Building Regulations Part L to Help Reduce Carbon Emissions
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Introduced in 2005 the new Building Regulations Part L has changed the scene as far as boilers are concerned. According to the new requirement, all boilers replaced or installed must be of high efficiency rating. This includes condensing and combination boilers which utilize a larger heat exchanger (or a secondary heat exchanger) to recoup some of the heat that would normally be released into the atmosphere with the exhaust gases. Since some of the energy can be reused, the boiler can generate the same amount of heat with less fuel.
The new high efficiency heating unit introduced a new level of professional requirements from the system designer and the operative installing it. Each part of the system (such as the boiler, the radiators, the hot water cylinder and the heating controls) is fully integrated with the other components, to maximize the system’s efficiency and heating output. As such, the design has to account for each component’s specific set up and consider their input and output demands.
Since Part L of the building regulation was introduced, domestic heating in the UK has seen a remarkable drop in the volume of carbon emissions that is generated annually. According to analysis conducted by the heating industry, a reduction of around 2.4 million tonnes of carbon was made since the new regulations were introduced. As a reference point, the analysis shows that if the industry did not adopt Part L and kept on relying on SEDBUK D rated boilers, the carbon emissions level would have increased by over one million tonnes since 2005.
As things stand, there are massive opportunities to reduce the carbon emissions levels resulting from domestic heating in the UK. It is estimated that there are around four million old and inefficient boilers still in operation around the country. Replacing these boilers with a high efficiency A rated boiler would reduce the carbon emissions by around 30% per boiler. A typical UK household generates around 5 tonnes of CO2 annually. It is estimated that UK home heating accounts for approximately 16% of the total carbon dioxide emission for the UK as a whole.
The government is attempting to encourage carbon reduction within the domestic heating market. It has introduced zero stamp duty on carbon neutral homes and requires all home sellers to produce a home information pack which includes a detailed energy performance certificate. However, the stamp duty waiver will not apply to the vast majority of the old housing stock which is where most of the carbon savings should be made. The shortcoming of the home information pack is that it only applies when the property is put for sale, and does not encourage improving the heating efficiency at other times.
Other levers that can be pulled to reduce carbon emissions from domestic heating in the UK are related to renewable and sustainable energy. The government plans to build around 3 million new homes between now and 2020. If just 10% of these new homes use solar thermal heating or heat pumps along with traditional (gas or oil) boilers, around 150,000 tonnes of carbon emissions would be saved annually.
The government applied a combination of carrots and sticks to force the domestic heating market to reduce its carbon emissions. The plumbing and heating industry is largely keeping up with the trend with many companies investing in training and professional development on renewable energy technologies to address any market need in those areas.