Lobbying by the brick and block industry has forced a government climbdown on the insulation requirements of Part L of the building regulations. Timber frame organisations claim the changes will not halt the inroads the industry is making.
Construction minister Nick Raynsford told parliament last week that the DETR had relaxed the Part L changes, from an insulation ‘U’ value of 0.30 to 0.35. The change will allow brick and block manufacturers to carry on using traditional masonry in cavity wall construction.
Head of timber technology at TRADA Technology Dr Paul Newman said: ‘A seemingly small change to the U value can be quite significant – 0.5 can make quite a difference. Obviously there have been representations from the brick and block sector that the insulation changes were too big for some.’
The changes to Part L will be published in August and come into force next February, 18 months earlier than first anticipated.
Timber Frame Industry Association chairman Bob Macfarlane said the dilution of the new regulations was surprising but did not think it would threaten the growth of timber frame. ‘The issues of sustainability and environmental reponsibility are here to stay and the use of timber frame will continue to grow as a result.’
Dr Newman agreed: ‘The rise of timber frame over the last couple of years is due to a whole host of factors. Part L is probably only a minor reason. It is more to do with the whole movement towards prefabrication, which is on the back of skill shortages and the need for quicker construction.’
Despite last week’s relaxation, industry figures expect the timber frame industry to keep to the more stringent 0.30 U value, given that it is possible with the readily available 140mm-thick stud. Complying with the easier 0.35 U value would require only the use of a 114mm stud, which is in less plentiful supply.
