Replacement Windows & Doors

The Building Regulations require that replacement windows or doors must comply with strict thermal performance standards. One of the main reasons for this is the need to reduce energy loss and greenhouse gas emissions.

The Building Regulations have controlled glazing in new buildings for many years, but they represent only a very small percentage of our total building stock. It is also essential to improve the performance of the much larger numbers of existing buildings if we are to meet increasingly stringent national and global energy saving targets.

In order to ensure that installers comply with these requirements, they must either submit an application to the Isle of Wight Council or belong to a self-certification scheme.

There are currently two self-certification schemes in operation for replacement windows, ‘FENSA’ and ‘Certass’. This system allows installation companies that meet certain criteria to self-certify that their work complies with the Building Regulations. A sample of the work of every installer will be inspected by FENSA or Certass appointed inspectors to ensure standards are maintained. FENSA or Certass will also inform local authorities of all completed installations and issue certificates to householders confirming compliance. You should however be aware that the FENSA and Certass schemes are only applicable to replacement windows in existing dwellings.

Any installation carried out by a person or company not registered to self-certify, (including DIY projects) or relating to replacement windows or doors in buildings other than dwellings, will need Local Authority approval under the Building Regulations. We will know of all the approved installers on the Isle of Wight and will be able to identify unauthorised work very easily.

Making a Building Regulation Application is very straightforward using the Building Notice procedure. The form can be obtained from our offices at Seaclose or downloaded from our web site. This should be completed and returned with the appropriate fee at least two days before you intend to remove the existing windows. A flat rate fee is payable for installations in dwellings. The fee for installations in all other buildings is based on the cost of the works. Please contact us for further details.
HISTORIC BUILDINGS EXEMPTION

A significant proportion of the Island’s building stock would fall into one or more of the following categories: - listed buildings, buildings in a conservation area or buildings which are of architectural and historic interest and fall within Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty or World Heritage Sites. If you consider your building falls within one or more of these categories you should seek early advice from the Conservation Team (Tel: 823577) as your building is likely to be exempt from the need to comply with the regulations. However, please note that Planning Permission or Listed Building Consent may still be required for replacing windows within these buildings.

WHAT REGULATIONS WILL I HAVE TO COMPLY WITH?
Thermal Insulation

The replacement windows and doors will need to meet the current thermal insulation requirements of the Building Regulations. Windows need to achieve 1.6 W/m²K and doors 1.8W/m²K. When ordering new windows check that your supplier can prove the glazing units will satisfy these requirements as the Building Control Surveyor will need to see this proof before issuing a Completion Certificate. We would particularly recommend that you leave any labels on the glazing in place until after the Building Control Surveyor has carried out a satisfactory inspection.

Structural Safety

If the replacement windows are wider than those they replace, or involve the replacement of bay windows, then the Building Control Surveyor will need to be satisfied that the proper structural support is provided above the window and details of the proposed lintel will be required.

Means of Escape

All first floor windows in new dwellings must have opening lights large enough to allow you to escape through if you were trapped in the room by a fire. This also applies to rooms on the ground floor, unless the rooms open directly into a hallway and the hall itself has an external door through which you could escape. To meet this requirement all such windows require an unobstructed openable area of at least 0.33m² and not be less than 450mm high and 450mm wide (the route through the window may be at an angle rather than straight through). The bottom of the openable area should be no higher than 1100mm above the floor and no lower than 800mm to prevent falling.

If your existing windows do not have opening lights, which meet the above requirements, we would strongly recommend for your own safety, that you take the opportunity to provide them in the replacement windows.

This is not a requirement of the regulations, which simply state that the replacement windows must be no worse than those they replace in this respect. Where the existing windows already have opening lights which are larger that the above requirements, those in the new windows can be reduced in size provided they are not reduced by less that the dimensions above.

Safety Glazing

Low level glazing (glazed areas within 800mm of floor level) and glazing in doors within 1500mm of floor level should generally be of a type that if broken, would break safely. In practice this means such glazing should either be laminated or toughened.

Ventilation

The Building Regulations require that adequate ventilation is provided for people in the building and this should be considered when deciding on the size of opening lights in the replacement windows. For most rooms, one or more opening windows totalling 5% of the floor area will be adequate, but it may also be necessary to install background “trickle” vents if these were provided in the original windows.
In some cases the existing windows may contain a permanent vent to supply combustion air to a heating appliance, although this is now rare. If this is the case however you should ensure that either the replacement window contains a similar permanent vent, or that some other means of providing the required ventilation is installed at the same time.

You should note that you, as the house owner, are ultimately responsible for ensuring the work complies with the Building Regulations. When the time comes to sell your property, your purchaser’s advisors will ask for evidence that any replacement glazing installed after 1st April 2002 complies with the new Building Regulations. There will be two ways to prove compliance: -
  1. A certificate showing that the work has been done by an installer who is registered under the FENSA / Certass Scheme,
OR
  1. A Completion Certificate from the local authority showing that the installation was carried out in accordance with the Building Regulations.
Before you sign a contract to buy replacement glazing, be sure to ask whether the installer is able to self-certify. If not, either they, or you, will need to make an application to the Isle of Wight Council.

Further Information
If you require further information or a Building Notice Form, please contact us (01983) 823580 or visit our offices:

Building Control, Council Offices, Seaclose, Fairlee Road, Newport, Isle of Wight, PO30 2QS



Page last updated on: 21/05/2012