The Building Regulations 2010

[F1 Consideration of high-efficiency alternative systems for new buildings E+W

25A.— (1) Before construction of a new building starts, the person who is to carry out the work must analyse and take into account the technical, environmental and economic feasibility of using high-efficiency alternative systems (such as the following systems) in the construction, if available—

(a) decentralised energy supply systems based on energy from renewable sources;

(b) cogeneration;

(c) district or block heating or cooling, particularly where it is based entirely or partially on energy from renewable sources; and

(d) heat pumps.

(2) The person carrying out the work must—

(a) not later than the beginning of the day before the day on which the work starts, give the local authority a notice which states that the analysis referred to in paragraph (1)—

(i) has been undertaken;

(ii) is documented; and

(iii) the documentation is available to the authority for verification purposes; and

(b) ensure that a copy of the analysis is available for inspection at all reasonable times upon request by an officer of the local authority.

(3) An authorised officer of the local authority may require production of the documentation in order to verify that this regulation has been complied with.

(4) The analysis referred to in paragraph (1)—

(a) may be carried out for individual buildings or for groups of similar buildings or for common typologies of buildings in the same area; and

(b) in so far as it relates to collective heating and cooling systems, may be carried out for all buildings connected to the system in the same area.

(5) In this regulation—

(a) “cogeneration” means simultaneous generation in one process of thermal energy and one or both of the following—

(i) electrical energy;

(ii) mechanical energy;

(b) “district or block heating or cooling” means the distribution of thermal energy in the form of steam, hot water or chilled liquids, from a central source of production through a network of multiple buildings or sites, for the use of space or process heating or cooling;

(c) “energy from renewable sources” means energy from renewable non-fossil sources, namely wind, solar, aerothermal, geothermal, hydrothermal and ocean energy, hydropower, biomass, landfill gas, sewage treatment plant gas and biogases; and

(d) “heat pump” means a machine, a device or installation that transfers heat from natural surroundings such as air, water or ground to buildings or industrial applications by reversing the natural flow of heat such that it flows from a lower to a higher temperature. (For reversible heat pumps, it may also move heat from the building to the natural surroundings.)]

Textual Amendments

F1 Regs. 25A, 25B inserted (E., but only in relation to educational buildings and buildings of statutory undertakers in W., Crown buildings in W., building work carried out or proposed to be carried out by Crown authorities in W., and excepted energy buildings in W.) (9.1.2013 for specified purposes) by The Building Regulations &c. (Amendment) Regulations 2012 (S.I. 2012/3119), reg. 17, Sch. 1 (with reg. 1(3)(4), 45-47)