Part F

Part F has been revised and will come into place on the 1^st October 2010 replacing the 2006 edition. Both legal and technical changes have been made:

Legal requirements

Fixed mechanical ventilation systems must be commissioned and commissioning notice given to the Building Control body.

Airflow rates of a heat recovery ventilation system installed in new buildings must be measured on site and notice given to the Building Control body.

The owner of the property must be given adequate information about their ventilation system so they can operate it adequately.

Technical guidance

Ventilation provisions have been increased for dwellings with design air permeability tighter than or equal to 5cu m h/sq m at 50Pa.

When a kitchen or bathroom within an existing property is refurbished ventilation guidance is required.

The new regulations also require that systems are installed and commissioned properly; this would ideally be done by an HVCA accredited company.

The changes to Part F and Part L are encouraging continuous ventilation as it performs better in SAP, is easier to specify and to regulate as trickle vents are not required.