Energy conservation - windows and doors
Replacing your windows and doors
The type of glazing in your doors and windows can reduce the
heat loss from your property. This in turn will reduce the
amount of time your central heating boiler will need to run and
will therefore reduce the carbon dioxide emissions from your
building into the atmosphere. It is this carbon dioxide that
is contributing to global warming.
This is the reason that the Government decided to make
replacement windows and glazed doors subject to Building
Regulations from the 1 April 2002.
Meeting regulations
Any replacement windows and substantially glazed doors will
therefore need to meet the Building Regulation standards for heat
loss. This is normally achieved by fitting special glass in
double glazing with an argon gas between the panes. The heat
loss from the glass is measured by what is known as a 'U'
value. This is the maximum energy that can be lost, measured
in energy watts for every square metre of glass and for every
temperature difference inside and outside your building.
The current value is 2.0 watts per metre squared per
degree Kelvin for the glass and frame. This is also achieved
by a window frame with an energy rating of Band E. The glass
panel should have U value in the centre of the pane of 1.2
W/m2/K.
Other issues to consider with replacement windows
The two important issues to also consider when having
replacement windows are fire escape windows and
ventilation.
Fire escape windows: It is a Building
Regulation requirement that all windows at first floor level have
openings large enough and positioned so that people can be rescued
from a ladder in the case of a fire. Additionally
certain windows in rooms that do not have a direct escape route
without going through another room require escape windows.
When replacing windows it is a legal requirement that these escape
windows are maintained.
In some circumstances, existing first floor window openings may
have been installed before escape windows were a legal
requirement. In some cases, these windows may still be large
enough to escape through. The Building Regulations require
these windows not to be made worse, so your replacement windows
should also be escape windows.
If your existing house has no escape windows we strongly
recommend you consider escape windows for your replacements to
improve your safety and the safety of your family.
Ventilation: The existing ventilation
provided by your windows should not be made worse by any
replacements. In some cases this can affect the combustion
air provided to heat producing appliances such as fires or
boilers.
It normally affects appliances known as 'open flued' appliances,
which take their combustion air from within the room.
One scenario is that existing windows may be sufficiently 'leaky'
to allow sufficient air to enter the building, which may permit the
combustion appliance to operate safely.
By installing modern sealed windows you may reduce the
ventilation and affect the operation of the appliance. If you
are having new windows installed we strongly recommend that you
employ a CORGI registered gas installer to check any open flued
appliances for safe operation once the windows are fitted.
I want to replace my windows and doors. What does this
mean to me?
When introducing this requirement the Government decided that
certain window installers could self-certify their window
installations as complying with the Building Regulations avoiding
the need to apply for approval from the local authority.
The current self-certifying schemes are applicable to
installers registered with either FENSA (Fenestration
Self-Assessment Scheme), British Standards Institute (BSI), or
Certass Limited. These self-certifying schemes may be
extended so check whether your installer is exempt for applying to
the local authority for approval by viewing the current schemes in
force at Communities and Local Government website under building
regulations. Alternatively you can call Building Control for
advice. We recommend that you check with the CPS scheme that
your installer is registered.
if your window installer is registered with a current scheme
they can install your windows and doors without any inspection from
the local authority. They must supply you with a certificate
and their Competent Persons Scheme will supply your details to a
database to be held by the local authority so that your
installation is recorded. You need to keep your certificate
safe in case you decide to sell your house. This will be
proof that you have had the work done legally.
For DIY installers a Building Regulation Application must be
submitted to the local authority normally in the form of a Building
Notice. You will pay a fee to the Council and a Building
Control Officer will visit and check that the installation complies
with the regulations. The council will write to you
confirming that the work complies with the relevant
requirements.
Energy conservation
Global warming and rising energy costs affect us all and the
Building Regulations, which came into force in April 2006, will
affect homeowners when undertaking building and repair work.
The aim of the regulations is to improve the energy
efficiency of existing houses when alterations are made to the
walls and roofs. The energy efficiency of a house built
before 2002 is about half that of a house build after 2002.
This means that heating and lighting costs are much higher for
older houses and they therefore produce more carbon dioxide. which
is damaging our environment. About 95 per cent of
our houses are built before 2002.
What work is affected?
Building Regulations have applied to replacement windows since
2002 and the Government now wants to improve walls and roofs when
they are being altered. This could be when you are building
an extension, converting a building such as a barn into a house,
making alterations internally or when renovating your house.
These new regulations represent a significant change, as they
will require you to improve the insulation of your roof, wall
or floor if it is to be replaced or renovated.
This means building work such as the replacement of external
render or tile hanging to a wall, extensive re-plastering
internally or having new roof tiles or slates may require extra
insulation to be added at the same time. The Government call
this work the alteration of a 'Thermal Element'.
Examples or works that require the submission of a Building
Regulation application
- Renewal of pitched or flat roof coverings - for
example re-tiling, re-slating or re-felting of roofs.
- Renewal or replacement of ceilings under a roof space or flat
roof (with or without the renewal of the supporting
structure).
- Renewal of cladding to external walls or dormer cheeks.
- Renewal of a finish or cladding to an external wall area or
elevation (render or other cladding) or applying a finish or
cladding for the first time.
- Re-building an external wall including the outer leaf of
brickwork or stonework only.
- Renewal of internal wall plaster or plasterboard to an external
wall or where plaster or plasterboard is being applied for the
first time, for example re-plastering or dry lining floor
deck.
- Renovation or replacement of a solid or suspended floor,
involving the replacement of a screed or a timber floor deck .
How much insulation should be provided?
The regulations expect the cost of improving the insulation of
thermal elements to be recovered within 15 years through reducing
energy costs.
If the cost of upgrading the insulation to modern standards
cannot be saved within 15 years or less or they are not technically
feasible, the element should be upgraded to the best standard
possible at a cost that can be recovered within 15 years.
How is the cost calculated?
In some cases it may be possible to agree what is reasonable
with the Building Control officer. However for more
complicated situations you may need to employ a suitably qualified
person to advise of technical and economic feasibility.
Building Control may ask you to provide this information depending
on the circumstances.
Emergency repairs
In certain situations it may be necessary to carry out emergency
repairs to thermal elements. For example if your roof is
damaged in a storm. If this situation arises a Building
Notice must be submitted at the earliest opportunity after
commencement; please note that repairs must comply with the new
regulations.
Changing the energy status of the building
Changing the energy status of the Building may also require
upgrading of the insulation. This can occur when converting a
previously unheated or cooled space into one that is heated, for
example the conversion of a domestic garage into a living
space. When such a change occurs, the existing envelope of
the building should be upgraded to reduce the amount of energy
needed to heat or cool this space.
Warm
Front grant - provides a package of energy efficiency and
heating measures.
Greater Manchester Energy Saving Trust Advice
Centre.
Communities and Local Government
website - sets policy on local government, housing, urban
regeneration, planning and fire and rescue.