Heating, Energy & Eco
398 sources in the library on heating, energy & eco, 40 on this page cited in a published note. Each one says what the document covers and what it is good for. Name a source to see which document it is and where to read it. One at a time. Page 1 of 10.
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Building Control Northern Ireland
The index of Northern Ireland's Technical Booklets, the devolved equivalent of England's Approved Documents, and the place to check which NI booklet answers a question. The booklets run B materials and workmanship, C site preparation and resistance to contaminants and moisture, D structure, E fire safety, F1 conservation of fuel and power in dwellings (2022 edition) and F2 for buildings other than dwellings, G sound, H stairs ramps and guarding, J solid waste, K ventilation, L combustion appliances and fuel storage, M physical infrastructure for high speed electronic communications networks, N drainage, P sanitary appliances and unvented hot water storage, R access to and use of buildings, and V glazing. Amendment booklets AMD7 (amends B, C and E), AMD8 (amends R) and AMD9 (amends E and R) carry the live changes, so the base 2012 booklets must be read with them.
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Defra
Defra's practical guide to open fires and wood-burning stoves, which says new stoves on the UK market must be Ecodesign compliant with set emission and efficiency standards.
Cited in Fireplaces & Flues Explained.
- very strong RN-AWHPHI cited
Department for Energy Security and Net Zero
The March 2024 DESNZ response to the consultation on amending the Boiler Upgrade Scheme regulations: a higher grant for ground source heat pumps, retention of the requirement for a valid EPC from the last 10 years, and removal of the requirement to install recommended loft and cavity wall insulation first (in force May 2024).
Cited in Boiler Problems & Common Faults, Boiler Upgrade Scheme & Heating Grants 2026, Ground vs Air Source Heat Pumps.
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Department for Energy Security and Net Zero
DESNZ research report on domestic hot water use (March 2024). It gives the government estimate that hot water is about 18% of domestic energy consumption.
Cited in Hot Water Options for Your Home.
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Department for Energy Security and Net Zero
Government guidance for households on the Smart Export Guarantee: eligibility requires MCS (or equivalent) certification, and batteries that export can benefit.
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Department for Energy Security and Net Zero
Published 21 January 2026 and last updated 18 March 2026. It commits £15 billion of public investment over this Parliament, 2025/26 to 2029/30, to upgrade up to 5 million homes by 2030, targeting over 450,000 heat pump installations a year by 2030 and solar panels on up to 3 million additional homes. The Boiler Upgrade Scheme gets £2.7 billion to 2030, keeping the £7,500 grant for hydronic heat pumps, adding new £2,500 grants for air-to-air heat pumps and heat batteries used for central heating, and £5,000 for biomass boilers in rural areas. A Warm Homes Fund provides a £5 billion financial transactions facility including £1.7 billion for low and zero-interest consumer loans, rolling out in phases from 2026, and the Warm Homes Social Housing Fund and Local Grant merge into a single low-income scheme from 2027/28. Private rented sector properties must meet EPC Band C across two metrics by October 2030, subject to a £10,000 spending cap, and an EPC C standard is introduced for the social rented sector for the first time. Future Homes Standard regulations were to be laid in Q1 2026.
Cited in Combi vs System vs Regular Boilers.
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Department for Energy Security and Net Zero
GOV.UK guidance on the Warm Homes: Local Grant: funding for local authorities in England to install insulation, solar panels and heat pumps in low-income, privately owned homes rated EPC D to G, at no cost to occupants; eligibility pathways and delivery from 2025.
Cited in Loft Insulation Guide: Types, Costs & Recommended Depth.
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Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (GOV.UK)
The withdrawn GOV.UK guidance for the Green Homes Grant voucher scheme, confirming it closed to applications on 31 March 2021 and funded energy efficiency measures.
Cited in Rainwater Harvesting Systems.
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Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (GOV.UK)
GOV.UK guidance for households on smart meters. It states that suppliers must offer smart meters and that you will not be charged for the installation.
Cited in Storage Heaters: Modern Options.
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Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (GOV.UK)
Defra guidance for coal retailers. It confirms that traditional house coal can no longer legally be sold for domestic use in England, while anthracite and low volatile coals can.
Cited in Multi-Fuel Stoves vs Wood Burners.
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Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (UK-AIR)
Defra's consumer guidance on burning at home. It states that since January 2022 new stoves must be Ecodesign compliant, and gives the 20% moisture threshold for dry wood.
Cited in Multi-Fuel Stoves vs Wood Burners.
