Building Regulation Changes 2022

Due to the changes in the climate in the last few years, the government has decided to aim for net-zero emissions across the country by 2050. As part of an effort to achieve this, the government has announced several changes to the current building regulations, which will take effect in June 2022. The standards of ventilation, fabric and overheating are being uplifted to reduce the maximum CO2 emissions of buildings.

In order to keep our customers informed of how this will affect them, we’re going to break down what’s going on and explain what it means for you.

What are the changes?

For replacing windows, the only changes that will affect us here at Reading Trade Windows are the mention of ‘background ventilators’. 

Otherwise known as trickle vents, these background ventilators sit at the top of your window or door and allow natural airflow through them, ensuring consistent fresh air in the home. Smaller vents allow the homeowner to keep the main window shut, keep the heat in, and keep energy expenditures down whilst retaining fresh air.

The addition of trickle vents is essentially now becoming mandatory with the new regulations. 

What does this mean for our customers?

Any customers who have background ventilators (trickle vents) already on the windows they have, before having them replaced, will need to have replacement windows installed that also have background ventilators. These ventilators will need to be at least the same size as the originals. Furthermore, they should be controllable, either automatically or by the home’s occupant. 

Suppose the homeowner wishes to replace their windows, and those windows that are being replaced do not have background ventilators. In that case, the new windows will need to ensure consistency of ventilation between the two installations. Essentially, this means that the new windows will require trickle vents to be installed. 

If you are replacing more than 30% of the property’s windows, the new windows will require background ventilation in order to meet the minimum airflow requirements.

In Summary

If customers already have trickle vents installed, they will need to have trickle vents installed in all replacement windows.

Customers who do not have trickle vents on their windows installed already will only need to have trickle vents installed on their new windows if more than 30% of the property’s windows are going to be replaced. This will then meet the minimum airflow requirements. 

Contact us

If you require any further information about the changes, please see the government website, which has the Approved Documents in full available for view.

Also, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us through our online form should you have any specific questions for us, and one of our team members will get back to you.

Categories: News