APRIL 2021 | 23
Installer Support
BFRC AND FENSA TO MEET GOVERNMENT TO DISCUSS BUILDING REGS CONCERNS
Survey highlights installer disquiet over trickle vents and U value drops
As window installers express their broad disapproval at the Government ’ s proposals to amend performance requirements for windows and doors in the Building Regulations , FENSA , together with the British Fenestration Ratings Council ( BFRC ) has been invited to attend Government meetings to discuss the issues .
BFRC , the organisation behind the Window Energy Ratings ‘ rainbow ’ energy performance scheme , has said that it is not surprised at the intensity of feelings amongst installers , which were highlighted in a recent survey by FENSA amongst its Approved Installers . In the survey , which has included the views of almost 700 respondents , installers are almost unanimously ( 94.8 %) against the inclusion of trickle vents in all replacement windows , whilst more than 60 % of respondents said they did not support ‘ the lowering of U values and increase in DSER bandings for doors ’. The changes , say BFRC , will mean that 46 % of existing BFRC door licences and 26 % of window licences would not meet building regulation requirements for energy ratings .
Both organisations have been invited , together with the GGF , by the Ministry of Housing , Communities and Local Government ( MHCLG ), the Government department responsible for the Regulations , to attend a meeting as part of the consultation process undertaken in preparation for the publication of the new Building Regulations , and specifically to discuss the various concerns .
“ We are very pleased that we will have the opportunity to convey the disquiet expressed by the majority of Approved Installers through the recent FENSA survey , together with the findings expressed by BFRC that so many products will become non-compliant with energy ratings , to MHCLG ,” commented Anda Gregory , Managing Director GGF Commercial Group , which includes BFRC and FENSA .
“ The effects that the changes to the Building Regulations will have on our market should not be underestimated : 85 % of installers that responded to the FENSA survey believe that they will lose business as a result of an insistence upon trickle vents in all frames , fearing that customers will turn to an alternative installer operating in the ‘ grey market ’ who is happy to turn a blind eye to regulations to please the homeowner ,” continued Anda . “ We are in broad support of the proposed improvements in the performance of windows and doors , which have not changed for more than a decade . But we hope to encourage MHCLG to allow time for the industry ’ s views to be heard , and for the practical and logistical impact of the changes to be adjusted and implemented .”
www . fensa . org . uk
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