Approved doc S arrived 15th Dec

I must admit having tried to read it after a second night without much sleep, new rescue dog. I think the lawyers will have a field day. It is even worse than the wiring regs but much shorter.

WhIle finding Part S I found Part R High Speed coms. Even more complexity. 

Given Building Controls lack of enforcement of Part P and the numerous new houses built with major faults can we expect these new requirements to be met in the same way?

It strikes me that all that is required is to give all the parking spaces around block B to flats in block A and vice versa, and the developers are absolved of any need to provide anything at all. I'd be surprised if this has not occurred to others as well. At current funding levels I cannot see local authorities having the manpower or the will to do more than accept a letter saying' we looked at this and its too expensive'  if developers wish to wiggle out.  It may be buyer pressure rather than anything that drives charge points to appear as developers wish to drive up the asking price of houses - or not.

AD R has been around for 5 years so I assume we have all noticed it's impact already (no ? me neither really) given the impending copper line switch off, it would be more relevant to require a location for a small UPS to keep the phone line and internet up if there is a power cut. As storm Arwen recently revealed, a power cut soon means no comms at all these days if you have fibre to the house.

Link to details

Mike.

For part S, the bare minimum is cable routes to charge points , so burying some spare lengths of soil pipe with ropes in  from driveway to meter cupboards will probably be as good as it gets in a lot of lower end places for now. Far more worrying to the typical occupants will be next years leccy bills.

It strikes me that all that is required is to give all the parking spaces around block B to flats in block A and vice versa

Although there will likely be market pressure to provide charge points ... EV sales are rocketing those with an EV aren't likely to buy a new property if the developers have skived out of providing a charge point.

    - Andy.

That's a valid point, but, with the large house building Companies, everything is done to a price, if something is 10 pence cheaper, they will pick it. For example, they only just meet the requirements for insulation now (and, many houses do not, as the workers skimp on it), if they spent a further £1k to 2k more on insulation, the houses would be reaching super insulated standards, not passive house standard, but a very good level could be achieved with a <1% increase in material costs. That cost would pay for itself in less than 5 years of heating bills, yet they don't even think about doing it, they just specify the bare minimum, as it is cheaper.

It is happening with electrical installs. I was at a £350k house last week, 6 months old. No SPD. A minimum of sockets through the house , that's what I was there for, to add extra sockets, as the design was so poor, where the TV would naturally go, there were no sockets in that corner.

If there is a way of reducing costs, the House Builders will do it.

That's a valid point, but, with the large house building Companies, everything is done to a price, if something is 10 pence cheaper, they will pick it. For example, they only just meet the requirements for insulation now (and, many houses do not, as the workers skimp on it), if they spent a further £1k to 2k more on insulation, the houses would be reaching super insulated standards, not passive house standard, but a very good level could be achieved with a <1% increase in material costs. That cost would pay for itself in less than 5 years of heating bills, yet they don't even think about doing it, they just specify the bare minimum, as it is cheaper.

It is happening with electrical installs. I was at a £350k house last week, 6 months old. No SPD. A minimum of sockets through the house , that's what I was there for, to add extra sockets, as the design was so poor, where the TV would naturally go, there were no sockets in that corner.

If there is a way of reducing costs, the House Builders will do it.