Building regulations govern the minimum standards for design, construction and alterations to virtually every building. They are developed by the government and approved by Parliament. The Building Regulations 2010 cover the construction and extension of buildings and are supported by Approved Documents which set out detailed, practical guidance on compliance and the general performance expected of materials and building work in order to comply with the building regulations. CE marking became a mandatory requirement for thermal insulation construction products in July 2013. The harmonised standards determine the required product characteristics and obligatory properties, including: • fire behaviour (Euroclasses) • dimensions and tolerances • thermal conductivity • dimensional stability and durability characteristics BS 5422 is the main British Standard referred to when specifying insulation materials for building services (Method for specifying thermal insulating materials for pipes, tanks, vessels, ductwork and equipment operating within the temperature range -40°C - 700 °C). The standard sets out the minimum insulation thicknesses for specific temperatures and applications in order to achieve a good balance between energy saving and comparative cost of insulation. Building regulations governing energy efficiency requirements are set out in Part L (Conservation of fuel and power), schedule 1. Specific technical guidance is contained in four Part L Approved Documents and two sub-tier guidance documents - the non-domestic building services and domestic building services compliance guides. These documents provide maximum permitted heat loss tables for various pipework applications. Building regulations BS 5422 CE MARKING PART L - CONSERVATION OF FUEL & POWER Once a product has been tested to meet the required properties, a designation code is printed on the product label to display the specific technical properties required for the relevant European harmonised standard (hEN). 19