How External Louvres Comply With Part ‘O’ Building Regulations
With heatwaves becoming more common, and temperatures continuing to rise around the globe, we must look to the future with a focus on sustainability and safety.
It has long been known that exterior blinds are a lot more effective than interior blinds when it comes to controlling heat gain throughout buildings, however it was previously not acted upon by most shading companies and the UK government. The government has now realised the importance of reducing heat gain in domestic homes and buildings.
Therefore they have introduced Part O (Overheating) to the building regulations. These regulations have been in force since the 15th June 2022.
In order to prevent overheating in buildings, the Building Regulations require that homes and/or other buildings contain sufficient measures designed to:
1.Limit unwanted solar gain in summer.
2.Provide enough opportunity for heat removal from inside of building.
The objective of these new building regulations is to limit solar gains. Limitations have been introduced on the maximum glazing area of the building or part of the building. This is determined by using the orientation of the façade that has the largest area of glazing.
Residential buildings in the high risk location (table C1, page 22) should, in addition to following the maximum glazing areas in table 1.1 and 1.2, provide shading for glazed areas between compass points north-east and north-west via the south. Shading should be provided by one of the following means.
External shutters with means of ventilation.
Glazing with a maximum g-value of 0.4 and a minimum light transmittance of 0.7.
Overhangs with 50 degrees altitude cut-off on due south-facing façades only.
Sunshield’s external louvres help you to comply with Part O of the building regulations, as the louvres are mounted on the outside of your home.
By applying the louvres externally instead of internally, a much greater influence can be exerted on the energy consumption of your residence. Since the sun is obstructed before it hits the glass, it is a much more efficient way to reduce heat gain during the summer. During the winter, the external louvres allow the much-needed solar gains, which leads to a better thermal comfort and significant energy savings.
As the louvres are tiltable, they also provide the necessary ventilation. In principle, the slats do not need to be fully closed for shading purposes, as direct sunlight is often already reflected at an angle of 30 or 45 degrees.
An additional advantage of being able to fully close the slats is that this has a room darkening effect, which means they replace interior curtains and are a perfect solution for bedroom windows.
For more information about our external louvres and how they comply with the new Part O Building Regulations please get in touch with our team.
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