building regulations
All of our radiators comply with current Building Regulations and are fully recognised by the British Research Establishment (BRE).
Specific detail regarding this can be found below.
Part L of the Building Regulations aims to improve the energy efficiency of buildings, thereby reducing carbon emissions.
A holistic approach has been adopted, taking into account the complete fabric of buildings.
Part L aims to conserve fuel and power by;
1. Limiting heat loss through the building fabric
2. Providing energy efficient heating systems with effective controls
3. Providing the owner with sufficient control information to eliminate wastage
With renewable energy growing in importance and availability, electric heating is becoming an increasingly attractive option to developers.
Below are some of the benefits of electric heating;
· Electricity is 100% efficient – eliminating wastage.
· Electric heaters are simple and cheap to install – unlike gas and oil
· Electric heating appliances can be installed anywhere with a power supply
· Electric heating systems can be used with low electricity tariffs helping to improve SAP ratings
Below are some reasons why Heat Electric water filled radiators will make life easier for builders and developers to comply with the challenges of Part L.
Part L states that heating systems for dwellings with a total useable floor area up to and over 150 metre squared should be divided into at least 2 zones with independent control. Heat Electric radio frequency enabled radiators can be supplied with radio frequency control units. The RF unit is 7-day, 24 hr programmable, and allows multiple radiators to be controlled as a group. Multiple controllers enable the property to be zoned therefore fulfilling this requirement.
Part L states that heating systems must be installed with zone and timing controls. Heat Electric timer radiators are supplied with an integrated 24hr programmable timer and thermostat allowing each radiator to be programmed individually and users to control room temperatures independently. This feature enables the property heating to respond on a room-by-room basis, complying with the requirement.
The control features also lead to improved heating controllability and energy efficiency as dwellings can be split into zones. This avoids the wastage of excessive or unnecessary heat.
The flexible and sophisticated controllability of Heat Electric radiators result in energy efficient heating, leading to lower carbon emissions from the dwelling.
Heat loss through pipes must also be reduced in dwellings. Heat Electric radiators require no pipe-work and so heat loss is drastically reduced in this respect.
Heat Electric radiators can be used with the low cost energy tariff Economy 10 helping to lower carbon emissions. With Heat Electric radiators no flue is required unlike gas/oil heating systems. Where provision for a flue is required, this must be acceptable to the Planning Officer and in relation to Part L, the flue must be clear of any windows. This is particularly difficult for apartments. Heat Electric radiators therefore completely removes this issue.
Part L states that heating systems must be provided with operating and maintenance controls.
All Heat Electric radiators are supplied with user-friendly operating instructions, meeting this requirement.
Heat Electric radiators recognised by the British Research Establishment (BRE) for SAP Calculations
The BRE added our radiators to the SAP2005 specification via an update (numbered 9.82) detailing which values to attribute to electric water filled radiators when calculating ratings.
Our radiators are now acknowledged in their own right in the SAP documentation. SAP 2009 was finalised in March 2010 and it includes a category for our radiators of 'electric water filled radiators' which further simplifies the specification process. This is on page 129 of SAP 2009 which also shows that our radiators are 100% efficient. It also confirms that our radiators have a responsiveness rating of 1.0, the maximum achievable.
SAP 2009 also shows (page 152) that when our radiators are used in conjunction with an Economy 10 tariff, only 50% of the heating costs will be at the higher tariff which has a postive impact on SAP ratings.