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Department for Transport
Official DfT statistics that date the scheme change: since 1 April 2022 the Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme (EVHS) is no longer open to new applicants and has been replaced with the EV chargepoint grant. The EVHS provided grant funding for up to £350 of the cost of installing electric vehicle charging devices at domestic properties across the UK, and installed 340,222 domestic charging devices from September 2014 with a total grant value of £140.8 million. The EVHS remained open to resubmissions until 31 March 2023. Grant levels quoted for the replacement EV chargepoint grant in this edition: up to £350 per socket for landlords, up to £30,000 for residential car park infrastructure, up to £350 for renters and flat owners, and up to £350 per socket for a cross-pavement charging solution. Useful for correcting notes that date the EVHS closure to 2023.
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Department of Energy and Climate Change
A government statistical article estimating heat use by sector for 2013; it finds 85% of domestic energy is used for heating, most of it space heating.
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Department of Finance (Northern Ireland)
Northern Ireland's equivalent of Approved Document L Volume 1. This edition came into effect on 30 June 2022 and gives guidance on regulations 39 to 47 of the Building Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2012, which set the requirements for conservation of fuel and power in dwellings, including the limiting U-values a replacement window or door must meet in Northern Ireland. It replaced the 2012 version, and the Department publishes an awareness briefing and FAQ setting out the differences. The full text is at https://www.finance-ni.gov.uk/sites/default/files/publications/dfp/TB%20Part%20F1%202022_On-Line%20Publication.pdf. Cite this rather than Approved Document L whenever a note gives a window U-value for a reader in Northern Ireland.
Cited in Industrial Style Windows: Cheaper Alternatives, 2026 Costs, Insulation: The Complete Guide.
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Environment Agency (GOV.UK)
The Environment Agency's account of the 2025 drought in England records that by the end of the summer nearly 9 million people were under a hosepipe ban (temporary use ban).
Cited in Rainwater Harvesting Systems.
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Environment Agency and Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (GOV.UK)
GOV.UK guidance on F gas qualifications. For refrigeration, air conditioning and heat pump systems containing F gas, engineers need a qualification to install, service, leak check and recover gas.
Cited in Electric Heating Options Compared, Home Air Conditioning: Installation Cost & Options.
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GOV.UK
GOV.UK's appliance exemption page says an exemption shows a stove emits smoke below the acceptable limits, and the maker must prove testing at an accredited test centre.
Cited in Multi-Fuel Stoves vs Wood Burners.
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GOV.UK
The England-only successor to the Home Upgrade Grant, delivered by local councils. Eligibility: household income of £36,000 a year or less (with postcode and benefit-based exceptions), privately owned home, EPC rating D to G. Funds wall, loft and underfloor insulation, air source heat pumps, smart controls and solar panels, with the council organising and paying for the work. Explicitly 'only available in England'. Use this whenever a note says HUG closed and a successor is awaited: it is live and taking applications.
Cited in Insulation Grants 2026: ECO4, GBIS & What You Can Get, LPG Conversion Cost: 2026 UK Price Guide.
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GOV.UK
You must own the property, which can be a business premises, second home or rental, and you must be replacing a fossil fuel heating system such as oil, gas, electric or LPG. Properties that have already had government funding for a heat pump or biomass boiler, social housing, and most new builds still under construction are excluded, though a finished new build with a fossil fuel boiler and an owner-built self build can qualify. A biomass boiler additionally requires the property to be off the gas grid, in a rural location as defined in Ofgem guidance, and the boiler to hold an emissions certificate. The installer must commission and install the heat pump within 120 days of applying for the grant or it will not be eligible, and the application is made through an MCS certified installer.
Cited in Air Source Heat Pumps: Cost, Grants & Is It Worth It, Boiler Upgrade Scheme & Heating Grants 2026, Fireplaces & Flues Explained, Ground vs Air Source Heat Pumps and 1 more.
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GOV.UK
The grant values: £7,500 towards an air source heat pump, £7,500 towards a ground source heat pump including water source heat pumps and those on shared ground loops, and £5,000 towards a biomass boiler. A further £1,500 is available until March 2027 where the property is heated by oil or LPG and has no mains gas connection. Only one grant is available per property. Capacity limits are 45kWth for an individual system, 70kWth for multiple heat pumps and 300kWth for shared ground loops. Hybrid systems pairing a gas boiler with a heat pump are not eligible, and an existing low carbon heating system cannot be replaced under the scheme.
Cited in Air Source Heat Pumps: Cost, Grants & Is It Worth It, Barn & Outbuilding Conversions: Feasibility & Cost, Boiler Problems & Common Faults, Boiler Replacement & Central Heating Costs (UK) and 21 more.
