Conservatories (England)

Changes to the Building Regulations for new and existing dwellings in England are expected to have an impact upon glass and glazing products, but they do not affect conservatories.

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 L (conservation of fuel and power) of the Building Regulations and the supporting Approved Document for dwellings in England.

The 2021 edition of Approved Document L Volume 1 has not introduced any changes regarding conservatories. They remain exempt from energy efficiency requirements, provided:

• the conservatory is at ground floor level
• the floor area does not exceed 30m²
• glazing complies with Part K of the Building Regulations (e.g. safety)
• any wall, door or window separating the conservatory from the rest of dwelling has been retained or replaced with a wall, door or window, and
• the heating system of the dwelling is not extended into the conservatory nor does the conservatory have its own fixed heating appliance

Note that any replacement walls, doors and windows should satisfy energy efficiency requirements for those elements.

Despite the above, a conservatory can benefit from incorporating solar control and low emissivity glass to help maintain a comfortable environment all-year round.  Pilkington manufactures a range of products, including combined solar control and self-cleaning glass, for use in conservatory applications.

The 2021 editions of Approved Document L Volumes 1 and 2 can be downloaded from here.

If you have any questions on the new regulatory requirements and what the implications might be for glass, please complete our online contact form, selecting 'Architect' or 'Trade' as the Enquiry Type and 'Part L' as the Nature of Your Enquiry.