RenovationNotes

References

Heating, Energy & Eco

398 sources in the library on heating, energy & eco. 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 6 of 10.

  1. very strong RN-1PUNR2

    Health and Safety Executive

    The HSE's proportionality statement on legionella in domestic property, which corrects the common claim that landlords need a paid legionella certificate. Defines a landlord for this purpose as anyone renting out a property they own under a lease or licence shorter than 7 years, covering local authorities, housing associations, private landlords, housing co-operatives and hostels, and including renting a room within your own home. Identifies the legal basis as section 3(2) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974, with section 53 treating landlords as self-employed, plus the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations, and the Approved Code of Practice L8 on the control of legionella bacteria in water systems. States plainly that while there is a duty to assess the risk, this does not require an in-depth, detailed assessment, and that risks in most residential settings are generally low because of regular water usage and turnover. Sets out the low-risk profile: daily water use sufficient to turn over the entire system, cold water direct from a wholesome mains supply with no stored water tanks, and hot water from instantaneous or low volume heaters.

  2. very strong RN-Z97WD8

    Health and Safety Executive

    HSG274 Part 2, second edition 2024, ISBN 978 0 7176 6753 6, issued under the HSW Act 1974, COSHH 2002 and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999. Paragraph 2 sets the risk trigger: water stored or recirculated, any part of the system between 20 and 45 degrees C, deposits such as rust, sludge or scale, and droplets that can be dispersed. Paragraph 2.6 gives the temperature regime: cold below 20 degrees C, hot stored at least at 60 degrees C and distributed so it reaches 50 degrees C (55 degrees C in healthcare) within one minute at the outlets. Cold branches should deliver close to incoming temperature within two minutes of running, and stored cold water should not normally exceed one day's use. Combination cylinders may store cold at up to 25 degrees C serving other outlets or 38 degrees C serving the hot vessel only, per the Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999, the Scottish Water Byelaws and BS 3198. Circulating return to the calorifier not less than 50 degrees C; shunt pumps must raise the whole vessel, including solar-heated cylinders, to 60 degrees C. Appendices 4 and 5 illustrate sentinel points.

  3. very strong RN-SN2RBW

    Health and Safety Executive

    The HSE leaflet that carries the temperature range every hot water and cylinder note should cite. States there is a reasonably foreseeable legionella risk where water is stored or re-circulated, where water temperature in all or part of the system is between 20 and 45 degrees Celsius, where there are nutrients such as rust, sludge, scale and organic matter, and where water droplets can be produced and dispersed, giving showers and cooling tower aerosols as examples. Defines legionellosis as the collective name for the pneumonia-like illness caused by legionella bacteria, covering legionnaires' disease itself plus the less serious Pontiac fever and Lochgoilhead fever, and notes everyone is susceptible but higher risk attaches to people over 45, smokers and heavy drinkers, people with chronic respiratory or kidney disease, and anyone with an impaired immune system. Legionella pneumophila occurs naturally in rivers, lakes and reservoirs in low numbers but multiplies in purpose-built systems including cooling towers, evaporative condensers, hot and cold water systems, whirlpool and spa pools, humidifiers and air washers. Published 04/12 as leaflet INDG458, and points to the Approved Code of Practice L8 for detail on control.

  4. very strong RN-CAXAN2

    Health and Safety Executive

    The HSE's own temperature rules for domestic hot and cold water, and the reason a cylinder thermostat should not simply be turned down to save money. Cold water systems should be maintained where possible at a temperature below 20 degrees C. Hot water should be stored at least at 60 degrees C and distributed so that it reaches 50 degrees C, or 55 degrees C in healthcare premises, within one minute at the outlets. Against that, there is a scalding risk where water comes out of taps above 44 degrees C. For most people the scalding risk is minimal where water is delivered up to 50 degrees C at hand-wash basins and a hot water warning notice may be sufficient, but where vulnerable people can access baths or showers and the scalding risk is significant, a Type 3 thermostatic mixing valve must be fitted to prevent water discharging above 44 degrees C. The page sets out the system types it applies to, including gravity fed hot and cold storage, hot water storage only, and cold storage only with mains pressure hot water. Last updated 28 October 2024.

  5. very strong RN-XZVPDF

    Historic Environment Scotland

    The most useful of the HES INFORM guides for a retrofit note, because it addresses the failure mode that insulation guides skip. Published 31 August 2020 by Historic Environment Scotland, INFORM Guide, 2.82 MB PDF, audiences Planners and Owners and Conservation and Heritage enthusiasts. Scope stated on the page: the causes and risks of condensation in traditional buildings, how to identify the source of condensation and how to reduce it, with a PARTICULAR FOCUS ON THE RISK OF INCREASED CONDENSATION AFTER THERMAL IMPROVEMENTS. That last point is the citable one: a public body stating that insulating a traditional building can increase condensation risk, which contradicts the common claim that insulation simply cures damp.

