Home›Knowledge›UK Building Regulations — Part L: Conservation of Fuel and Power
📋 Codecodesenergy

UK Building Regulations — Part L: Conservation of Fuel and Power

Updated Mar 26, 2026
Energy efficiency requirements for England and Wales: fabric performance, services, airtightness, SAP/SBEM.

UK Approved Document L: sets minimum energy performance for new and existing buildings. New dwellings: assessed using SAP (Standard Assessment Procedure). Target Fabric Energy Efficiency (TFEE) and Target Emission Rate (TER). Minimum fabric values: walls U=0.18 W/m2K, roofs U=0.11, floors U=0.13, windows U=1.2. Air permeability: max 8 m3/h/m2 at 50 Pa (testing mandatory). Non-domestic: assessed using SBEM (Simplified Building Energy Model) or dynamic simulation (IES, DesignBuilder). Part L 2021 update: 31% reduction in carbon vs 2013 for new dwellings, 27% for non-domestic. Moving toward Future Homes Standard (2025): 75-80% reduction, no fossil fuel heating. Heat pumps effectively mandatory for new homes from 2025.

TAGS
UKPart-LenergySAPSBEMairtightnessFuture-Homes-Standard
DETAILS
year
2021
code system
UK Building Regulations
code section
Part L
RELATED KNOWLEDGE
📋 Code
IBC 903.2.1 — Group A Occupancies (Sprinkler Requirements)
Automatic sprinkler system required throughout buildings with Group A occupancy where fire area exceeds 5,000 square feet, or overall building area exceeds 12,000 square feet, or occupant load of the fire area exceeds 300.
📋 Code
IBC 903.2.7 — Group M Occupancies (Retail Sprinkler Requirements)
Automatic sprinkler system required in Group M (mercantile) occupancies where fire area exceeds 12,000 square feet or building is more than three stories above grade.
📋 Code
IBC 903.2.11.3 — Buildings 55 Feet or More in Height
Automatic sprinkler system required throughout buildings with a floor level having an occupant load of 30 or more that is located 55 feet or more above the lowest level of fire department vehicle access.
📋 Code
IBC 1015.1 — Exit and Exit Access Doorways Required
Two exits or exit access doorways required from any space where occupant load exceeds the table values. Spaces with occupant load exceeding 500 require a minimum of 3 exits. Spaces exceeding 1,000 require 4 exits.
📋 Code
IBC 1017.2 — Exit Access Travel Distance
Maximum travel distance from any point in a building to an exit shall not exceed 200 feet unsprinklered or 250 feet sprinklered for most occupancies. Specific occupancies have modified limits.
📋 Code
IBC Table 601 — Fire-Resistance Rating Requirements
Specifies minimum fire-resistance ratings for structural elements based on construction type (Type I through V). Type IA requires 3-hour rated structural frame, 2-hour floors, and 1.5-hour roof.
← Back to Knowledge Garden