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

Why is Conservation of Fuel and Power Important to Designers ?

As a designer, you are responsible for meeting building regulation requirements. There is not always one method to meet regulations, especially if a building is an unusual design. However, if you do not remain compliant, you may be prosecuted. 

Designers can limit heat losses by meeting limiting standards for the fabric of walls, floors, doors, windows, air tightness, and pipework. During a renovation, you need to consider new, replacement, renovated and retained elements, including changes to pipework and their impact on airtightness. You will need to assess u-values using the Building Research Establishment’s methods, as well as provide continuous insulation across different elements and limited thermal bridging. 

The document covers avoiding air movement in thermal elements. There are additional details for new and renovated elements in existing buildings, such as conservatories and porches, material changes of use, and consequential improvements. 

To increase air tightness, you should seal and tape around the openings of newly installed pipework, as well as draught-proof and fill the air-leakage gaps of thermal elements. Additionally, controlled fittings should be draught-proofed and well-fitted. Most pipework, including ductwork, should be insulated and its heat loss should not exceed permissible rates. You need to calculate insulation thickness.

It is also important to reduce unwanted heat gains by limiting solar gains during summer. This will reduce the need for and capacity of air conditioning. Additionally, the document covers heat gains through glazing.

Who Needs to Be Informed?

You must give your target and building primary energy and emission rate calculations to a building control body both before and after work, along with your specifications. After you have finished work, you must include any specification changes. In some cases, you might provide this information during the design stage using a compliance report. 

Commissioning is important for all fixed building services and electricity generation systems to improve their performance and check that they are not using excessive fuel and power. It is important to follow the correct procedure, such as certain commissioning codes. The commissioning process includes testing and adjustment alongside the manufacturer’s instructions. Firstly, you should write a commissioning plan that includes the tested systems, the correct tests, your commission timeline and appropriate documentation, as well as your role and that of any commissioning manager. A building control body then needs to receive this plan alongside your target and building calculations. Afterwards, you should hand a commissioning notice to your building control body and the building’s owner, usually within 5 days. This should show your plan and inspections have been carried out, It must also establish that the system’s performance matches the building’s designs.