The Approved Document E of the Building Regulations gives standards of acoustic performance of walls, floors and other parts of buildings, which have to be satisfied. These concern sound insulation between dwellings.

Acoustic Associates (Peterborough) offer the following:

• Design Advice for new-build or converted properties.

• Pre-completion Sound Insulation Testing for properties in accordance with the requirements of Document E

• IOA recognised Training courses for anyone wishing to become an accredited sound tester

The requirements in summary are shown below

Requirement E1 – Performance standards for separating walls, separating floors, and stairs that have a separating function.

The requirements for E1 for dwellings and flats and for rooms for residential purposes are:

	Airborne sound insulation DnT,w+Ctr dB (Minimum values)	Impact sound insulation L’nT,w dB (Maximum values)
Dwelling-houses and flats
Purpose built Walls Floors and stairs	45 45	– 62
Formed by material change of use Walls Floors and stairs	43 43	– 64
Rooms for residential purposes
Purpose built rooms Walls Floors and stairs	43 45	– 62
Formed by material change of use Walls Floors and stairs	43 43	– 64

Requirement E2 – Laboratory values for new internal walls and floors within dwelling-houses, flats and rooms for residential purposes.

Requirement E3 – Reverberation in the common internal parts of buildings containing flats or rooms for residential purposes.

The requirement is to control reverberation in the common parts of the building.

Requirement E4 – Acoustic Standard in Schools