  6. very strong RN-Z55Y2I

    Historic Environment Scotland

    Free HES guidance on how a traditional house was designed to breathe, useful whenever a note explains why blocking air bricks or sealing a chimney causes damp. Published 1 October 2008 by Historic Scotland (now HES), INFORM Guide, 653 KB PDF, audiences Planners and Owners and Conservation and Heritage enthusiasts. Scope stated on the page: the importance of ventilation in a traditionally built structure, then the various ways ventilation is provided, specifically SUB-FLOOR VENTILATION and CHIMNEYS, and issues surrounding masonry walls and plastered surfaces. Cite it alongside Approved Document F when a note covers suspended timber floors, chimney capping or draught-proofing an older house.

  7. very strong RN-2E60JR

    Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

    The shortest Approved Document, covering requirement D1 of Schedule 1 to the Building Regulations 2010: if insulating material is inserted into a cavity in a cavity wall, reasonable precautions must be taken to prevent the subsequent permeation of toxic fumes into any part of the building occupied by people. The stated performance is that formaldehyde fumes given off by urea formaldehyde (UF) foams must not reach occupied parts at an irritant concentration, and paragraph 1.1 permits formaldehyde-emitting insulants only where a continuous barrier minimises the passage of fumes to occupiable parts. Paragraph 1.2 sets five conditions for filling a cavity with UF foam: the inner leaf must be masonry (brick or block); suitability must be assessed beforehand to BS 8208-1:1985; the installer must hold or operate under a current Certificate of Registration of Assessed Capability; the material must comply with BS 5617:1985; and installation must follow BS 5618:1985. The 2010 amendments were regulation renumbering only and the 2013 amendments changed only the materials and workmanship guidance, with no change to Part D of Schedule 1.

  8. very strong RN-ZULMET

    Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

    The rules for home EV charge points, made under regulations 44D to 44J. Paragraph 6.2 requires each charge point to be designed and installed as described in BS EN 61851, to have a minimum nominal rated output of 7kW, to be fitted with a universal untethered socket (a tethered point being acceptable only in exceptional circumstances such as a self build where the vehicle is already known), to carry a lights or visual display charging status indicator, and to be at least a Mode 3 specialised system running from a dedicated circuit as defined in BS EN IEC 61851-1, meeting BS 7671 and the IET Code of Practice: Electric Vehicle Charging Equipment Installation. Regulation 44J itself requires a reasonable power output per parking space, a dedicated circuit, and compatibility with all vehicles that may need access. Paragraph 1.1 requires a new dwelling with associated parking to have a charge point for every associated parking space or every dwelling the car park serves. The document notes that Part P applies to the electrical work in a dwelling.

  9. very strong RN-3MHLSF

    Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

    The 8 page document that sets out what a competent person scheme operator must satisfy, and it is what connects UKAS accreditation to the schemes a homeowner meets. Records that schemes are authorised under paragraph 4A of Schedule 1 to the Building Act 1984 and named in Schedule 3 to the Building Regulations 2010 as amended, and that in all cases demonstration must be sufficient to meet BS EN ISO/IEC 17065:2012, the product certification body standard. Condition 1 requires the scheme operator to achieve and maintain UKAS accreditation to BS EN ISO/IEC 17065:2012, within one year of authorisation for an extension to an existing scheme or within two years for a new scheme operator, with a UKAS pre-assessment submitted with the application. Condition 3 requires assessors and inspectors to be competent at least to the equivalent level in the relevant sector Minimum Technical Competence assessment procedure. Condition 4 requires a transparent fee structure, self-financing within not later than five years of authorisation, and use of registrants' registration and notification fees only for the benefit of registrants or the sector. Condition 5 requires documented management of conflicts of interest, noting the risk where a scheme is owned by a larger commercial, trade or professional body. In force for any UKAS assessment begun on or after 1 April 2016.

  10. very strong RN-0D3FRR

    Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

    The publication page for the conditions a competent person self-certification scheme operator must meet, applying to England, first published 6 June 2012 and last updated 1 April 2016, from which date the conditions bite on any UKAS assessment begun on or after 1 April 2016. Hosts two documents: the main Competent person schemes conditions of authorisation of April 2016, an 8 page PDF of 289 KB, and a separate Building regulations: air tightness testing schemes conditions of authorisation of 5 pages and 141 KB, added 31 July 2014, because air tightness tester schemes carry different requirements from other types of work. Useful for establishing that a competent person scheme is a government-authorised, UKAS-accredited certification body rather than a trade membership list.

