RenovationNotes

References

Heating, Energy & Eco

274 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 3 of 7.

  1. 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.

  2. very strong RN-8EXIQ9

    Ofgem

    Ofgem administers the Boiler Upgrade Scheme on behalf of the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, handling voucher processing, payments, compliance monitoring and fraud investigation, but does not set scheme policy or certify installers and products. Ofgem lists £7,500 for air-to-water, ground source and water source heat pumps, £5,000 for biomass boilers, £2,500 for air-to-air heat pumps in residential properties, and £9,000 for air-to-water or ground source heat pumps in off-gas-grid properties until 31 March 2027. Only MCS certified installers can apply for and redeem vouchers on behalf of a property owner. Enquiries go to BUS.Enquiry@ofgem.gov.uk or 0330 053 2006.

  3. 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.

  4. 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.

  5. 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.

  6. 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.

  7. 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.

  8. 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.

  9. 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.

  10. 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.

  11. 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.

  12. 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.

  13. 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.

  14. 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.

  15. 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.

  16. 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.

  17. 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.

  18. 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.

  19. 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.

  20. 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.

  21. 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.

  22. 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.

  23. 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.

  24. 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.

  25. very strong RN-MY15X0

    Welsh Government (gov.wales)

    The Welsh Approved Document L Volume 1, in force until 3 March 2027, and the source for Welsh window figures, which are not identical to England's. Table 10.1 sets, for new and replacement windows and roof windows, a maximum U-value of 1.4 W/(m2K) or WER Band B, with an alternative for replacements of 1.2 W/(m2K) centre pane or low-E secondary glazing, and a threshold U-value for retained windows of 3.3. Rooflights: 2.2 for new and replacement, threshold 3.8. Doors more than 60 per cent glazed: 1.4 or DSER Band C, alternative 1.2 centre pane, threshold 3.3. All other doors: 1.4 or DSER Band B, threshold 3.3. External fire doorsets as defined in Approved Document B Volume 1 may be 1.8. Transitional easements allowed timber windows at 1.6 or WER Band C and timber doors at 1.8 or DSER Band E only where a building notice, initial notice or full plans were given before 23 November 2023. Paragraph 11.35 requires an existing window or door worse than the column (c) threshold to be replaced to column (a); paragraph 11.37 states that windows and doors mean the whole unit including the frame, so replacing just the glazing or the door leaf while retaining the existing frame is not building work and does not have to meet the energy efficiency requirements, though upgrading as close as practicable is sensible; paragraph 11.38 caps the total area of windows and doors at 25 per cent of total floor area where one is enlarged or created.

  26. very strong RN-JOH3I6

    Welsh Government (gov.wales)

    The Welsh Government landing page that shows which edition of Approved Document L applies in Wales and when. Two editions of Volume 1 (dwellings) sit side by side: the current edition in force until 3 March 2027 at /sites/default/files/publications/2024-05/building-regulations-approved-document-l-vol-1.pdf, and the 2026 edition in force from 4 March 2027 at /sites/default/files/publications/2026-04/building-regulations-approved-document-l-vol-1-2026.pdf. Note the date differs from England, where the 2026 edition of Approved Document L takes effect on 24 March 2027, so a note giving a single UK-wide changeover date is wrong for Wales by three weeks.

  27. strong RN-04DH6J

    BBA (British Board of Agrement)

    The certification body whose Agrement Certificate is what a note usually means when it says a system is approved, and the page that lists which schemes it actually runs. The BBA's certification team issues certificates for the BBA Agrement, HAPAS (Highways Authority Product Approval Services), European Technical Assessment (ETA), and the Microgeneration Certification Scheme. Alongside product certification it runs certification of people, including the BBA Approved Installer Scheme, the BBA Competent Person Scheme, the BBA Gas Membrane Approved Installer Scheme, TrustMark registration and the BBA PAS 2030 Scheme, plus a Client Managed Inspection Service. Its testing services are also available standalone and include durability, mechanical, physical and structural, weather resistance and wind serviceability, conformance and fit-for-purpose, thermal performance, and onsite testing and trials. An Agrement Certificate is the route by which a product without a harmonised European product standard, such as a tanking membrane, a multifoil or a proprietary EWI system, gets an independently assessed statement of fitness for a stated use.

  28. strong RN-43EBC2

    BRE (Building Research Establishment)

    The document that decides how a U-value must be calculated in the UK, so it is the arbiter when a manufacturer's claimed U-value and a building control assessment disagree. Published by BRE Electronic Publications, authors Brian Anderson and Ludmilla Kosmina, A4, 80 pages, published date 18 November 2020, ISBN 9781848064812, and section 11.1 has been updated since the 2019 publication with the update appended at the end. It concerns the calculated U-values of new building elements including walls, roofs, floors, windows and doors. Section 3 gives guidance on thermal conductivity of materials, section 4 on the issues that commonly arise in a U-value calculation, and sections 7 to 14 on the individual construction element types, identifying which section 4 issues apply to which construction. It deliberately does not reproduce the calculation methods themselves, referring the reader to the relevant British Standards, which is why it is a conventions document rather than a method. The 2002 edition remains available separately.

