Will Carbon Reduction Happen without Stricter Building Regs?

Recently announced changes to Part L of the Building Regulations received mixed reviews from the industry. RIBA, in particular, has been outspoken about opportunities missed to make significant strides towards net zero.

The interim measures are intended to be a stepping stone towards stricter standards from 2025, which will aim to ensure net zero operational carbon.

In the meantime, from June 2022 new residential buildings will be required to produce 30% fewer carbon emissions, and non-residential buildings 27% fewer, compared with current standards. Over 78% of the people who responded to the consultation wanted to see more ambitious targets.

The government also published a new Part O to the Building Regulations relating to preventing overheating in new residential buildings, as well as updated Part F to tighten ventilation standards in all buildings.

Embodied Carbon

One issue with the new regulations is that they are focused on operational carbon emissions. You could take a view that these will become less significant anyway as the grid is decarbonised and gas boilers are phased out.

Embodied carbon is more urgent. We are talking about irreversible carbon emissions being emitted right now (rather than at a future date) to extract, process and transport construction materials. Setting targets for embodied carbon would have a more immediate impact.

Do We Need New Regulations?

The other question is whether change could happen without stricter building regulations. The majority of clients, contractors and building operators will have carbon reduction goals as part of their business strategy. Perhaps the market will take care of the issue?

The reality is that, while there are many exceptions to the rule, ‘building to the regs’ has always been the norm – particularly at a time when the industry faces mounting cost pressures.

Why take the chance? Building regulations are a proven way to enforce and drive up standards. Perhaps it’s time to be bolder and force a faster pace of change.

If you’d like to know more about how our technology reduces operational and embodied carbon contact enquiries@innovaresystems.co.uk or take a look at our resource centre.