In April 2006, Part L of the Building
Regulations was amended to help with the reduction of
greenhouse gasses and to ensure energy efficiency.
Improved building design & construction, to reduce air
leakage, is more cost effective than further insulation or
heating efficiency.
Since April 2006 all new buildings have to
be designed to comply with Part L of Building Regulations
2006:
-
All non-domestic buildings with a gross
floor area of 500m2 and above now require a
building air leakage / permeability test.
-
A representative sample of domestic
dwellings are required to be air leakage / permeability
tested.
A building has an air-tightness / air
permeability / air leakage rate, because of air leakage
through cracks, gaps & holes in the fabric of the building
envelope, which are not always visible to the eye.
Building air leakage testing & minimising
air leakage not only significantly reduces the energy
consumption and CO2
emissions, but can also reduce the capital cost of heating
and ventilation plant due to the potential for plant
downsizing.
All testing is completed to follow Technical
Standard 1 of Air Tightness Testing and Measurement
Association (ATTMA).
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