26 | FEBRUARY 2023
New Regulations Challenge the Industry
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REGULATIONS ACROSS THE NATIONS
Building regulations have now changed in Scotland and Wales , in some cases requiring more ambitious standards than England . Quickslide ’ s Managing Director Ben Weber explains what it means , what you need to know and how to keep abreast of it all with an easy online tool .
This time last year the talk was of new building regulation changes coming into force . Twelve months on , changes which only affected England originally have now come into play with new regs for both Scotland and Wales too – and in some cases these have been tightened beyond the requirements of England ’ s specifications .
“ At Quickslide we ’ ve been working hard to ensure we stay ahead of the game across the borders when it comes to these new building reg requirements ,” says Quickslide ’ s Managing Director Ben Weber . “ Our remit continues to be ‘ heritage without compromise ’, marrying the very best technical performance with the authentic styling of traditional sash and casement windows .”
The new Welsh building regulations went live on 23rd November , with Scotland ’ s following suit shortly after on 1st December . As in England , the changes apply to standards for energy performance , ventilation , overheating and sustainability for building work starting from these dates .
Ventilation
The revised Approved Document F on ventilation covers the requirement for trickle vents to improve airflow , reduce condensation and prevent mould without compromising on security ( unlike leaving windows open ).
New Welsh standards on ventilation are the same as England , but Scotland is upping the game . Called Section 3 in Scotland , the new building regulations require 10,000 EA ( Equivalent Airflow ) or , for apartments , 12,000 EA . Both of which are a fair bit tougher than England ’ s requirement of 8,000 EA . ( In existing buildings in Scotland the size of trickle ventilation may be reduced , depending on existing infiltration rates .)
“ At Quickslide we ’ ve programmed our Schirmer CNC to cater for the tougher Scottish requirements ,” says Ben . “ Which means all our welded vertical sliders of more than 1055mm in width can carry 12,000 EA in one window using a continuous vent exclusive to Quickslide .”
Conserving fuel and power
Document L is all about conserving fuel and power through achieving lower U-values , increasing the thermal efficiency of homes as part of the Government ’ s strategy to reduce carbon emissions .
New Welsh building regulations now have a new build target of 1.3 U-value ( England ’ s is 1.2 U-value ) with a new build back stop of 1.4 U-value ( England ’ s is a more lenient 1.6 U-value ).
In Scotland , Part L is covered in what ’ s called Section 6 . Like England , the new build target here is 1.2 U-value . However , the new build back stop , like Wales , is 1.4 U-value , tougher than England . Happily , Quickslide ’ s vertical sliders are already 1.4 U-value as standard .
For replacement doors and windows in Scotland and Wales , both places require 1.4 U-value or B WER / DSER ( Window Energy Ratings / Door Set Energy Ratings ), or C DSER for 60 % glazed doors in Wales .
“ It ’ s this ‘ B ’ energy rating for doors that is going to cause issues ,” Ben suggests . “ And as a result it means we ’ ll see a lot more triple glazing , especially in doors such as bifolds .
“ We ’ ve introduced triple glazing on our casements in order to offer solutions lower than the target value for new builds across the board . And , as well as being 1.4 U-value , all our vertical sliders are now ‘ A ’ energy rated as standard too , where previously they used to be ‘ B ’ rated as standard with ‘ A ’ available only as an upgrade .”
Online tool
To help installers across England , Wales , and Scotland with the new building regulation requirements Quickslide has updated their online specification tool . Installers can make sure their work complies with the latest building regulations where they are by visiting : https :// www . quickslide . co . uk / requirement-calculators /
“ And finally ,” Ben concludes , “ remember that wherever you are , one thing stays the same when it comes to building regulations : inspections require proof .
“ At Quickslide we ’ ve got the paperwork in order so you can trust the products you install are fit for purpose and so you can show evidence of compliance .”
www . quickslide . co . uk