  11. very strong RN-WDQPUZ

    Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

    The only official series on how large the competent person schemes actually are, collected every 6 months from the schemes authorised in schedule 3 of the Building Regulations 2010 as amended, covering total registered membership at the end of each period and the number of jobs those members undertook. Published 12 December 2012 and last updated 6 June 2018, with the latest document a 24 page PDF covering 1 October 2006 to 31 March 2018, so the series has not been refreshed since 2018 and any current membership figure quoted from it is dated. Three caveats matter for anyone citing the numbers: registered membership is counted by business not by individual, so the number of competent individuals is higher than the membership figure; the statistics combine all types of work except electrical installations for each scheme operator to avoid double counting members and notifications, because many members do more than one type of work; and schemes have changed over the collection period, so past and current data are not always meaningfully comparable.

  12. very strong RN-GWUUOR

    Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

    The landing page for Approved Document L, Conservation of fuel and power. Volume 1: Dwellings, 2021 edition incorporating 2023 amendments, took effect 15 June 2022, with transitional cover where a building notice or initial notice was given or full plans deposited before 15 June 2022 and the work started before 15 June 2023. A 2026 edition, retitled Approved Document L: Energy and greenhouse gas emissions, Volume 1: Dwellings, is published on the same page alongside Volume 2 for buildings other than dwellings. Volume 1 was last updated 2 February 2023 and the 2023 amendment removed the primary energy factor as a performance standard for district heat networks and community heating.

  13. very strong RN-XMTR5S

    Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

    The stable gov.uk landing page for Approved Document O, Overheating, 2021 edition, in force for England. It carries the free-area requirements a note would cite from Section 1: for cross-ventilated buildings the total minimum free area is the greater of 6% of floor area or 70% of glazing area in a high risk location, and the greater of 9% of floor area or 55% of glazing area in a moderate risk location (Table 1.3); without cross-ventilation it is the greater of 10% of floor area or 95% of glazing area (high risk) and 12% or 80% (moderate) (Table 1.4). Bedroom minimum free area is 13% of the room floor area in high risk locations and 4% in moderate. In high risk locations, glazing facing between north-east and north-west via south also needs shading by external shutters with ventilation, glazing with a maximum g-value of 0.4 and minimum light transmittance of 0.7, or overhangs with a 50 degree altitude cut-off on due south facades only; internal blinds, curtains and tree foliage may not be counted (paragraphs 2.8 and 2.9).

  14. very strong RN-ZM5DZM

    Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

    The landing page for the 2019 research, published 1 October 2019 and applying to England, hosting the 87 page 3.97 MB report. States the primary aim was to evaluate whether the ventilation provisions recommended in the 2010 edition of Approved Document F provide satisfactory indoor air quality in new homes, with a secondary aim of establishing the extent to which installed systems comply with the minimum ADF provisions. Its headline conclusion is the one to cite: the study found poor indoor air quality in a number of the monitored homes, and failure to meet indoor air quality indicators corresponded in all cases with failure to meet the ADF ventilation recommendations, so the shortfall lay in installation and commissioning rather than in the standard itself.

  15. very strong RN-W3L96O

    Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

    An 87 page field study published 1 October 2019 measuring what installed ventilation actually delivers, and its numbers demolish the assumption that a new or upgraded system performs as designed. Of 25 homes visited with continuous mechanical extract, only one met Approved Document F guidance on both extract fan air flow rates and trickle ventilator provision, with whole dwelling extract flow rates in normal low-rate mode ranging from 85 per cent below to 8 per cent above the recommended rate. Only half the homes met the minimum trickle ventilator areas, ranging from 60 per cent below to 107 per cent above the recommended area. On two of three dMEV development sites trickle ventilators had been fitted in the same rooms as the extract fans, contrary to ADF guidance, which can stop fans drawing air through the whole house. On air quality: 11 per cent of the limited monitoring sample had a room where weekly average relative humidity exceeded the recommended monthly average, always the bedroom, and condensation or mould was reported in each such room; 30 per cent exceeded the derived carbon dioxide guideline in the bedroom; and 60 per cent of the detailed monitoring sample exceeded the ADF total volatile organic compound performance standard. Ventilation was found adequate for nitrogen dioxide and carbon monoxide but not for moisture, body odour and VOCs. Notes that Part F 2010 introduced a legal requirement to test and commission installed fans and for the installer to notify the building control body of commissioning and air flow rates.

  16. very strong RN-MQ9OJ9

    Northern Ireland Housing Executive

    Northern Ireland runs a materially wider set of housing grants than Great Britain, administered by the Northern Ireland Housing Executive rather than a local council. Six schemes are listed. The Affordable Warmth Scheme addresses fuel poverty and energy inefficiency for low-income households. The Disabled Facilities Grant adapts a disabled person's home, but unlike in England it requires a health trust occupational therapist to recommend the work. The Repair Grant helps landlords where a council has issued a statutory notice for repairs. The Renovation Grant is for homes inspected and found unfit to live in, and the property must be the applicant's main or only home. The Replacement Grant is available only where the home is in a rural area, is unfit to live in and repair is not an option. The Home Repair Assistance Grant covers small-scale repair work and improvements. The Renovation, Replacement and Home Repair Assistance Grants have no equivalent in England.

