Part F: Expertise required
Mr Towse believes Part F is aimed largely at the domestic new-build sector “and, in reality, contains nothing that is painful to the commercial building market”.
However, he warns, housebuilders tend to use untrained people to install domestic ventilation equipment, and there has been a lack of commissioning and testing of the finished installation in this sector. The consequence is, he says, predictable:
“About six months down the line, the housebuilder comes back to the manufacturer of the extraction kit and says ‘your kit doesn’t work’. In fact, nine times out of 10 it is not installed properly and it is not even commissioned.”
He adds: “Domestic housebuilders generally don’t have the ventilation skills needed and we don’t see them using HVCA members for installations. Some of the ventilation work we’ve seen recently has been very poor.”
Mr Andrews agrees: “[Ventilation] equipment tends to be put in by electricians, plumbers and so on, and the standard of workmanship leaves quite a bit to be desired.”
However, where there is threat there is also opportunity, according to managing director of Sharp + Howse Bob Shelley.
He says: “There is an increasingly large potential workload to install correctly designed ventilation systems - be they extract, supply or heat recovery - to new domestic dwellings. The new requirement that these systems be properly installed and commissioned would suggest they should be installed by a specialist contractor.
“The other new requirement that the system airflows be recorded and submitted to building control also steers these works in the direction of the specialist contractor.
“Potentially, this is an exciting step forward for those specialists actively involved in this market. However, the key to the success of this legislation will be enforcement which, unfortunately, to date has been sadly lacking and allows the less scrupulous members of our industry to get away with non-compliant, substandard installations.”
Mr Nurse agrees, adding: “Contractors will need to understand the new processes that they will have to follow, while manufacturers will have to adapt their product ranges to comply with the new minimum efficiency points set in the Domestic Building Services Compliance Guide, including intermittent fans.
“However, there are real opportunities for contractors to ensure that they are members of a competent persons scheme to enable sign off and ensure the product is
installed well.”
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