Scottish Building Regulations - Housing and building professionals

Builders and installers

Section 6 of the Building (Scotland) Regulations 2004 sets out maximum carbon dioxide emissions for new dwellings, conversions and work on existing dwellings such as extensions and conservatories.

It also sets out minimum energy efficiency requirements for the individual elements of such dwellings. Technical handbooks on achieving the standards set out in the Building (Scotland) Regulations 2004 can be found on the Scottish Building Standards website.

Local building control departments may vary in their interpretation of the regulations. If in doubt, consult the local authority building control department.

In February 2009, the Scottish Government announced that the new (2010) building regulations will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 30% beyond current standards. It is therefore important for builders and installers to build to standards beyond the minimum regulatory level. This will make it easier to comply with building regulations.

The Energy Saving Trust has published guidance on a number of subjects including air-tightness, limiting thermal bridging and ventilation. A full list of technical guidance for installers can be found in publication CE279, Energy efficiency is best practice.

download: Energy efficiency is best practice (PDF - 1MB)

Architects and developers

In February 2009, the Scottish Government announced that the new (2010) building regulations will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 30% beyond current standards.

However, it is likely that the elemental, target U-value and carbon index methods will remain the principal ways of designing the insulation envelope of a dwelling or a building consisting of dwellings.

These methods allow more flexibility in the design of the insulation envelope and permit trade-offs between different elements, providing that a specific target is met.

Better by design

By incorporating low-energy design elements into new build and refurbishment schemes at the planning stage, architects and specifiers have a unique opportunity to reduce a dwelling's energy use before construction even starts.

Some typical approaches include:

• minimising over-shading from trees and other buildings where possible
• using compact designs as opposed to sprawling layouts
• placing living areas such as bedrooms and living rooms on south side to maximise use of solar gains
• ensuring that 60-75% of the total window area faces south
• insulating walls, floors and roofs to best practice specifications
• using dense materials to absorb solar gains and even out temperature swings.

It's important to design new dwellings and refurbishments with energy efficiency in mind. This will, in the future, make it easier and cheaper to further reduce emissions by replacing heating systems and other services than by trying to improve insulation levels.

Adopting such an approach and using the practical guidance available from the Energy Saving Trust makes it easier to comply with building regulations. It will also ensure that actual energy performance meets predicted energy use.

There is likely to be a marketing advantage too, since whenever a building is sold or rented, an Energy Performance Certificate detailing its energy use must be provided to the prospective buyer or tenant.

The Energy Saving Trust has published specifications and guidance on building and designing to best practice levels.

Architects and specifiers can use this information to go further than the minimum level required by building regulations. A full list of technical guidance that developers may find useful can be found in publication CE279, Energy efficiency is best practice.

download: Energy efficiency is best practice (PDF - 1MB)