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Conservatory Tax – Changes to Part L and how can these proposals be implemented?
The press recently reported that the Coalition Government were consulting on the introduction of a conservatory tax. What this actually relates to is the consultation on the proposed Changes to Approved Document Part L – Conservation of Fuel and Power. The consultation document includes proposals for tighter carbon dioxide emission standards for new homes and non-domestic buildings. This is part of the steps towards achieving ‘zero carbon’ standards. The proposals address the existing housing stock by putting forward tighter performance standards for works to existing buildings. The paper also contains proposals to introduce requirements for additional energy efficiency improvements to be carried out when other specified works (eg extensions) are planned. It is this proposals that has received such a backlash from the press and Conservative MP’s.
The proposals within the draft regulations call for an additional 10% of the costs for the project being spent on improvements to the energy efficiency of the home. Whilst the press label this as a tax on conservatories, the majority of conservatories will be exempt as they do not fall under the remit of requiring a Building Regulation submission. The cost of this 10% improvement could be paid for using the Green Deal loan system. The Green Deal, a flagship Conservatory initiative, intends to reduce carbon emissions cost effectively by improving the energy efficiency of properties. The Green Deals financial mechanisms removes the need to pay up front for energy efficiency measures, instead provides the reassurance that the cost of the improvements is covered by the reduction in fuel bills.
The backlash from the Conservative MP’s on the Part L proposals as seen in The Telegraph, commented that it was time to abolish the Green Deal and the Part L proposals.
This isn’t the first time that this type of proposals has been met with criticism, Labour tried to introduce Consequential Improvements to Part L, only for them to be removed prior to the publication of the current document.
With the number of existing housing stock that falls well below the current guidance on energy efficiency, there needs to be some mechanism to see an upgrade to the existing thermal elements of our homes in order to see carbon emissions reduced. Most home owners want to see a reduction in their fuel bills and would support measures that achieve this, however, by putting an arbitrary figure of say 10% it will always be received with negative criticism as the default position is that this adds 10% to the budget and the economics of a project. When in reality some of this may already be being addressed as part of the project proposals, the number of projects that result in an upgrade to a boiler, or the loft conversion that results in the increase to insulation mean that this requirements could already be being achieved. The difficulty lies in that a figure needs to be put in the guidance so that there is a baseline to work to. It is a difficult balance between what is actually happening on the ground, whilst ensuring there is the regulations and guidance to give Building Control bodies a tool for implementation. The key is that the Coalition Governments press offices needs to consider how any proposal is released to the public so that support and positivity towards any scheme is maintained, not the negativity of the press and certainly not internal backlashes. Through accurate reporting of the information and not media frenzies the reduction in carbon emissions can be welcomed more positively by those that are affected by any proposals.