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GOV.UK
The GOV.UK application page for the household grant. The applicant applies online with an installer's dated quote, and the installer claims the grant after installation.
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GOV.UK
The GOV.UK eligibility page for the household chargepoint grant. It limits the grant to flat owners and renters with their own off-street parking, and excludes owners of houses.
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GOV.UK
The current household EV chargepoint grant page. States that you can get 75% off the cost of buying and installing a socket, up to a maximum of £500. Points landlords to a separate application route. The linked eligibility page requires that you live in a flat you own (including shared ownership) or rent a residential property; landlords cannot use this route, and you cannot claim if you rent accommodation where the landlord or homeowner lives. The home must be in the UK with a parking space that is off-street, private and clearly defined, accessible to you at all times, and that you own or have a legal right to. You cannot apply where a chargepoint or charging infrastructure is required by law. The vehicle must be on the list of OZEV-approved electric vehicles, evidenced by registration, a lease of six months or more, work vehicle use of six months or more, or an active order.
Cited in Build Garage Cost: 2026 UK Price Guide, EV Charger Installation at Home: Cost & Rules.
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GOV.UK
An EPC is required before a property is marketed for sale or rent and is valid for 10 years, rating the property from A at best to G at worst. Exemptions include temporary buildings in use for less than two years, stand-alone buildings under 50 square metres, industrial sites and non-residential agricultural buildings with low energy use, buildings due for demolition, holiday lets used for under four months a year, residential buildings occupied for less than four months a year, places of worship, and listed buildings where compliance would unacceptably alter their character or appearance. A fine applies where an EPC is required and not obtained. Assessors are found through the find an accredited assessor service.
Cited in EPC Ratings Explained & How to Improve Yours, Home Energy Audit: DIY Steps.
- very strong RN-UJSXRI cited
GOV.UK
The public register for energy certificates. It finds an energy performance certificate (EPC), a display energy certificate (DEC) for a public building, and an air conditioning inspection certificate and report, searching by postcode, by street name and town, or by certificate number. It covers England, Wales and Northern Ireland for homes, business properties and public buildings. Scotland uses a separate service, the Scottish EPC Register. This is how a reader checks their current EPC band and recommendations before deciding what to improve.
Cited in Insulation Grants 2026: ECO4, GBIS & What You Can Get.
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GOV.UK
The GOV.UK consumer guide to ECO. It sets out the benefit and EPC-band eligibility rules and tells households to contact their council or energy supplier to apply.
Cited in Boiler Upgrade Scheme & Heating Grants 2026, Insulation Grants 2026: ECO4, GBIS & What You Can Get, Solid Wall Insulation: IWI vs EWI.
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GOV.UK
In a smoke control area you must not release smoke from a chimney and must not burn unauthorised fuel unless it is in a Defra-approved exempt appliance. Authorised smokeless fuels include anthracite, semi-anthracite, gas and low volatile steam coal. Wood and other unauthorised fuels may only be burnt in a Defra exempt appliance, and only the fuel types the manufacturer specifies. Outdoor barbecues, chimineas, fireplaces and pizza ovens are outside the rules, as are garden bonfires that follow the bonfire rules. Penalties in England are up to £300 for smoke from a chimney and up to £1,000 for burning unauthorised fuel in a non-approved appliance. Whether an address sits in a smoke control area is confirmed by the local council's environmental services team.
Cited in Fire Pit Cost & Garden Ideas, Fireplaces & Flues Explained, Multi-Fuel Stoves vs Wood Burners, Stove Rope Repair Cost: 2026 UK Price Guide and 1 more.
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GOV.UK
Applicant guidance for the Workplace Charging Scheme. States a maximum grant value of £350 per socket, covering up to 75% of the total purchase and installation cost of EV chargepoints inclusive of VAT, and a combined total of 40 sockets across all sites per applicant; applicants claiming fewer than 40 initially may submit further applications up to that limit. Also sets out the minimal financial assistance limit of £315,000 for an enterprise over any period of three fiscal years. As at September 2026 this page still shows £350 while the GOV.UK chargepoint grants collection page shows £500 per socket under the April 2026 rates.
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GOV.UK (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The official GOV.UK page on applying for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme. It settles that the installer applies through Ofgem and the grant is taken off the installation price on the quote and invoice.
Cited in Air Source Heat Pumps: Cost, Grants & Is It Worth It, Boiler Upgrade Scheme & Heating Grants 2026, How Renovation Notes Prices Its Figures.