  17. very strong RN-FSY9SH

    Office for Product Safety and Standards

    The searchable national database a reader can use to check whether a specific building product, appliance or tool has been recalled or flagged, run by the Office for Product Safety and Standards. Holds 3,692 reports at the date checked, filterable by alert type (product safety alert, product safety report, product recall), risk level (serious, high, medium, low, not provided), product category, measure type and date. Relevant product categories for renovation work include Construction products, Gas appliances and components, Electrical appliances and equipment, Lighting equipment, Adaptors, plugs and sockets, Hand tools, Machinery, Lifts, Pressure equipment and vessels, Furniture and Personal protective equipment. Measure types range from warning consumers of the risks and marking the product with warnings, through modification programmes and withdrawal from the market, to recall from end users, destruction of the product, import rejected at border and removal of the listing by the online marketplace. Entries carry a reference number and date, for example Sophie Allport Doorstops and Draught Excluders (2608-0008) recalled 13 August 2026.

  18. very strong RN-TNMRRK

    Ofgem

    The regulatory position for anyone on a communal or district heating system, which until recently had no consumer protection at all. Ofgem regulates heat networks in Great Britain, that is England, Scotland and Wales, with regulation focused on good customer service, reducing the impact of supply reliability issues, transparent bills and fair pricing. A heat network provides heating, cooling and hot water to more than one property in a building, or to more than one building, from a central source using pipes, Heat Interface Units, heat exchangers, substations and energy centres; operators control and maintain the network while suppliers are the customer's main point of contact. Regulation is being introduced in phases: Citizens Advice, Consumer Scotland and the Energy Ombudsman have launched advocacy, advice and redress services for heat network customers; all operating networks have been automatically deemed authorised to continue supplying; and Ofgem has published authorisation conditions for operators and suppliers. Operators and suppliers of relevant heat networks must register details of organisation, ownership, financial resilience and consumer protection arrangements by 26 January 2027. Supporting guidance is dated 13 January 2026 for financial resilience, fair pricing and cost allocation and consumer protection, 23 January 2026 for registration, 20 February 2026 for enforcement guidelines and 10 March 2026 for regular data reporting. Where the supplier is also the landlord, both the authorisation conditions and housing legislation apply.

  19. very strong RN-PFL4Z7

    Scottish Government (gov.scot)

    SCOTLAND, and it replaces England's Part P competent person scheme, which does not apply in Scotland at all. Published 1 May 2012, third edition, 48 page PDF, 683.6 kB. The handbook governs Scotland's two certification routes under the Building (Scotland) Act 2003: approved certifiers of design, used for structural design and for energy, and approved certifiers of construction, used for electrical installations and for drainage, heating and plumbing. A certificate from an approved certifier is accepted by the verifier as conclusive evidence of compliance for that part of the work, reducing what the verifier checks, but it does not remove the need for a building warrant or for the relevant person to submit the completion certificate. Scheme providers are listed on the certification register at certificationregister.co.uk. Contact is buildingstandards@gov.scot or 0131 244 6511.

  20. very strong RN-69H4L9

    Scottish Government (gov.scot)

    The in-force Scottish handbook, 13.6 MB PDF, applying from 6 April 2026. Figures a note on Scotland needs: Standard 4.6 requires a dwelling to have at least 4 thirteen-amp socket outlets in each apartment, 6 in the kitchen of which at least 3 above worktop level in addition to any for floor standing or built-in appliances, and a further 4 anywhere in the dwelling including at least 1 in each circulation area per storey, with no equivalent requirement in England. Clause 4.6.1 requires at least one lighting point in every circulation space, kitchen, bathroom, toilet and any space of 2 m2 or more; clause 4.6.2 sets 100 lux on stair flights and landings and 50 lux elsewhere in common circulation areas. Table 3.11 sets background ventilator equivalent areas of 12,000 mm2 per apartment and 10,000 mm2 for a kitchen, utility, toilet, bathroom or shower room, doubled where ducted, with part of the ventilator at least 1.75 m above floor level. Table 3.12 sets intermittent extract rates of 30 l/s over a hob, 60 l/s elsewhere in a kitchen, 30 l/s utility, 15 l/s bathroom or shower, 6 l/s WC, with fan and background ventilator at least 0.5 m apart. Table 6.2 sets maximum U-values of 0.17 wall, 0.15 floor, 0.12 roof, 1.4 windows, roof windows and doors, 2.1 rooflights, with a Window Energy Rating or Doorset Energy Rating of B or better as an alternative for units in an existing building; for 1 or 2 matching replacement windows the frame may be disregarded if the centre pane U-value is 1.2 W/m2K or less, secondary glazing should reach about 3.5 W/m2K, and total glazed area should not exceed 25 per cent of dwelling floor area. Clause 4.8.2 requires glazing to BS 6262-4:2018 within 800 mm of floor level, in a door leaf, or within 300 mm of a door leaf and within 1.5 m of floor level, with manifestation between 850 mm and 1.0 m and between 1.4 m and 1.6 m above floor level. Clause 4.8.3 requires any window or rooflight more than 4 m above adjacent ground or floor to be cleanable safely from inside per Clause 8 of BS 8213-1:2004, from a loadbearing surface, or from a mounted access system, sets safe reach limits of 610 mm downward and an 850 mm radius arc from a point not more than 1.3 m above floor level, and bars ladder access to glazing more than 9 m above the ladder's footing.

