The current work on Standards and Policy includes the revision to PAS2030 2018 which will look to remove certain areas of responsibility that do not sit well in the standard including surveying, design and ventilation.
These will then be transferred to new standards including PAS 2035 the Quality mark, which is a new PAS for the surveying of buildings for retrofit measures. This will incorporate at its heart “the whole building approach” (sometimes called “the whole house approach”) as outlined in the BSi White Paper on Moisture In Buildings, with its emphasis on understanding and fully integrating the principles of Context, Coherence, Capacity and Caution into any assessment of buildings and any programme of works. This is required if the industry is really going to reduce the risk of unintended consequences caused by inappropriate assessment and measures.
Other workstreams are actively looking at how data will be collected and what it will be used for, to ensure that the residents and homeowners have a complete picture of the potential for their building, and a robust system for ensuring redress in the unfortunate circumstances should it go wrong.
The timescale for the creation of the new standards and processes is tight if they are to be included in the next changes to the ECO process, but it is vital that industry deliver the changes that are required to ensure better outcomes for all.
The current amendments to BS5250 are gathering pace with proposals to incorporate the “the whole building approach” and moisture risk principles of the White Paper into the standard. It would be a significant step forward in managing risks from moisture in the built environment if this can be achieved, and in conjunction with the EHC adoption of the White Paper principles, we will see the first step changes in delivering a moisture safe environment in the UK.