommended measure);

To read more, visit www.clearview-uk.com

• 78 per cent found the assessment useful, 78
per cent had confidence in recommendations
by the assessor, and 76per cent said they
would recommend a green deal assessment to
a friend; and
• When households were asked how they
paid for measures, energy company funding
(ECO) was mentioned in 22 per cent of
cases, with local authority funding (16 per
cent), provider/installer finance (13 per cent)
and savings and regular income (11 per cent)
being the other most common means of
payment
Energy and Climate Change Minister Greg
Barker said, “The research undertaken in
November shows that Green Deal assessments
are highly valued by consumers. Crucially, they
are helping people to control their energy costs
this winter.

“Over 100,000 assessments have been carried
out so it’s particularly encouraging that over
80 per cent of people have, are or intending to
install at least one measure in homes and that
well over a third of recommended measures
have now been installed. This is a powerful
endorsement of the Green Deal.”
Of the £540 million the Government recently
announced would be made available over the
next three years to boost energy efficiency,
£450 million will be aimed at households
and private landlords. New schemes will be
designed to complement the Green Deal and