ABSTRACT
The 2010 edition of Part L continues to be a tool for government to reduce carbon emissions from buildings. The energy used accounts for nearly half of all carbon dioxide emissions in the UK and the guidance is also used to comply with the EU Directive on the Energy Performance of Buildings (EPBD). The EPBD required the government to develop and implement a National Calculation Method (NCM) with a view to be able to set targets for maximum carbon dioxide emissions from buildings and to facilitate the ability to issue energy performance certificates based on the results. To achieve this the government developed the Standard Assessment Procedure for Energy Rating of Dwellings (SAP 2009) as the NCM for dwellings and the Simplified Building Energy Model (SBEM) for buildings other than dwellings. Part L requires a 25% improvement relative to the 2006 Part L carbon emission rate, which for dwellings is required irrespective of the dwel - ling type, e.g. detached house or mid-floor flat. For buildings other than dwellings, the 25% improvement is based on the aggregate improvement across all building sectors and results in some building types such as hotels requiring improvements lower than 25% and others such as warehouses needing improvements greater than 25%. This aggregate reduction approach was introduced because it was recognized that the cost of achieving a 25% improvement varied depending on the typical specification and energy demands of the building type.