  21. very strong RN-8T0SVC

    Scottish Government (gov.scot)

    Scotland's equivalent of the Approved Documents, and the reason a note that quotes only English rules is wrong for a fifth of the UK. This edition is in force from 6 April 2026 and applies to building warrants submitted on or after that date and to work not requiring a warrant commenced from that date. It gives guidance on achieving the standards set in the Building (Scotland) Regulations 2004, arranged in sections rather than parts: section 3 environment (ventilation, drainage, condensation), section 4 safety (electrical safety and installations, glazing and danger from accidents, including clause 4.13 which invokes PAS 24 for security), section 6 energy (U-values for windows and doors) and section 7 sustainability. Scotland uses a building warrant and a completion certificate rather than a building notice, and has no Part P competent person scheme equivalent, so electrical work is covered by the warrant system instead.

  22. very strong RN-VR0Q0L

    Scottish Government (gov.scot)

    SCOTLAND, and this contradicts the England position outright. New-style Scottish EPCs are introduced from 30 April 2028 under the Energy Performance of Buildings (Scotland) Regulations 2025, replacing the 2008 regulations. Domestic EPCs will show separate ratings for heat retention, heating system and energy costs, non-domestic ones for energy performance, energy use and direct emissions, and certificates will be valid for 5 years rather than 10, so the familiar ten-year EPC validity will not hold in Scotland. Between 30 April 2028 and 30 April 2029 a sale or let may use either an old-style EPC and recommendations report or a new-style EPC and property report, but a property sold or let a second time inside that window must have the new-style pair; from 30 April 2029 only new-style certificates are valid. Assessors can issue only new-style EPCs from 30 April 2028. The same one-year grace period applies to Scotland's roughly 30,000 short-term lets. Dates remain subject to Scottish Parliament approval.

  23. very strong RN-QT7ZA7

    Scottish Government (gov.scot)

    SCOTLAND, last updated 24 August 2026. Confirms the EPC in Scotland is administered separately from England and Wales: buildings are rated A to G with A most efficient, the certificate lists improvement measures with an indicative cost for each, and it is accompanied by a recommendations report. The assessment reflects the building not the occupants, using standard assumptions about occupancy and use, and carries no personal data other than the assessor's name and contact details. For non-domestic buildings the EPC shows an asset rating alongside primary energy use. The page states that EPCs in Scotland are being reformed by the Energy Performance of Buildings (Scotland) Regulations 2025, replacing the 2008 regulations, with new-style certificates and strengthened quality assurance. Enquiries go to EPCenquiries@gov.scot, not to an England service.

  24. very strong RN-EKQKEC

    Scottish Government (gov.scot)

    The Scottish permitted development classes for domestic microgeneration, which a garden building or garden energy note needs because Scotland's class numbering is entirely its own. Section 6 covers ground and water source heat pumps at Classes 6D and 6E, air source heat pumps at Class 6H, free-standing wind turbines at Class 6G, roof-mounted wind turbines on detached dwellinghouses at Class 6HC, solar panels on a dwelling at Class 6HA, solar panels on a building within the curtilage of a dwelling at Class 6HB, and flues for biomass heating systems at Class 6C and combined heat and power at Class 6F. Paragraph 6.2 is the one a garden note needs: free-standing solar panels within the curtilage of a dwellinghouse are covered by Class 3B, not by the section 6 classes. Paragraph 6.4 confirms that Classes 6D and 6E permit installation, alteration or replacement of a ground or water source heat pump and any associated pipes or apparatus within the curtilage of a dwellinghouse or a building containing a flat, with no additional restrictions on those rights. Paragraph 6.3 stresses that every limitation in a class must be met for the right to apply.

