Homeowners who buy conservatories and make other home improvements will have to meet tougher energy efficiency obligations under proposed new regulations expected to be endorsed by ministers in the coming days.
Possible regulatory changes
Part L of the Building Regulations doesn't sound like something to stir the blood, but it has become a hot topic in the construction industry in recent months.
Under the likely draft changes to Part L, homeowners would need to meet higher energy efficiency standards when conservatories, home insulation, double glazing, wind turbines or photovoltaic cells are installed.
Homeowners would have to ensure that conservatory floors were covered, with rooms meeting minimum standards of 'air tightness'. The regulations would add about 10% to the cost of building improvements, contractors estimate.
Builders fear backlash
The Federation of Master Builders warns that customers will be annoyed and sceptical of building contractors who explain that clients must take on additional work to comply with new regulations.
It could also lead to costs exceeding the amount that banks may be willing to lend to customers for improvement work.
"If approved, this will add thousands of pounds to already expensive projects at a time when clients can least afford them," says Peter O'Connell, policy manager at the FMB. "This will only further depress an already devastated industry."
Surveyors more positive
The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors takes a more positive view of the probable draft new regulations. It says that steps such as these are necessary to push homeowners to reduce carbon emissions.
A spokeswoman for RICS explains: "It is likely that one of the suggestions will be that new conservatories will be required to have a realistic thermal insulation performance, say through being double glazed etc, in the same way as replacement windows were required to have a minimum performance a few years ago.
"RICS is of the opinion that as many people introduce portable heating into these buildings it is entirely sensible that a level of thermal performance should be expected and we would welcome and support such measures.
"It might also be that rules are suggested that require you to upgrade your existing house’s thermal performance while you are doing building work. RICS believes that upgrading of the thermal energy performance of the existing housing stock should be welcomed.
"If this is to be done, however, it needs to be delivered in such a way as to achieve the best value for money in terms of cost and carbon reduction impact. This would also ensure the best payback effect for the owner in terms of lower energy bills in the medium term rather than long term."
The new rules would be subject to consultation before they were introduced and are likely to generate strong reactions.
Improve, don't move
Implications for homeowners of the proposed new regulations are greater because in a sluggish housing market, more people are opting to improve than move.
According to figures just released by Halifax, more than half of homeowners have had building improvements carried out in the last year. Almost one in three had conservatories installed in that time. Some 13% had increased the space in their homes.
Excluding homeowners who had added space, the average cost of the home improvements was £5,300. A decision to stay put in a weak housing market was clearly a factor in homeowners' decisions to improve: three quarters of those adding space do not intend to move in the next two years.
Stephen Noakes, commercial director at the Lloyds Banking Group, which now owns Halifax, says: "In the current housing market, many people have decided to stay put rather than move. Therefore it is no surprise that we've seen an increase in people adding space to their property to make it more suitable for their current lifestyle."