A hot topic
By Ben Hartshorn, Sheerline’s technical support manager.
Many factors have led to a boom in home improvements over the past few years, but one of the key drivers is the demand for more energy efficient products. One reason is the rising cost of energy bills within the context of the cost-of-living crisis. But that’s not the only reason.
There’s also the fact that companies have been working hard over the past few years to futureproof their products against building regulation changes that aim to drive efficiency while reducing the UK’s carbon footprint.
One such legislative change coming into effect is the Government’s Future Homes Standard, which is due to be implemented during 2025. The key question is: how will this impact the fenestration industry?
In short, we don’t know exactly. There was a consultation period between November 2023 and March 2024, which focused on changes to Part 6, Part L, and Part F of the Building Regulations for dwellings and non-domestic buildings, as well as considering Part O, which covers overheating.
We look forward to gaining clarity when the findings are published in December. While we don’t definitively know what changes are coming, we do have a few ideas. For instance, we’re fairly confident that the rules around replacements will stay the same.
But the requirements for new builds? They’re still up in the air. We suspect the changes will set out the minimum efficiency standards for new homes in line with the Government’s goal of lowering the UK’s overall carbon footprint.
It’s been suggested U-values and/or the way they’re calculated could change. There’s also speculation around including components such as cills, couplers and corner posts into the calculations that measure thermal efficiency, which fits with the idea that building regs will be tightened after the Grenfell Tower Inquiry.
Compliance is key – or is it?
When it comes to compliance, simply ‘saying’ isn’t enough, manufacturers must ‘do’. Back in 2021, when the regulations last changed, there was no increase in compliance testing or enforcement of the changes.
Tightening thermal efficiency standards without adequate enforcement only gets us so far.
Which raises the question: if new standards are implemented, how will they be policed? If it is problematic for the industry to determine if products are up to standard, it stands to reason that perhaps better policing of the standards already in place might be a better option.
We know that for many systems companies within the industry, the requirement to use foam and filler has become par for the course. But that simply isn’t the case with Sheerline products, which have thermal efficiency, security, and innovative technology built-in as standard.
The unfortunate reality is that, if industry standards are tightened and policed effectively, it is the fabricators and installers who will be penalised if a product they supply is not compliant, not the systems house behind it, meaning fabricators and installers should choose the systems they buy carefully.
Looking to the future
Energy efficient products will continue to dominate the home improvement market for two key reasons; the Government is working towards its Net Zero Strategy by 2050, and homeowners will continue to desire beautiful homes that help them save money.
From a Sheerline perspective, we welcome the tightening of regulations, in part because we know it is the homeowner who will ultimately benefit, but also because many of our products perform above and beyond what is required, leaving our customers with a clear sales advantage.
The systems houses unable to meet the stringent requirements already in place will arguably struggle to keep pace with the changes that will be demanded in the future from both the government and homeowners.
We’ve futureproofed our products to ensure the benefits they offer today are relevant tomorrow. For us, it’s essential our products do what they say they will, so our fabricator and installer partners know our products are fully compliant and they can continue to rely on us.
