What Does PAS 2035 Mean for the Future of Retrofit Installers?
Sign Up to Our PAS 2035 Retrofit Insulation Webinar – 5th April 2022 at 1pm
In 2019 the UK government made a commitment to reduce CO2 emissions to net-zero by 2050. This is far more ambitious than the previous target to reduce CO2 levels to below 20% of the emission levels of 1990. In order to achieve their aim, a large increase in the number of successful energy-efficiency retrofits being carried out on buildings is required.
As part of the efforts to meet their commitment, a new retrofit standard has been released by the government this year. There are two constituent parts to the standard called PAS 2030:2019 and PAS 2035:2019. The new standard is far more wide-ranging in scope than the previous PAS 2030:2017 standard it is replacing and it will require firms to make big changes to the way they approach and carry out energy-efficiency focused retrofit jobs.
This affects our sector of the industry immensely as moisture control will become an increasingly important part of a majority of retrofit jobs in the future.
Why are PAS 2030:2019 and PAS 2035:2019 Replacing the Older Standards?
Previous standards and incentive schemes have sometimes led to unforeseen problems such as damp cavity wall insulation.
Previous retrofit programmes under PAS 2030:2017 and the Green Deal utilised grants and funding to incentivise specific individual energy-saving measures being carried out, such as the installation of energy-efficient boilers or various types of insulation. These programmes often granted funding as long as the job met certain, often quite narrow, criteria. They did not always make it imperative for contractors to consider the knock on effects that individual retrofit measures may have on the overall energy-performance of the building and the other problems they may cause.
This approach led to the installation of inappropriate retrofit measures to many buildings, many causing significant and expensive damp control problems. Examples include the installation of cavity wall insulation on walls that are overly porous causing penetrating damp issues or the installation of internal wall insulation causing interstitial condensation problems. These issues are expensive to rectify and can often worsen the energy-efficiency of the building in question.
The Each Home Counts review, which was commissioned by the government in 2015 and published in 2016, determined that CO2 reduction targets were not going to be possible to hit unless there was a comprehensive overhaul in the UK’s approach to retrofit jobs. The proposed solution stated in the review was to establish a quality mark for all energy efficiency and renewable energy measures, and for all companies operating in this sector. The revised PAS 2030:2019 and the new PAS 2035:2019 standards are the government’s response to this advice.
What is PAS 2035?
PAS 2035:2019 – Retrofitting Dwellings for Improved Energy Efficiency – Specification and Guidance is the guidance document that sets the standards that must be adhered to in order for retrofit works to be certified under the PAS 2030:2019 retrofit standards framework TrustMark scheme. Complying with PAS 2035 is also required under the Energy Company Obligation scheme. It is highly likely that PAS 2035 guidance will also be applicable to all retrofit jobs outside of the TrustMark scheme framework wherever public finance is involved.
A whole-house approach is required under the new guidance. Firms undertaking retrofit work must carry out a thorough assessment of the property before work commences. It is not required that all aspects of the building are addressed but all aspects that are likely to be affected by the works must be considered to avoid them having an adverse impact. This process is handled in the form of a risk assessment that is carried out to push the project down one of three different requirement paths.
PAS 2035 recognises the fact that a house must be considered holistically. Making changes to one part of the building has a knock-on effect elsewhere. The standard also underlines how vital the control of moisture is in creating energy-efficient homes.
What Does PAS 2035 Mean for Installers?
In order to facilitate the above procedure, PAS 2035 sets out a number of different roles. Amongst the variety of roles mentioned, it details the requirement for all retrofit projects to be overseen by an approved Retrofit Coordinator. One of the main duties of the Retrofit Coordinator is a requirement to develop a medium-term improvement plan for each project that takes into account the effects of any modifications for the next 25 years. It is a role that requires a broad and detailed understanding of the guidelines and requirements. This will include a working knowledge of moisture management in order to avoid damp control problems.
The Retrofit Coordinator will be the lynchpin of the whole PAS 2035 framework. Although there are some rules of thumb that will work for some properties, this is a complex area which requires an in-depth knowledge of multiple subjects including how to apply the various equations from the standard in different situations.
The Retrofit Coordinator and the other roles required for retrofit projects mean that installers will have to modify their approach to publicly funded retrofit projects quite significantly. Those who wish to fulfil the required retrofit roles will need to undergo training and certification before the end of the transition period on June 30th 2021.
PAS 2035 Roles and Qualifications
- The Retrofit Coordinator oversees the project and draws up the medium-term improvement plan, which spans a period of 25 years. They are also responsible for drawing up plans in accordance with the Retrofit Assessor’s assessment report and then to commission installers to carry out the works.
- The Retrofit Assessor carries out the initial assessment which determines which guidance path the project will take and delivers the report that forms the basis of the Retrofit Coordinators medium-term improvement plan.
- The Retrofit Designer is tasked with design improvement, expanding upon the initial plans set by the Retrofit Coordinator.
- The Retrofit Advisor is the customer-facing role. They are tasked with communicating all the specifics of designs and their implications to the homeowner.
More detailed descriptions of the roles and responsibilities are available in the actual PAS 2030/2035:2019 documents that can be purchased from the BSI.
Sign Up to Our PAS 2035 Retrofit Insulation Webinar – 30th March 2021 at 1pm
PAS 2035 Training
We are currently in a transition period until June 30th 2021, by which time all registered businesses delivering energy efficiency measures must be compliant with the PAS 2035:2019 and PAS 2030:2019 standards. This means that Retrofit Coordinators will have to learn a lot in a short period of time.
Luckily Safeguard Europe is running a free introductory webinar presentation that sets out the main requirements of the new PAS 2035 guidelines, explains common retrofit issues in relation to moisture management and directs participants towards the best resources for gaining approval.