Lack of action on Part L

Describing the situation as “shambolic”, the group claims the lack of action is undermining the industry’s sustainability drive.

“The grassroots of the industry has seen no change at all,” said HVCA president John Miller. “Contractors are not hearing or seeing anything about enforcement of Part L. Building control officers have responsibility for this, but many are turning a blind eye.

“This year sees the introduction of Energy Performance Certificates for buildings and mandatory inspection of air conditioning systems, but will these important measures also be undermined by the government’s reluctance to adequately police them?”

Trading standards officers are being charged with enforcing building energy certificates and air conditioning inspections, but the members of M&E Sustainability, a joint initiative by the ECA and HVCA, expressed serious doubts about their ability to take on this potentially massive task.

“Sadly, this is all going to come back to lawyers,” said Miller. “When they get involved at sale or rent of a building, they will insist on the certificates being produced. This will create a scramble to put things right, but by then it will all be too late as the building will have been performing in an unsustainable way for years.”