The brains behind the role that rooflights play in meeting Part L of The Building Regs

March 27 2018

NARM, the National Association of Rooflight Manufacturers, is an active trade association representing the UK’s leading rooflight suppliers and associated businesses and at the heart of NARM is its influential Technical Committee, comprising leading experts in the design, manufacture and application of rooflights across all sectors.

Over the 20 years since NARM was formed, its Technical Committee has played a vital role in establishing the effects of rooflighting on building performance.

As an example, they have been instrumental in collecting, analysing and interpreting rooflighting data upon which the regulations pertaining to rooflighting in The Building Regulations Approved Document L (Conservation of fuel & power), have been based.

Independent research commissioned by NARM and carried out by the De Montfort University’s Institute of Energy and Sustainable Development, showed that minimal losses in thermal insulation are greatly offset by energy savings resulting from reduced demand for electric lighting and that generally speaking, the greater the rooflight area the greater the potential savings.

The research findings resolved a conflict in the Building Regulations, in respect of rooflight areas, energy efficiency and the potential for solar gain. This fundamentally changed common perceptions about the role of rooflights in the overall energy efficiency of buildings and led to the establishment of today’s required rooflight U-values and appropriate rooflight areas. This is now outlined in our Technical Document NTD06.

Over the years, the NARM Technical Committee has authored a library of Technical Documents covering various topics relating to rooflighting and energy efficiency.

For example, subsequent detailed research in collaboration with the Lighting Industry Federation resulted in the publication of our Technical Document NTD06, outlining the potential energy savings resulting from combining daylighting with automatic control of artificial lighting. Its document NTD10, an independent report by Elmhurst Energy entitled ‘Analysis of Improving Daylighting and Lighting Controls on a Number of Existing Non-Domestic Buildings’, takes this topic a stage further, highlighting specific case studies.

Other topics covered in the NARM Technical Library include general design guidance, benefits of natural daylight, non-fragility, rooflighting legislation and fire performance. As members of the RIBA CPD Providers Network, they have also produced RIBA accredited CPD materials.

We will be highlighting different aspects of the work of NARM and our Technical Committee in a series of blogs and articles throughout 2018, its 20th anniversary year.

For further information, please contact NARM using the contact details on our website, where you will be directed to the appropriate person.

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