Part O - Overheating in New Buildings

The focus to reduce the UK's carbon footprint has meant that new buildings have been required to save energy and reduce heating requirements, resulting in airtight homes.

Part O has been introduced by the government to address the problem of overheating in these new buildings.

There are two key objectives within Part O -

• Limit unwanted solar gains in summer
• Provide an adequate means of removing excess heat from the indoor environment.

Removing excess heat under Part O can be done by the following methods -

• Opening windows
• Ventilation louvres in external walls
• A mechanical ventilation system
• A mechanical cooling system.

The requirements under Part O are to prioritise passive means of overheating, with mechanical methods only being used when all practical passive means have been used first.

Our team of experts are at hand ready to advise on planning designs or Building Regulations design to help you address potential impacts such as glazed areas and openable window sizes.

We’re here to help, get in touch today to speak to an expert and start tackling the new building regs.