New focus on reducing carbon emissions welcomed by Knauf

In October, the Scottish Government released the new edition of Section 6 (energy) of the Technical Handbooks. The Section’s increased focus on reducing carbon emissions was welcomed by Knauf Insulation

Despite Section 6’s methodology remaining the same as in the previous version, there is an increased focus on reducing carbon dioxide emissions in domestic and non-domestic buildings in the new copy.

Performance improvement is set to deliver a reduction of over 20% in aggregate reduction in carbon dioxide emissions, and a 43% aggregate reduction in non-domestic buildings.

Reducing carbon emissions

Between 2007 and 2015, there has been a 45% improvement on reducing carbon emissions for domestic buildings, and a 60% increase for non-domestic buildings.

With the recent removal of the UK’s zero carbon target, and uncertainty over Part L’s future, Knauf Insulation has welcomed this change.

The company believes that reducing carbon dioxide emissions across Britain’s buildings is key to tackling climate change.

Changes to domestic property fabric

In standard 6.1, SAP2012 has been replaced with SAP2009 to calculate dwelling emission rates. Within the new clause, there is an improved fabric backstop for new buildings; in clause 6.2.9, the fabric backstop for extensions has been improved.

The following table describes the changes to U-value backstops for new dwellings: