Current Codes
Conservation of fuel and power: Approved Document L
Building regulation in England setting standards for the energy performance of new and existing buildings.
Compliance Verification:
Every building is required to have an Energy Efficiency Certificate, which provides a diagnostic of the building’s general information, performance, recommendations, and additional information. A new certificate must be obtained every 10 years, and must be made available whenever possession of the building changes hands. For public buildings over 1000 square meters, the certificate must be displayed.
Helpful Links
- Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE)
- Policy: Energy efficiency in buildings
- UK Green Building Council
- Passivhaus Trust: The UK Passive House Organization
- Carbon Trust Guide to Buildings Energy Efficiency
- Guidance on Minimum Energy Efficiency Standard published March 14, 2017
- Report on Low Carbon Building Programme, 2006-2011 August 2011
History
As a member of the European Union, the United Kingdom was required to comply with the Electronic Energy Performance of Buildings Directive passed in December 2002 (2002/91/EC). The UK implemented the directive directly in 2005 by requiring all new and existing buildings to meet energy efficiency and CO2 emissions standards. During the design phase of every building, a “notional” building was to be tested using national standards and proposed design elements. The notional building was to be tested for energy efficiency and CO2 emissions, and a baseline would then be set for the performance of the actual building. When buildings undergo renovations, they have to meet regulations enforcing the new energy standards; building additions will be treated as new buildings.
Additionally, “Part L” was added to the UK National Building Code in 2006, which set goals for reducing carbon energy, and set a 2011 goal for all new developments to have zero carbon.