Following a one-year transition period after a public consultation last summer, June 2022 sees new Building Regulations take effect[1]. The new regulations demand an improvement to the performance standards of new buildings across England; this, by design, lays the groundwork for the Future Homes & Buildings Standard slated for 2025 which will mandate even further cuts to carbon emissions[2]. By tightening the requirements in stages, the severity of their impact on builders should be reduced, allowing for a smoother transition towards a low carbon industry.
The built environment accounts for a staggering 40% of UK greenhouse gas (“GHG”) emissions, with the UK’s 28 million homes responsible for 14% of this. The amendments to the current Building Regulations, along with those proposed in the Future Homes & Building Standard, are designed to combat these levels and act as a roadmap for the UK industry and homeowners to achieve net zero by 2050[3].
The changes reflected in Documents L, F and O collectively detail the new requirements for all buildings to lower emissions.
Alongside these changes is Approved Document S, stipulating that from 15 June 2022, there will be a requirement for new homes with allocated parking spaces to have an electric vehicle charger (with some exceptions relating to cost, and in cases where parking spaces outnumber dwellings)[7].
Some of the government’s main targets include:
Technology will play a fundamental role in the decarbonisation of the construction industry, and digital twins are an ideal solution for the industry to utilise. Yet despite the mounting decarbonisation pressure, only 36% of industry participants currently use digital twin technology[8]. This leaves the other 64% with a gaping hole in their decarb arsenal, and an uphill battle ahead in their attempts to mollify the regulators.
Spinview’s supercharged offering goes even further than your standard digital twin, levelling-up the concept to offer clients true visual intelligence. Here are some of the ways Spinview’s technology can be harnessed by the built environment to fast-track its decarbonisation efforts:
As emerging regulations demand ever-higher standards in the drive to decarbonise the built environment, unlocking data with tech-informed solutions is key. Spinview’s enhanced digital twin technology offers something unavailable anywhere else in the market – accessible, actionable data in a real-time digital twin environment to plan, test and forecast the most viable route to next zero. Don’t get left behind – start exploring how to use digital twins as the ultimate decarb tool for your built environment assets.
[1] https://www.fmb.org.uk/resource/big-changes-ahead-for-building-regulations.html#:~:text=In%20June%202022%2C%20there%20will,for%20Net%20Zero%20by%202050.
[2] https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/the-future-buildings-standard
[3] https://www.homebuilding.co.uk/advice/net-zero
[4] https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1057372/ADL1.pdf
[5] https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1045918/ADF1.pdf
[6] https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1057374/ADO.pdf
[7] https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1057375/AD_S.pdf
[8] https://www.building.co.uk/sponsored-content/why-digital-twin-technology-is-key-to-designing-for-performance/5115599.article