Building Regs baby is thrown out with the bathwater.
Revisions to Part G of the Building Regulations, which covers water use, have been delayed at the 11th hour
The revised regulations were due to come into force on 1 October, but the Department for Communities and Local Government (CLG) has confirmed that the delay could be up to six months.
Part G deals with sanitation, hot water safety and water efficiency. The Building Regulations Approved Document which outlined the proposed changes has already been published. This document will now have to be amended.
An industry source claimed the delay was because of an objection raised by the European Commission. CLG refused to confirm this and the EC was unable to comment. But the claim was supported by Geoff Wilkinson, spokesman for the Association of Consultant Approved Inspectors.
He said he was alerted to the delay by contacts at the Building Regulatory Advisory Committee.
Wilkinson suggested the “significant issue” that led CLG to pull the document was an objection by an EU member state under the Technical Standards Directive. This meant the document was now at a three-month standstill and CLG was prohibited from introducing the revised Approved Document before 2 December.
“The language from CLG suggests that this is a barrier-to-trade issue,” he said. “That would suggest that one or other of the member states feels something within the document will prevent it from trading in the UK.”
Wilkinson said one possible reason for the objection was the new stipulation in the document which called for thermostatic controls on bath taps to keep the water temperature at less than 48C.
“When the consultation began, there were a range of options as to how we should control water use,” he said. “The view was to go down the route of water limitation via a water calculator method rather than by limiting the sale of fittings that didn’t comply. So if it is down to this issue of thermostatic controls, it’s very surprising.”
CLG was unable to say when the document would be updated. A spokeswoman said there was no set date as yet, but the short-term aim was to “resolve the issues raised and to issue a final Approved Document as far in advance” of the changes coming into force in the six-month window ending in April next year.
Although this leaves designers in a regulatory grey area until the issue is resolved, Wilkinson does not anticipate that the document will be much altered. He said: “The document will most likely go out as originally published, but it does make us wonder what it will in turn mean for the Part L consultation which is currently under way."
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Pilot Tidal Energy Scheme for North Wales Coast
Conwy County Borough Council has backed plans for a pilot tidal energy scheme off the North Wales Coast.
The £150 million scheme at Llanddulas in North Wales would provide a testing facility for turbine designers and manufacturers, and assess the environmental impact of turbines.
The project was given approval by the council as part of a strategic regeneration strategy for the Conwy coast, prepared by consultant Capita Symonds.
Paul Terry, Capita Symonds, said: "Tidal power will play a key role in providing a sustainable energy source for future generations. The North Wales coast is an ideal place for such a scheme as it’s blessed with a good tidal range and suitable ocean depth." He added that the project could also help protect the coast from rising sea levels, storm surges and coastal erosion.
The regeneration strategy also calls for seven new visitor centres costing £30m should be built at key locations stretching from Conwy to Rhuddlan. But North Wales Tourism chairman Chris Jackson raised doubts over whether the proposals could realistically be funded in the current economic climate. The council’s approval now means that Capita Symonds will seek funding for feasibility studies and investigations to develop a business case for the scheme.
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Micro-generation forms key part of Government's vision.
Climate Change Minister, Greg Barker, has launched a consultation on the Government's strategy to boost energy self-sufficiency in communities.
The public debate about microgeneration will look at ways to ensure the quality of generating technology and its installation, how to improve available products, and how to develop the microgeneration supply chain while providing more accessible advice.
The consultation follows last week's news that the Government is to overturn a ban on councils selling "green" electricity back to the national grid by the end of the year.
Mr Barker said“I want to see more homes, communities and businesses generating their own energy. We can literally bring power back to the people.Microgeneration is a key part of this vision.
“By becoming more self sufficient we can create sustainable local energy economies. People and communities can save money on their fuel bills at the same time as generating an income and cutting carbon. I want to work with industry to overcome the challenges it is facing. Together we will create a marketplace for jobs and prosperity alongside products and advice which people trust.”
More information can be found on the Microgeneration Strategy consultation web page
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Green policies could hit UK manufacturing hardest.
A report from the think-tank Civitas warns that the increasing cost of energy, which has been driven up as a result of green policies could hit the UK's manufacturing sector - just as the country needs industry to help boost the economy.
The report said efforts to tackle climate change through cutting greenhouse gas emissions and increasing renewable energy generation could significantly push up energy bills for business.Extra costs are put on energy from policies including the EU's emission trading scheme, the renewables obligation to boost investment in technology such as wind power, and the climate change levy which taxes energy use in businesses and the public sector. Also, the Labour Government's climate change strategy had already added an extra 14% on homeowners' electricity bills and 21% on business bills.
Last year's renewable energy strategy could have created "surcharges" of up to 70% for businesses, and 33% for domestic customers by 2020, the report from Civitas claimed. The study warns the new coalition Government's energy policy could be as damaging to manufacturing industry as the previous administration.
The review by economist Ruth Lea and Jeremy Nicholson, director of lobbyists the Energy Intensive Users Group, said the UK was badly placed to meet its commitments to boost renewables as it was starting from such a low base. Even without the extra costs imposed to pay for climate change policies, Britain has high industrial electricity prices, which threaten its competitiveness.
Ms Lea said: "The economy desperately needs a competitive and thriving manufacturing sector if it is to prosper. Competitive energy prices are vital to the success of manufacturers, especially energy intensive users.Government energy policies are, however, remorselessly driving up energy costs thus risking the 'migration' of manufacturing plants to economies where the costs are lower."
