The new government is reviewing Building Regulations, with further changes expected. Phil Parry, technical director at Epwin Window Systems, looks at the key issues – and explains how partnering with the right systems supplier can offer peace of mind as the regulations evolve.

The road to success is never straightforward. This is certainly true when it comes to developing the Building Regulations the UK needs to meet it net zero targets.

To recap the story so far, the previous government introduced new Building Regulations that came into effect in 2022. At the time, they were seen as the first step towards the Future Homes Standard, the framework designed to ensure all new homes are zero carbon-ready.

These changes were always intended as a stepping stone to further, more demanding, changes. For the fenestration industry, for example, the assumption was any new regulations would require a U value of 0.80 W/m²K.

Industry bodies such as the British Plastic Federation (BPF) and the Glass and Glazing Federation (GGP), bodies in which Epwin Window Systems is a leading voice, played no small part in raising the question as to the necessity of the changes and embodied carbon consumption therein.

As a result, in its Future Homes and Building Standards 2023 consultation, the government suggested U values would remain at their current levels.

However, the consultation also suggested other changes would be likely.

For example, it proposed removing the standard window configuration from new building dwellings. This means that each window’s U value would potentially have to be calculated on its actual size and even the smallest window would have to comply with the requirements.

It also called for evidence on Document O, which covers overheating. As part of Document O, upstairs windows in new-build homes must now be at least 1.1m from the floor for safety reasons. As a consequence, housebuilders are having to use smaller windows upstairs than they would have done previously, something that clearly has the potential to impact on contract value for fabricators and installers.

As a leader within both the BPF and the GGP, we were part of the steering group that submitted detailed feedback to the consultation on these and other matters.

The new government is considering all the submissions at the moment, and we await its decisions. We are also conscious it may propose further changes as a means of signalling its commitment to achieving net zero while also delivering its targets on new-build homes.

What’s important to note here is that we as an industry are not passive actors when it comes to new regulations. They aren’t implemented by government from ‘on high’. As we saw in the proposed decision to keep U values at their current levels, bodies such as the BPF and GGF give the industry a significant voice and help to support intelligent decision making in government. As an industry leader, we at Epwin Window Systems play an active role in these bodies, helping to lead from the front where it matters.

We are also instrumental in communicating changes to the wider industry and supporting our partners in getting to grips with changes. For example, we published guidance on the Future Homes and Building Standards 2023 consultation so our customers could fully understand the detail, and make their own voices heard. We also published guidance on the changes to Document L and Document F well in advance of the changes coming into effect in 2022.

We believe this is the level of support and influence you need from your systems supplier. It’s a level of support we’re proud to provide.