14/06/2010

Revised: Approved Documents to The Building Regulations (England and Wales)

The following Approved Documents (AD) have been revised:

· AD F Ventilation 2010 – this revision comes into force 1^st October 2010. The main changes in the 2010 Edition are in 2 parts; legal requirements and technical guidance –

Legal requirements –

o All fixed mechanical ventilation systems, where they can be tested and adjusted, shall be commissioned and a commissioning notice provided to the Building Control Body

o Mechanical ventilation systems installed in new dwellings shall be measured on site and a notice provided to the Building Control Body. This also applies to intermittently used extract fans and cooker hoods.

o The owner shall be provided with sufficient information about the ventilation system and its maintenance requirements.

Technical guidance –

o Ventilation provisions have been increased for air tight dwellings i.e. those designed with an air permeability of less than or equal to 5m³/hr/m² at 50Pa

o Passive Stack Ventilation (PSV) diameters have been increased to 125mm for all room types, with additional clarification provided for inner wet rooms.

o Guidance on ventilation provisions for refurbished kitchens and bathrooms has been clarified.

o Reference is made to a new ‘Domestic Ventilation Compliance’ guide for installing, inspecting, testing and commissioning of ventilation systems in dwellings.

· AD J Combustion appliances and fuel storage systems 2010 – this revision comes into force 1^st October 2010. The main changes in the 2010 Edition are –

o Section 1 – New guidance is included for access for visual inspection of concealed flues (Ed. this information supports that of existing Technical Bulletins produced by the then gas registration body CORGI and now Gas Safe Register™ whereby concealed flues within ceiling voids [flats for example] require additional considerations)

o Section 2 – New guidance on the requirement to have Carbon Monoxide alarms installed where solid fuel appliances are installed (Ed. an interesting note in Section 0 is that although Carbon Monoxide alarms are not stipulated within Section 3 for gas appliances or indeed for other fuel types such as oil, it is recognised that their use can reduce the risk of poisoning; the implication being that their use ought to be considered). Further guidance is also provided for solid fuel on flue outlet clearances, hearths and wall clearances to take account of modern appliances.

o Sections 2, 3 & 4 – An increase in the ventilation requirements for open-flued appliances in very air tight houses (those with a design air permeability of less than or equal to 0.5m³/hr/m²). Appendix F provides guidance on assessing air permeability of older houses.

o Section 4 – Explicitly includes liquid biofuel and blends of mineral oil/liquid biofuel.

o Section 5 – Additional guidance includes the inner protection zone shown by the Environment Agency’s groundwater source maps where secondary containment is required for oil tanks.

o Appendix G – Provides an explanation of the European designation for certain flue and chimney products.

· AD L1A Conservation of fuel and power in new dwellings 2010 – this revision comes into force 1^st October 2010. The main changes in the 2010 Edition concern themselves with those responsible for designing and building new dwellings, particularly with regards to CO₂ emission rates.

As this is not normally in the preserve of professional tradesman the detail of the changes is not listed here.

· AD L1B Conservation of fuel and power in existing dwellings 2010 – this revision comes into force 1^st October 2010. The main changes in the 2010 Edition are similar to those for new dwellings in that they concern themselves with thermal elements, controlled fittings and controlled services. Some of the changes of note, with regards to professional tradesman are –

o The list of work in schedule 2B (i.e. work that need not be notified to building control) is amended to include thermal insulation in roof/loft spaces where this is the only work being carried out and is not carried out to comply with any requirement in the Building Regulations.

o Amended guidance provided for historic and traditional buildings, which may have an exemption from energy efficiency requirements or where special considerations apply.

o Guidance for swimming pool basins (walls and floors) in existing dwellings.

· AD L2A Conservation of fuel and power in new buildings other than dwellings 2010 – this revision comes into force 1^st October 2010. The main changes in the 2010 Edition are similar to those for AD L1A ‘new dwellings’ in that they concern themselves with those responsible for designing and erecting new buildings, particularly with regards to CO₂ emission rates.

As this is not normally in the preserve of professional tradesman the detail of the changes is not listed here.

· AD L2B Conservation of fuel and power in existing buildings other than dwellings 2010 – this revision comes into force 1^st October 2010. The main changes in the 2010 Edition are similar to those for AD L1B ‘existing dwellings’ in that they concern themselves with thermal elements, controlled fittings and controlled services.

As this is not normally in the preserve of professional tradesman the detail of the changes is not listed here.

To help support these regulations, please take a look at the following products:

The ADs are freely available to download as pdfs from the governments planning portal, visit www.planningportal.gov.uk and follow the links for Approved Documents.