  25. very strong RN-GFMJD9

    Scottish Government (gov.scot)

    SCOTLAND. The Scottish Government's authoritative plain-language guide to householder permitted development rights, published 28 May 2024, ISBN 9781836013143, with an errata of 20 June 2024 correcting the legislation tables for Class 1A section d on PDF page 21, Class 4B sections b and c on page 51, and paragraph 7.6 on page 73. It is the Scottish counterpart to England's Permitted Development Rights for Householders Technical Guidance and interprets the classes of Schedule 1 Part 1 of the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (Scotland) Order 1992. Paragraph 2.1 makes the owner liable for remedial action up to demolition and restoration where work fails to comply, paragraph 2.2 notes rights are disapplied or limited in conservation areas, World Heritage Sites, National Scenic Areas and National Parks, and paragraph 2.3 explains Scotland's narrow prior notification and prior approval route.

  26. very strong RN-4961KE

    The National Archives (legislation.gov.uk)

    The statute behind smoke control areas. Section 18 lets a local authority declare the whole or part of its district a smoke control area by smoke control order, varying provisions between parts of the area, limiting it to specified classes of building, or exempting particular buildings, fireplaces or industrial plant subject to conditions. Section 20 makes it an offence for the occupier of a building in a smoke control area to emit smoke from a chimney on any day, with the same prohibition for fixed boilers and industrial plant and an exception for emissions from authorised fuels; conviction is punishable on the summary scale up to level 3. Section 21 covers exempt fireplaces, substantially modified for England and Wales by recent amendments. Section 22 lets the Secretary of State suspend or relax section 20 for a given area after consulting the local authority. Financial penalties for smoke emission and unauthorised fuel sales sit in Schedule 1A, introduced by the 2022 amendments.

  27. very strong RN-FTUHBF

    The National Archives (legislation.gov.uk)

    The companion instrument to SI 2021/1391 that created Part S, infrastructure for the charging of electric vehicles. Regulation 1 brings it into force on 15 June 2022 immediately after SI 2021/1391, extending to England and Wales and applying in England. Regulation 2(2) adds requirement S2 to the list in regulation 6(1)(a) of the Building Regulations 2010, so an EV charge point duty is triggered by a material change of use creating dwellings, alongside the existing P1 electrical safety duty. Regulation 2(3) inserts a new Part 9B with regulations 44D and 44E. Regulation 44D sets the cost cap for new residential buildings with associated parking: the number of charge points to be installed is the maximum possible at an average connection cost of GBP 3,600 or less per charge point, and where the cap bites, cable routes must instead be installed in the parking spaces that would otherwise have needed charge points. Regulation 44D(4) sets out how covered car parks are treated, with different rules above and below a threshold of 10 associated parking spaces. Regulation 44E applies requirement S2 to a building undergoing a material change of use into one or more dwellings, where the work touches a car park within the site boundary or the electrical infrastructure serving it, and subject to whether a charge point per dwelling can be accommodated within the incoming supply without upgrading its capacity.

  28. very strong RN-BWO1CR

    The National Archives (legislation.gov.uk)

    The instrument that made the 2021 changes real, so a note can date them exactly. Regulation 1 sets citation and commencement on 15 June 2022, extending to England and Wales but applying to buildings and building work in England. Regulation 11 amends Schedule 1: it adds "to a reasonable standard" to entry L1(b)(i), inserts new requirement L2 on on-site generation of electricity (systems must be appropriately sized, have effective controls and be commissioned to produce the maximum electricity reasonable in the circumstances), and inserts a whole new PART O OVERHEATING with requirement O1, reproduced in full and carrying NO limits on application. Regulation 4 inserts regulation 4(4) and 4(5), a rule renovation guides almost never mention: where Part L imposes a requirement on the work, then on completion the whole building must comply with Part F or be no more unsatisfactory in relation to Part F than before the work began, so a Part L job such as new glazing or wall insulation drags a whole-house ventilation duty with it. Regulation 8 inserts regulations 40A and 40B, requiring the person carrying out the work to give the owner information about an on-site electricity generation system, and about the Part O overheating provision, no later than five days after completion. Regulation 17 is the transitional provision: the amendments do not apply where a building notice or initial notice was given, or full plans deposited, before 15 June 2022, provided the work started before 15 June 2023.

  29. very strong RN-3G6RWD

    The National Archives (legislation.gov.uk)

    SI 2021/1467, in force 30 June 2022, extending to England and Wales and Scotland. Regulation 10 requires a relevant charge point to incorporate pre-set default charging hours outside peak hours, with the owner able to accept, remove or change them on first use and at any time afterwards; peak hours are defined in regulation 10(4) as 8am to 11am and 4pm to 10pm on weekdays. The requirement is disapplied where the charge point is sold with a demand side response (DSR) agreement and configured to comply with it. Regulation 11 requires the charge point to operate at each relevant time with a randomised delay of up to 600 seconds, determined to the nearest second, which the owner can cancel; it must also be capable of a randomised delay of up to 1800 seconds, remotely adjustable over a communications network. A relevant time is the point at which electricity would start flowing or the rate of flow would change. Other regulations cover smart functionality (5), supplier interoperability (6), failsafe on loss of communications (7), safety (8), measuring systems (9) and security (Schedule 1).

