What a lot of rubbish from Audrey Buttimer about replacement windows (Letters, July 9). The regulations to which she refers are part of the Building Regulations, whose purpose is to ensure the health and safety of building users and occupants.
The new Part L regulations are part of the UK's response to the Kyoto Convention, intended to reduce global warming. Improved insulation standards should ensure we spend less on energy to heat our buildings. Another new regulation, Part M, concerns improvements to disabled access. Would Ms Buttimer like to object to that too?
She is right that if win-dows are not installed by someone registered with Fensa (the body that ensures windows comply with the rules), the building inspector will charge an inspection fee to make sure the new windows not only comply with insulation standards but also do not compromise existing ventilation or means of escape.
The effect of this will not be to penalise DIY enthusiasts but to combat the cowboy builders Ms Buttimer so fears.
-Delia Forester, RIBA Secretary, Queen's Park Labour Party, Brighton
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