- very strong RN-RLI5PM cited
Health and Safety Executive
HSE guidance on legionella control in hot and cold water systems. It states that hot water should be stored at 60°C or above to kill legionella.
Cited in Central Heating Design Basics, Home Energy Audit: DIY Steps.
- very strong RN-TNB7SU cited
Health and Safety Executive
HSE's separation distance table for bulk LPG storage vessels, by capacity, giving one distance that applies equally to buildings, boundary, property line and fixed sources of ignition. Single vessel 0.05-0.25 tonnes (typical water capacity 150-500 litres): 2.5 m without a fire wall, 0.3 m with, 1 m between vessels. Over 0.25 to 1.1 tonnes (over 500 to 2,500 litres): 3 m without, 1.5 m with. Over 1.1 to 4 tonnes (over 2,500 to 9,000 litres): 7.5 m without, 4 m with. Points to LP Gas Association COP 1 part 1 for location and spacing and COP 1 part 4 for buried or mounded vessels. The citable substitute for Liquid Gas UK CoP 1, which is paywalled.
Cited in LPG Conversion Cost: 2026 UK Price Guide.
- very strong RN-1HRJJ7 cited
HM Revenue & Customs
Section 2.1 sets a zero rate of VAT on the installation of energy-saving materials in residential accommodation from 1 May 2023 to 31 March 2027, after which the rate reverts to the 5% reduced rate; section 2.22 extended it to buildings used solely for relevant charitable purposes from 1 February 2024. Section 2.7 lists the qualifying materials: central heating and hot water controls, draught stripping, insulation to walls, floors, ceilings, roofs, lofts and pipes, solar panels, wind turbines, water turbines, ground source heat pumps, air source heat pumps, micro combined heat and power units and wood-fuelled boilers, with water source heat pumps, batteries for energy storage and smart diverters added on 1 February 2024. Section 2.3 is the critical rule for a renovation note: relief applies to an installation service, or materials supplied and installed together, but materials bought without installation stay standard-rated at 20%.
Cited in Air Source Heat Pumps: Cost, Grants & Is It Worth It, Builders' Merchants: The Complete UK Guide (2026), Builders' Merchants Explained: How They Work & How to Buy, Cost of a New Bathroom (Full Breakdown) and 8 more.
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Met Office
The Met Office's official annual rainfall series for England. The 30 annual totals for 1991 to 2020 average 869.6 mm.
Cited in Rainwater Harvesting Systems.
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Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
The 2022 amendments took effect 1 October 2022 and extended the carbon monoxide alarm provisions. Table 2 sets the minimum flue sizes: 200mm diameter for a fireplace with an opening up to 500mm by 550mm, 125mm diameter for a closed appliance up to 20kW burning smokeless or Clean Air Act compliant fuel, 150mm for other closed appliances up to 30kW and 175mm for those above 30kW and up to 50kW. Diagram 17 gives the flue outlet clearances: at or within 600mm of the ridge the outlet must be at least 600mm above the ridge, elsewhere on a roof it must be at least 2300mm horizontally from the nearest weather surface and either 1000mm above the intersection or as high as the ridge, and it must be 1000mm above the top of any openable rooflight or dormer within 2300mm. Bends must be no more than 45 degrees to the vertical and paragraph 1.49 limits a sweepable flue to four changes of direction.
Cited in Boiler Replacement & Central Heating Costs (UK), Chimney Sweep Cost: 2026 UK Price Guide, Fireplaces & Flues Explained, How to Box In Pipes & Boilers and 5 more.
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Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
The in-force U-value tables a DIY insulation or door note must quote, with the exact numbers. Table 4.2, limiting U-values for new fabric elements in existing dwellings, sets roof 0.15, wall 0.18, floor 0.18, swimming pool basin 0.25, window 1.4 or Window Energy Rating Band B minimum, rooflight 2.2, doors with more than 60 per cent of the internal face glazed 1.4 or Doorset Energy Rating Band C minimum, and other doors 1.4 or Doorset Energy Rating Band B minimum. Table 4.3, for existing elements, gives a roof threshold of 0.35 and an improved value of 0.16, which is the figure a loft insulation note needs: paragraph 4.12 says a retained element whose U-value is higher than the column (a) threshold, for example through a loft or garage conversion, should be upgraded to the column (b) value. Paragraph 4.13 allows a lesser upgrade only where the improved value is not technically or functionally feasible or would not achieve a simple payback of 15 years or less. Paragraph 4.8 requires a replacement element to be no worse than the one it replaces as well as meeting Table 4.2. Paragraph 4.10 gives the heritage exception: where character must be maintained, a centre pane U-value of no more than 1.2 or low-emissivity secondary glazing. Note 9 records that the timber window concession of 1.6 or Band C ended on 14 June 2023. The 2021 edition came into force on 15 June 2022; a 2026 edition exists at https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/69c122a6cfa346b9d4704a55/ADL1_2026.pdf.