  30. very strong RN-X0MMGL

    The National Archives (legislation.gov.uk)

    The water regulations half of the unvented hot water rules, the companion to Building Regulations requirement G3. Paragraph 17(1) requires that every unvented water heater, other than an instantaneous water heater with a capacity not greater than 15 litres, and every secondary coil contained in a primary system, must either be fitted with a vent pipe, a temperature control device, a temperature relief device and a combined temperature and pressure relief valve, or be capable of accommodating expansion within the secondary hot water system. That 15 litre threshold is the line that exempts a small under-sink or point-of-use heater from the full unvented package. Paragraph 17(2) requires an expansion valve to be fitted with provision ensuring that water is discharged in a correct manner should the expansion vessel or system malfunction, which is the statutory basis for the tundish and discharge pipe arrangement. Read it with Approved Document G3 in England, section 4.9 of the Scottish handbook and Technical Booklet P in Northern Ireland, all of which add installer competence and discharge routing requirements on top.

  31. very strong RN-VKMU18

    The National Archives (legislation.gov.uk)

    The paragraph that makes a permanently connected heating filling loop unlawful without the right device, and the one plumbers are most often challenged on. It states that no supply pipe or secondary circuit shall be permanently connected to a closed circuit for filling a heating system unless it incorporates a backflow prevention device in accordance with a specification approved by the regulator for the purposes of the Schedule. Central heating water is a fluid category 3 risk at minimum, and category 4 where inhibitors or other additives are present, so the approved device is normally a double check valve for category 3 or an RPZ valve for category 4, and the common flexible braided filling loop is intended to be disconnected after use rather than left in place. Read it with paragraph 15, which sets the general backflow duty and requires the device to match the highest fluid category downstream.

  32. very strong RN-BAHGYP

    The National Archives (legislation.gov.uk), Scottish Statutory Instruments

    SCOTLAND. Schedule 3 is Scotland's equivalent of England's exempt work and diverges sharply from it. Type 1 makes any work to or in a house warrant-exempt except work that increases floor area, demolishes or alters the roof, external walls or elements of structure, adversely affects a separating wall, changes the wastewater disposal system, or is to a storey more than 4.5 metres high. Types 3 to 5 exempt a detached single-storey building over 8 and up to 30 square metres, but not one within 1 metre of the house unless it is at least 1 metre from any boundary, not one containing a fixed combustion appliance or sanitary facility, and not a swimming pool deeper than 1.2 metres; for a flat or maisonette the separation is 3 metres. Type 6 exempts heating work below 50kW solid fuel, 45kW oil or 70kW net gas, but not work on a chimney, flue pipe or hearth, nor an oil storage tank over 90 litres.

  33. very strong RN-DBLVHY

    The National Archives (legislation.gov.uk), Scottish Statutory Instruments

    SCOTLAND. The instrument behind Scotland's EPC reform, replacing the Energy Performance of Buildings (Scotland) Regulations 2008 and underpinning the new-style certificate introduced from 30 April 2028 with a 5 year validity instead of 10. Regulation 1 sets citation, commencement and extent, regulation 2 interpretation, and the following regulations the duties to obtain and produce certificates. Cite this rather than the England and Wales Energy Performance of Buildings (England and Wales) Regulations 2012 for any Scottish property.

  34. very strong RN-8GXOTV

    The National Archives (legislation.gov.uk), UK Statutory Instrument 1998/2451

    The legal bar on non room-sealed gas appliances in bathrooms and bedrooms, which is what decides whether a boiler can be moved into a bathroom or airing cupboard off one. Regulation 30(1) prohibits installing any gas appliance in a room used or intended to be used as a bathroom or shower room unless it is a room-sealed appliance. Regulation 30(2) prohibits a gas fire, other gas space heater or gas water heater of more than 14 kilowatt gross heat input in a room used or intended as sleeping accommodation unless it is room-sealed. Regulation 30(3) allows such an appliance of 14 kilowatt gross heat input or less, and an instantaneous water heater, in sleeping accommodation only where it is room-sealed or incorporates a safety control designed to shut the appliance down before a dangerous quantity of combustion products builds up in the room. Regulation 30(4) extends all three prohibitions to a cupboard or compartment within such a room, and to a cupboard, compartment or space adjacent to such a room if there is an air vent from it into the room.