  29. strong RN-860NRP

    BRE (Building Research Establishment)

    The rulebook an EPC assessor actually works to, dated 21 August 2025, and the document that explains why two assessors can produce different EPCs on the same house. Convention 1.01 states that RdSAP is used to produce Energy Performance Certificates for existing dwellings only, with new build using full SAP instead. The header sets out the hierarchy that matters most in a dispute: where any Convention conflicts with the relevant published SAP specification, the Convention takes precedence. This edition is for use with RdSAP 10, while RdSAP 2012 assessments use v11.4, and it directs assessors to use RdSAP v10 Table 32 when referring to fuel prices. Each convention carries its own issue and amendment history, so an assessor's treatment of a given element can be dated precisely.

  30. strong RN-ZGGPSN

    BRE (Building Research Establishment)

    The methodology behind every EPC band, published and maintained by BRE. SAP is the UK Government's National Calculation Methodology for assessing the energy performance of dwellings, used both for Building Regulations compliance and for producing Energy Performance Certificates, and it feeds national, devolved and local government policy. It was first published in 1993 and revised in 1998, 2001, 2005, 2009 and 2012; SAP 10 came into use from June 2022 in England and later that year in Wales and Scotland. The site also hosts BRE Technical Notes, which are the mechanism by which a particular technology becomes recognised in a SAP or RdSAP assessment, so a product that claims an EPC benefit should have one. Governance sits with the SAP Scientific Integrity Group, which protects the integrity and impartiality of the model, and the SAP Industry Forum.

  31. strong RN-UGNV9N

    BRE Group

    Important currency point for any note mentioning certification schemes: the Home Quality Mark no longer exists under that name. BRE has folded it into the BREEAM product range as BREEAM UK New Construction: Residential, with version 6.1 released in April 2025. HQM led residential sustainability assessment in the UK from 2015 with more than 50,000 homes registered. The scheme assesses homes against three sustainability indicators covering environmental performance (carbon emissions, resource efficiency, biodiversity, circular design), social performance (occupant health and wellbeing, indoor air quality, daylight, thermal comfort, noise, access to green space) and economic performance (efficient use of materials, future-ready infrastructure, running costs, adaptability). Homes are rated on a scale from pass to outstanding. BRE states the certification recognises performance BEYOND minimum regulations only, and that certification can open access to green mortgages and investment incentives. Separately, BREEAM Refurbishment and Fit-Out (currently V7) is the BREEAM standard covering refurbishment rather than new build, and BREEAM has run third-party certified standards since 1990.

  32. strong RN-70QYJ4

    BSI (British Standards Institution)

    STATUS: CURRENT. BS 5440-1:2023 was published 12 December 2023 and supersedes BS 5440-1:2008 and BS 5440-1:2000; a note citing an undated BS 5440 or the 2000 edition should be updated. It specifies requirements for installing gas appliances to chimneys, the chimney work a gas engineer undertakes under UK conditions, and the maintenance of chimneys. It applies to open flued chimneys for Type B appliances and room sealed chimneys for Type C appliances of rated input not exceeding 70 kW net burning 1st, 2nd or 3rd family gases, natural or fanned draught, whether the chimney is supplied with the appliance or separately, and it complements BS EN 15287-1 and BS EN 15287-2 with UK specific requirements. It excludes gas fired incinerators, leisure accommodation vehicles and hydrogen only appliances. Part 2 (BS 5440-2:2023) covers ventilation provision. Catalogue page confirms number, title, date, status and scope; requirements are paywalled.

  33. strong RN-AMDJGS

    BSI (British Standards Institution)

    STATUS: CURRENT. BS 6172:2010+A1:2017 was published 31 July 2017 and supersedes BS 6172:2010, which superseded BS 6172:2004 and BS 6172:1990. It specifies requirements for the safe installation, servicing and maintenance of domestic gas cooking appliances, with installation defined to include design, inspection and commissioning, and it applies to new, previously used and second hand appliances in dwellings, leisure accommodation vehicles, residential park homes and permanently moored boats, but not towed or motorised caravans. The A1:2017 amendment reflects European changes allowing gas cooker hoses and sockets to BS EN 14800 and gas hose connection valves to BS EN 15069. This is the standard behind a kitchen note's statement that a gas hob or cooker must be connected by a Gas Safe registered engineer, and it works with BS 5440-2 for ventilation. Catalogue page confirms number, title, date, status, supersession and scope.

  34. strong RN-LF1PTF

    BSI (British Standards Institution)

    The code of practice behind system cleaning, inhibitor dosing and magnetic filters, and the standard to cite when explaining why a radiator develops a pinhole leak in the first place. Published 31 May 2019 and Current. It is the industry code of practice on how to prepare the circulating water during initial commissioning or re-commissioning of domestic central heating and cooling water systems, and it also covers ongoing water treatment so that systems perform efficiently and are protected against premature failure. Its audience is boiler manufacturers, central heating installers and central heating maintenance contractors, which is why a boiler warranty commonly requires compliance with it: pinhole corrosion in a radiator is the visible end point of untreated system water, so the remedy a note recommends should be system cleaning and inhibitor to BS 7593 rather than a sealant alone.