Cited in Adding an Ensuite: Cost, Layout & Plumbing, Adding Porch, All You Need To Know About Double Glazing Repairs, Annexe & Granny Flat: Cost, Planning & Rules and 169 more.
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Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
The 2026 edition takes effect on 24 March 2027 for work not connected with higher-risk building work, and 24 September 2027 where it is, with transitional arrangements in Circular Letter 01/2026. Table 3.1 sets limiting U-values for new dwellings: all roof types 0.16, wall 0.26, floor 0.18, window 1.6, rooflight 2.2, doors 1.6 W per square metre per kelvin, with air permeability 8.0 cubic metres per hour per square metre at 50Pa. Table 3.2 covers new elements in existing dwellings, that is extensions and loft conversions: roof 0.15, wall 0.18, floor 0.18, window 1.4 or Window Energy Rating Band B, rooflight 2.2. Table 3.3 covers upgrading existing elements: a roof with a U-value worse than the 0.35 threshold must be improved to 0.16, and note 2 confirms that for dormer windows the roof figure covers the roof parts and the wall figure the cheeks, while note 3 allows a higher U-value where the standard would limit head room provided the insulation plus air gap is at least the depth of the rafters.
Cited in External Wall Insulation (EWI) Systems & Finishes, Insulation: The Complete Guide, Triple Glazing: Worth the Cost?.
- very strong RN-R7QZ7M cited
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
Supports Part O of Schedule 1 to the Building Regulations 2010 (requirement O1 and regulation 40B); the 2021 edition took effect on 15 June 2022 in England, with transitional relief for work notified before that date and started before 15 June 2023. Critically, paragraph 0.3 limits the guidance to NEW residential buildings only (dwellings, residential institutional and residential other, plus shared communal rooms, common spaces and live/work units), and paragraph 0.7 applies it only to the residential parts of mixed-use buildings. Compliance is by the simplified method (Section 1) or dynamic thermal modelling to CIBSE TM59 (Section 2); the simplified method splits England into a high risk location (urban and some suburban London listed in Appendix C, with guidance for parts of central Manchester) and a moderate risk location (the rest of England). Table 1.1 (cross-ventilated) caps glazing as a percentage of floor area at north 15 high risk / 18 moderate, east 18/18, south 15/15, west 18/11, with the most glazed room capped at north 37/37, east 37/37, south 22/30, west 37/22. Table 1.2 (no cross-ventilation) caps glazing at north 15/18, east 11/18, south 11/15, west 11/11, most glazed room north 26/26, east 18/26, south 11/15, west 18/11.
Cited in Glass Box & Bifold Extensions: Cost & Ideas, Glazed Extensions: The Complete UK Guide, Glazing Explained: U-values, Low-E, Argon & Spacers, Rooflights & Skylights: Materials & Types.
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Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
The landing page for Approved Document J, 2010 edition incorporating 2010, 2013 and 2022 amendments, in force from 1 October 2022. It covers air supply, discharge of combustion products and protection of the building for solid fuel, gas and oil appliances, and the information to be provided for hearths, fireplaces, flues and chimneys. The 2022 amendment extended the provisions and guidance on carbon monoxide alarms. This is the document behind hearth thickness, flue size and clearance-to-combustibles rules for a wood burner or an opened-up fireplace.
Cited in LPG Conversion Cost: 2026 UK Price Guide.
- very strong RN-WMRZGF cited
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
The government's circular letter to building control bodies announcing the Future Homes and Buildings Standards: the Building Regulations etc. (Amendment) (England) Regulations 2026 and the 2026 editions of Approved Documents L and F. It gives the purpose (new buildings built with low carbon heating and high energy efficiency), the in-force date of 24 March 2027 (24 September 2027 for higher-risk building work), and the transitional arrangements, under which work notified before 24 March 2027 and started before 24 March 2028 stays under the previous rules.
Cited in Beam & Block vs Concrete Slab Ground Floors, Combi vs System vs Regular Boilers, Gas vs Electric vs Heat Pump Running Costs, Glazing Explained: U-values, Low-E, Argon & Spacers and 2 more.
- very strong RN-RST0J6 cited
Office for National Statistics
ONS analysis of EPC records for the ten years to March 2024: median score 68 in England and 67 in Wales, both band D, with the SAP band boundaries listed.