  35. very strong RN-AKN77V

    The National Archives (legislation.gov.uk), UK Statutory Instrument 2012/3118

    The statutory instrument that creates the EPC regime in England and Wales, so it is the legal citation behind any statement about when an EPC is required. Part 2 sets the duties relating to Energy Performance Certificates: regulation 5 its application, regulation 6 EPCs on sale and rent, regulation 7 EPCs on marketing, regulation 9 the certificate itself, regulation 10 display of EPCs, and regulations 12 and 13 production of copies and electronic production. Part 3 covers Display Energy Certificates, Part 4 the inspection of air-conditioning systems, Part 5 energy assessors including regulation 23 on related party disclosures, Part 6 registration and disclosure of certificate data, and Part 7 enforcement, with regulation 37 giving a defence where an EPC is unobtainable. Schedule 1 Part 1 defines residential property for EPC purposes as premises in England and Wales.

  36. very strong RN-I5NTO7

    UK Health Security Agency

    UKHSA's cold weather health guidance, first published 2 November 2012 and last updated 28 April 2026, applying to England, reference GOV-15292. Establishes the alerting framework a heating or insulation note can anchor to: the UKHSA Cold-Health Alerting system is operated by the Met Office and runs from 1 November to 31 March each year, and this guidance forms the cold weather part of UKHSA's Adverse Weather and Health Plan, whose aim is to protect health and reduce harm from adverse cold weather. Issued in several formats including an HTML main version, an easy read PDF of 8 pages, a British Sign Language video, a two-page print version of top tips, and a poster, with easy-read translations added on 28 April 2026 in Arabic, Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Italian, Kutchi, Punjabi, Portuguese, Somali, Tamil and Urdu.

  37. very strong RN-Y8BXXY

    UK Health Security Agency and Centre for Climate and Health Security

    UKHSA guidance published 7 August 2025, applying to England, on the allergens and irritants in indoor air, useful for any note that claims a renovation improves or harms air quality. States that indoor bioaerosols can contribute up to 34 per cent of indoor air pollution, and that people in Western countries spend the majority of their time indoors. Identifies the protein-based allergens as mould spores, which thrive in damp poorly ventilated spaces such as bathrooms and arise from leaks, condensation, poor heating or inadequate ventilation; house dust mites, which thrive in warm humid environments in bedding, carpets and upholstered furniture; and pet dander from skin flakes, urine and saliva. Separately names non-protein respiratory irritants: volatile organic compounds emitted by paints, cleaning agents and air fresheners, and particulate matter from cooking, smoking and open solid-fuel fireplaces. Warns that energy efficiency and adaptation measures can have unintended consequences for indoor environmental quality, and that poorly installed mechanical ventilation can worsen air quality.

  38. very strong RN-L7ESTP

    Welsh Government

    The Welsh route to funded adaptations, which differs from England in having a second scheme alongside the Disabled Facilities Grant. A Welsh applicant can apply for support from one or more of the ENABLE support for living independently scheme and the Disabled Facilities Grant, whereas an English applicant has the Disabled Facilities Grant alone. The listed adaptations are widening doors and installing ramps, improving access to rooms and facilities such as stair lifts or a downstairs bathroom, providing a heating system suitable for the applicant's needs, and adapting heating or lighting controls to make them easier to use. Part of the Welsh Government's Home safety, repairs and adaptation collection, with parallel guides for social housing tenants and for adapting a home before returning from hospital.

  39. very strong RN-S59WD1

    Welsh Government

    The Welsh Government circular announcing the 2026 editions. Approved Document L (Conservation of fuel and power and the minimisation of greenhouse gas emissions) Volumes 1 and 2 and Approved Document F (Ventilation) Volume 1 were published on 7 April 2026 and come into force on 4 March 2027. The transitional arrangements are precise and matter to anyone starting work near that date: the new documents do not apply to building work commenced before 4 March 2027 in accordance with any relevant notification provision, nor where notification was given before that date and the work commences before the period ending on 3 March 2028. The circular is informational and states expressly that it does not give advice on the technical requirements, which are in the Approved Documents themselves.

  40. very strong RN-RKGF7G

    Welsh Government (gov.wales)

    The Welsh Approved Document G, which differs from the England version on the headline water figure and is therefore the source to cite for a Welsh reader. Regulation 36 requires the estimated consumption of wholesome water to be not more than 110 litres per person per day where a dwelling is erected, or 125 litres per person per day where a dwelling is formed by a material change of use, against England's 125 litres with 110 as an optional tighter standard. Regulation 37 requires the water efficiency calculation to be notified to the building control body, and the completed notice must state, for example, less than 110 litres per person per day using the fittings approach. G3(3) requires the hot water supply to a fixed bath to incorporate measures ensuring delivered temperature does not exceed 48 degrees C, by an in-line blending valve or other appropriate temperature control device that cannot be exceeded in operation. It cites BRE Information Paper IP14/03 Preventing hot water scalding in bathrooms: using TMVs. First published 5 April 2017, last updated 10 May 2023.