Building Regulations (Dwellings) for Interior Designers: Conservation of Fuel and Power

What Calculations Do Designers Need to Make?  

It is the responsibility of everyone who works on a building’s ventilation to follow the current building regulations, including interior designers. You should have the correct knowledge to follow these guidelines. If you do not follow these regulations, you could be prosecuted. For information and support, you can speak to your local building control body.  

Designers must analyse and consider the technical, economic and environmental feasibility of any high-efficiency alternatives they install, including renovations. This includes decentralised energy supply systems, cogeneration, district block heating or cooling, and heat pumps. 

Your fixed building services should be appropriately sized (with further details for space heating, domestic hot water, and heat pump systems) and meet minimum efficiencies for the service or a comparable service. The efficiency, CO2 emissions, and primary energy demand of replacement services should be no less than the original and should use a different fuel. The regulations change for dwellings with a fuel switch, renewable technology, or a potential connection to district heat networks. The regulations give separate advice for different types of heating systems, as well as ventilation, lighting and district heat networks. 

• Controls 
  Your controls should meet general and system specific requirements for heating and hot water, depending on the heating system. The controls should automatically turn off systems when no hot water is required. Most hot water circuits should have an independent time and electronic temperature control. Additionally, automation and control systems should have appropriate controls. Each heated room should have a thermostatic control to change the output in that room, or, sometimes, heating zone. If you are using heating zones, there are different rules for thermostats, as well as thermostatic room and heat emitter controls. In some cases, you may need control and balancing valves, as well as variable volume controls, in addition to heat meters. 
• On-site Electricity Generation
  On-site electricity should have controls and be appropriately sized for the location, infrastructure, and energy demand. In most cases, the generation capacity of newly installed systems should be no less than the original.
   

You should complete pressure testing using the approved testing methodology. You must provide evidence that your testing equipment has recently been calibrated and that you are trained and registered to complete the test. Testing must continue until the dwelling is compliant. You should report results, along with efficiency test data from specific systems, to your building control body. 

The owner must be provided with operating and maintenance instructions and documentation for both new and existing fixed building services and on-site electricity generation. This allows your services to continue to meet energy efficiency standards and verify they are compliant. These instructions should be accessible, clear, durable and dwelling-specific, and include information on what and where the services are, as well as how to operate and maintain them. They might also include commissioning sheets and links to other documentation. The information required changes for new and existing dwellings.