Published on 15^th December 2021 and coming into force on 15^th June 2022, the government has set out its new requirements for Part O (overheating) of the Building Regulations and the supporting Approved Document for new dwellings in England.

Applying only to new residential buildings, new residential buildings must be designed and constructed in such a way as to limit unwanted solar gains in summer and provide an adequate means to remove excess heat from inside. Two methods of assessment are given in Approved Document O:

• Simplified method, related to location, dwelling type, glazing area and presence of cross-ventilation
• Detailed thermal analysis method, involving calculation of the risk of overheating

For the simplified method, England is split into two:

• Moderate risk locations (England excluding higher risk parts of London)
• High risk locations (urban and some suburban parts of London)

As buildings located in some Central Manchester postcodes may also experience elevated night-time temperatures, they should be considered high risk.