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Updated Dec 20, 2021

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Electric vehicle charging and other amendments to Building Regs

Significant changes are to be made to the Building Regulations SI 2010/2214 on 15 June 2022 in relation to England, in order to support energy efficiency and the charging of electric vehicles.

Two amending statutory instruments have been published to bring these changes in.

At the same time, there are two new Approved Documents to support the changes, and others have been updated to reflect the amendments.

Why are the changes being made?

Buildings, especially inefficient and older buildings, significantly contribute to the annual emissions of greenhouse gases. This needs to be addressed in order to help the Government reach their legally-binding net zero emissions target by 2050. 

They aim to:

  • increase energy efficiency whilst keeping energy costs down for consumers through performance-based targets;
  • support the inclusion of electric vehicle charging points when certain building work is carried out.

Energy efficiency amendments

From June 2022, the Building Regulations etc. (Amendment) (England) Regulations SI 2021/1391 provide for a new way of measuring energy efficiency through a new performance metric. The provisions set out that new buildings must not exceed an approved target primary energy rate, and that before the work starts on the new building, the person carrying out the work must give the local authority notice specifying:

  • the target primary energy rate;
  • the calculated target primary energy rate; and
  • a list of specifications to which the building is to be constructed.

They also:

  • change the way on-site electricity generation systems are regulated. They set out that where such systems are installed, the person who did the work must, within five days of completing it, provide the owner with enough information about the system regarding operation and maintenance to make sure the system can produce the maximum electricity possible;
  • introduce provisions regulating overheating mitigation. They set out that provision must be made in respect of dwellings, institutions or any other building containing one or more residential rooms, to limit unwanted solar gains and to provide means to remove heat from indoors. When the installation is complete, the person who completed it must provide the owner with information allowing the system to be operated effectively;
  • provide for ventilation standards where Part L requirements apply. This is to try and prevent overheating in new residential buildings.

To supplement the changes, the Government has published:

Provisions on the charging of electric vehicles

The Building Regulations etc. (Amendment) (England) (No. 2) Regulations SI 2021/1392 have also been published.

Again, from June 2022, they provide that infrastructure for the charging of electric vehicles has to be installed when:

  • a new residential building is built with associated parking;
  • one or more dwellings with associated parking results from a building undergoing a material change of use;
  • a residential building undergoing major renovation has more than 10 associated parking spaces following the renovation;
  • new buildings, which are not residential or mixed-use, have more than 10 parking spaces;
  • a building, which is not residential or mixed-use, undergoing major renovation will have more than 10 parking spaces after the renovation is complete.

The amendments also contain specific detail about how many charging points have to be provided in such cases.

To support this second set of amendments, the Government has published:

Withdrawals

Everything mentioned above will come into force on 15 June 2022, including the new and updated Approved Documents.

As a result, from that date, the following documents will be withdrawn in England and replaced by the documents mentioned above:


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