  35. strong RN-P0GUEN

    BSI (British Standards Institution)

    The British Standard for rainwater harvesting, the reference a note on collecting and reusing rainwater needs. Published 31 Jan 2009 and withdrawn 19 Jul 2018, so cite it as the established code rather than a current one. Its scope gives recommendations on the design, installation, testing and maintenance of rainwater harvesting systems supplying non-potable water in the UK. It covers systems supplying water for domestic uses in residential, commercial, industrial or public premises that do not require potable water quality, and it names those uses explicitly as laundry, WC flushing and garden watering. That scope is the key point for a homeowner: harvested rainwater is fluid category 5 under the Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999 and must not be connected to drinking or washing supplies, so the standard's non-potable limitation is a legal boundary as well as a design one.

  36. strong RN-FBT72B

    BSI (British Standards Institution)

    STATUS: WITHDRAWN on 28 May 2021, superseded by BS EN 1264-1:2021. BS EN 1264-1:2011 was published 31 July 2011 and gave the definitions and symbols for water based heating and cooling systems embedded into the enclosure surfaces of the room being heated or cooled, in residential, office and similar buildings, and it also covered heating media other than water. It is part one of the five part series that governs underfloor heating design: -2 thermal output by calculation and test, -3 dimensioning, -4 installation, -5 thermal output for wall and ceiling heating and for cooling. The whole series was reissued in 2021, so a note citing any BS EN 1264 part with a 2009 or 2011 date is quoting a withdrawn edition; an undated citation of BS EN 1264 is safe. Catalogue page confirms number, title, publication date, withdrawal date and scope.

  37. strong RN-0CAEVF

    BSI (British Standards Institution)

    Part 1 of the four-part standard that defines how a heat pump's rated capacity and COP are stated, so it underpins any performance figure quoted in a heat pump note. Published 31 Mar 2018 and withdrawn 12 Sep 2022 in favour of the 2022 edition, so cite it for the definitions rather than as current. It applies to factory-made units that can be ducted, factory-made liquid chilling packages with integral or remote condensers, fixed and variable capacity units, and air-to-air air conditioners that evaporate condensate on the condenser side. Packaged, single split and multi split systems are covered, as are single duct and double duct units. For units made of several parts it applies only to those designed and supplied as a complete package, except liquid chilling packages with remote condensers. Note 1 to the scope directs part load testing to EN 14825, which is where the seasonal figures SCOP and SEER come from.

  38. strong RN-SAM80B

    BSI (British Standards Institution)

    The standard covering fan assisted radiators, convectors and trench convectors, that is exactly the products BS EN 442-2 excludes, so this is the reference for skirting heating and low-temperature fan coil emitters. Published 31 Dec 2014, current but under review. It defines the technical specifications and requirements for fan assisted radiators, convectors and trench convectors for permanent installation in central heating systems, whether factory assembled or supplied as kits, fed with water at temperatures below 120 degrees C from a remote heating source. It also applies to radiators and convectors covered by EN 442-1 for the purpose of determining their dry cooling capacity, and it does not apply to discrete heating appliances. It sets the testing basis for determining thermal output and dry cooling capacity and requires manufacturers to supply the additional common data needed for correct application, which is why a fan assisted emitter's output must be read against this standard rather than compared directly with a delta T50 radiator figure.

  39. strong RN-3TAWNC

    BSI (British Standards Institution)

    STATUS: CURRENT. BS EN 215:2019 was published 30 September 2019, is identical to EN 215 and supersedes BS EN 215:2004; it also replaces the older British specification BS 6284:1983. It covers thermostatic radiator valves for wet central heating systems, specifically two port and integrated thermostatic valves with or without pre setting, rated for water up to 120 degrees C and nominal pressure PN 10 or lower. It gives definitions, performance requirements and test methods, plus dimensions, permitted materials and connection specifications for four series of straight and angle pattern valves, with tests for thermal performance, flow rate and endurance. This is the standard to cite when a note says a TRV must be to BS EN 215, and the reason a TRV should not be fitted in the same room as the room thermostat. Catalogue page confirms number, title, date, status and scope; the test detail is paywalled.

  40. strong RN-O1KN8B

    BSI (British Standards Institution)

    The test standard that produces the wattage figure printed on a radiator, so it is the authority behind any radiator sizing table. Published 31 Dec 2014, current but under review, identical to EN 442-2:2014, ICS 91.140.10 Central heating systems, committee RHE/6, ISBN 978 0 580 82034 2. It defines the laboratory procedures for determining standard thermal output and other characteristics of radiators and convectors permanently installed and fed with water or steam below 120 degrees C from a remote energy source, together with admissible tolerances, sample selection and conformity verification against the initial type test. Its stated exclusions matter for a buying guide: it does not apply to fan assisted radiators, fan assisted convectors, trench convectors or independent heating appliances, which therefore carry outputs measured another way.