Many installers are still defaulting to a catch-all replacement specification, six months on from the update to Part F, Emplas’ leaders have reported. This could be costing installers work, they went on warn.
The update to Part F of the building regulations in June introduced a new requirement for replacement windows to either put back the same level of ventilation in new windows as was there before or to make sure that windows achieved a 8,000mm2 equivalent area (EA) of background ventilation in kitchens and habitable rooms. The requirement for replacement windows in bathrooms is 4,000mm2 EA while in utility rooms and WCs, there’s no minimum requirement.
Paul Dowling, Emplas’ technical manager, warned that installers who were specifying trickle vents on all windows were adding unnecessary costs, which could cost them business as homeowners apply more scrutiny to costs in the face of rising inflation bites. He said: “The individual cost of a trickle vent may be comparatively small but if you’re applying it to a house full of windows, it can add up and tip the balance in favour of someone else. We’d much rather that our customers get specifications right and win more business.”
The most common over-specification of trickle vents in replacement installations is in utility rooms and WCs, leaders of the business have said. These don’t require trickle vents under the regulation.
Paul added: “There’s an issue here of comfort for the end user. If you have a double-aspect living room or dining room you could easily have two, three or even four windows in that space. If those windows each have a 4,000mm2 EA trickle vent, you could be effectively double ventilating the space, increasing cost but also compromising performance. The regulation sets the requirement for the room – not the window.”
“The 4,000mm2 Link Vent is the product which our customers are going to be specifying most of the time and it delivers a number of advantages. The Link Vent 4000 is also 74mm shorter than the Link Vent 5000, so lower cost but can also be used in the frame and the sash and has less of an impact on the appearance of the window. It also performs very well acoustically and with the match that we can offer to our standard colour ranges creates a very flexible solution.”
Earlier this month, Emplas launched a smoke-activated PVC-U window that opens in the event of a fire. Read more about this here.
