Part L is restrictive and stifles innovation by forcing consultants into a “tick-box” mentality at the cost of intelligently designing for energy efficiency. Abolishing it entirely may be the best way forwards – that’s the conclusion of a blistering article from the technical director of the Building Engineering Services Association (BESA).
Part L has been a fact of Building Regulations in England & Wales since 1985 with a clear mandate to reduce energy use in buildings. The recent article published in Modern Building Services (MBS) magazine, written by Tim Rook – Technical Director of BESA, doesn’t seem to take aim at the legislation itself but rather the increasingly bureaucratic nature of the Approved Documents Part L (ADL) that are often conflated with the law despite being technically optional.
The line of argumentation is clear and persuasive – “Part L” (or at least the Approved Documents) is very prescriptive and many aspects are highly arbitrary. Rather than reflecting that the energy investment return offered by a particular solution will vary depending on the exact design of the building, consultants are essentially railroaded into rigidly use the same solutions again and again regardless of whether they will actually realise optimal levels of energy efficiency.
All of the observations in the article clearly apply to pipe insulation too and I would urge consultants to approach Part L by asking the question “which approach will minimise heat loss and gain from my pipework” rather than blindly following the rigid and out of date guidance laid out in the Approved Documents.
Source: Kaimann UK · Copyright image: xxx
