§ The Minister of State, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (Lord Rooker)My honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
I have today published two consultation documents. The first of these covers our proposals for amending the building regulations energy efficiency provisions (Part L) and implementing the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD). The second describes our proposals for amending the guidance in Approved Document F that supports Part F, Ventilation, of the building regulations. Both consultation documents contain draft regulatory impact assessments.
31WSDriving up the energy efficiency of our buildings is critical to our success in achieving the carbon emission reduction targets in the energy White Paper and our energy efficiency action plan and will contribute to our goals for developing more sustainable communities.
Raising performance standards and introducing requirements for efficiency in the use of boilers and air conditioning systems will not only make a difference in the drive to tackle climate change, they will also help to create warmer, healthier homes and more comfortable and productive workplaces.
The proposals for building energy performance certification requirements will enable prospective purchasers and tenants to be more aware of energy performance whenever buildings are constructed, sold or rented out.
Energy used in buildings is responsible for roughly half the UK's carbon dioxide emissions. Wasting energy costs money whereas measures such as loft insulation, boiler replacements and more effective controls often pay for themselves within a few years.
One of the cornerstones of saving energy is to make building structures more airtight to minimise heating or cooling energy losses due to air leaking through gaps in the structure. This is addressed in the amendments to Part L. However, it is also essential to ensure there is sufficient controlled ventilation to maintain good indoor air quality to protect the health of the building's occupants. This is one of the roles of Part F, and is why Approved Document F has been revised in conjunction with Part L.
The guidance on ventilation systems has been expanded to cover more options, and changed from a prescriptive to a performance-based approach that should encourage innovation.
A new section in the proposed guidance deals with the design of smoking rooms in workplaces. The new edition of the approved document will also take into account the commitments made in the public health White Paper to be published later this year.
The consultation documents will be sent to several hundred organisations that have an interest in the energy efficiency of buildings and/or ventilation. Paper copies have also been placed in the Libraries of the House of Commons and House of Lords, and the text can be downloaded from the ODPM website.
The consultation period for both sets of proposals closes on Friday 22 October 2004. Following this my officials will work with the Building Regulations Advisory Committee to consider how the proposals might need to be modified to take account of the opinions expressed in the consultations, and (for Part F) the commitments that may be made in the public health White Paper. I am aiming, however, to lay the legislation needed to implement the directive and amend the building regulations and approved documents by July next year, and to achieve our goal of bringing them into effect by the end of December 2005.