News archive for March, 2026
Voluntary Net Zero Building Standard Live
Posted on March 31st 2026
A new voluntary industry standard, UK Net Zero Building Standard, was released on 01/03/2026. This standard arrives as the construction industry has been addressing regulatory change and economic challenges. It is industry-led and sets various annual operational limits for the UK’s built environment to limit its impacts on average global temperature rise to 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels. The standard …
Part L 2026
Posted on March 31st 2026
The Future Homes and Buildings Standards, now called Part L 2026, was laid in parliament on 24/03/2026 and presented some unexpected impacts: Part L 2021 remains in place for high-risk buildings (HRB) with commencements up to 24/09/2030 with successful gateway submissions by 24/09/2027. This substantial gap provides design teams an ability to make informed decisions for new projects. Further it …
Who is to Bear the Cost of HNTAS Compliance?
Posted on March 31st 2026
Should the Heat Networks Technical Assurance Scheme (HNTAS) be introduced, who would be responsible for bearing the costs to comply? This will depend on how cost recovery is allocated within existing operational and supply contracts. For non-ESCO agreements full financial liability may sit with the asset owner or it may be possible for costs to be passed through to customers …
Registering Heat Networks to the PCDB
Posted on March 31st 2026
Developers are increasingly required to deliver homes with an EPC rating of at least Band B, yet achieving this often demands significant design changes. For sites connecting to a district heat network or developing their own on‑site network, a more effective approach can be to register that network with the BRE‑administered Product Characteristics Database (PCDB). This allows SAP assessments to …