Making existing buildings compliant with 2010 Part L Building Regs may cost more than anticipated.
A recent study by the RICS has indicated that the cost of retrofitting existing buildings to comply with Part L of the Building Regulations may be considerably more than originally anticipated.
The study, led by Sean Lockie of Faithful+Gould, carried out research on three buildings that had been built to comply with 2006 Part L building regulations and then ‘uplifted’ these to 2010 levels in order to establish what needed to be done in order to deliver the requisite carbon savings under the revised regulations.
Interestingly, although the costs of retrofitting were high, the carbon savings were even higher on each of the three buildings studied. The building which came out on top was the supermarket which delivered 38 per cent carbon savings with an annual energy cost saving in excess of £70,000 through measures including improved air tightness, boiler efficiency and lighting controls.
The offices delivered 37 per cent carbon savings and cost savings in excess of £32,000 each year through measures including chilled beams, night cooling and external shading.
The residential case study showed to deliver the least carbon saving at 25 per cent; measures such as improved air tightness, insulation levels, would need to be invested in.
The bottom line appears to be that the cost of making a building fully compliant with Part L is a great incentive to getting the design of a new building right in the first place - and the savings will follow.
For more information, please contact
Peter Tugwell.
