Ready for Part F
19th May 2020

THE WINDOW COMPANY (CONTRACTS) has begun upgrading its installations with uprated trickle vent solutions ahead of the ongoing consultation on changes to Part F of the Building Regs in England and Wales governing ventilation.

The multiple G-Award winning commercial window and door installer has switched to the new generation of 5000mm2 trickle vents for all of the windows it now installs, ready to comply with the draft recommendations in the consultation document expected to come into force next month.

The consultation has set out plans to reach the proposed Future Homes Standard by 2025, as well as increasing the energy efficiency of new homes from 2020. It requires a minimum equivalent area of background ventilation for houses of 10,000mm2 in habitable rooms and 5,000mm2 in kitchens and bathrooms. For flats and bungalows, the minimum requirement is 12,000mm2 in habitable rooms, 8,000mm2 in kitchens and 5,000mm2 in bathrooms.

The company has taken advice from its trickle vent supplier Glazpart to ensure that it is only fitting 5,000mm2 units or multiples thereof on all new build and replacement window projects from now on. (Previously, 2500mm2 and 4000mm2 have been the default option.)

Chair David Thornton explained: “We very much support the changes proposed in the document which, alongside the tightening of the U-Value targets within Part L of the Building Regs, are designed to improve the thermal performance of new build properties.

“These changes are potentially only a few weeks away though and, even before the Covid-19 lockdown, we didn’t think there had been adequate communication around the implications. There is certainly very limited awareness amongst the majority of our customers in the new build sector and with so many other issues to deal with now, I hope it’s reassuring for them to know that we are taking steps on their behalf to ensure that all of our installations will be fully compliant.

“We are in close consultation with the likes of Glazpart and the GGF who have responded to the consultation to ensure that we stay fully informed on the very latest regulations and what they mean for our customers. There is a further consultation to come on existing homes as well, and we will of course be taking any further action necessary.”

www.thewinco.co.uk