As of June 2022, the Building Regulations for new build properties in Northern Ireland have changed.
The Department of Finance announced new energy performance standards for new buildings in Northern Ireland – with revisions to F1 (conservation of fuel and power in dwellings) and F2 (conservation of fuel and power in buildings other than dwellings) being made.
The revisions to Part F of the Building Regulations have been put in place to help in bringing local energy efficiency standards in line with developments elsewhere in the Republic of Ireland, mainland UK and further afield.
What does this mean for self - builders or developers who are building new homes?
- New domestic buildings must achieve a 40% reduction in carbon emissions and new non-domestic buildings a 15% reduction over current standards
- Tightened minimum fabric standards for both new domestic and commercial buildings
- Remain on the SAP 2009 and SBEM version 4 methodologies
- Removal of the default air permeability test score of 15 m3/m2/hr @ 50 Pa
The changes in guidance reflect regulations introduced in Northern Ireland in 2014, specifying that all new buildings were to be Nearly Zero Energy Buildings (NZEB) by 2021. These recent revisions to the building regulations are intended as an interim step toward the goal of net-zero carbon buildings.