HHIC pleased with progress of new mandatory legislation – Boiler Plus.
Boiler Plus, announced in October 2017 by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), launched on 6th April 2018. The new legislation encourages energy efficiency, by mandating requirements for new or replacement heating systems.
Stewart Clements, Director, HHIC, said: “The UK boiler market is the biggest and most valuable in the world. By mandating additional efficiency measures for new boiler installations in England, the industry is sending a clear message to the public and engineers; standards are high in the heating industry, technology is world leading and consumers can save money and improve their thermal comfort.
“HHIC were asked to help shape this new mandatory Building Regulation over two years ago. We supported the public consultation, which was heavily influenced by the 750+ engineers who fed back to the Future of Heat in Domestic Buildings consultation in 2017.
“We know from talking to gas engineers that many already fit the technology specified in Boiler Plus, as standard, so ‘challenges’ have been minimal. Some may see it as legislation simply catching up with industry standards, and they are not wrong.
“To help assist the circa 125,000 registered gas engineers learn more about the four technologies eligible for installation with a replacement gas combination boiler, we have launched a number of informative resources:
Consumer Guide; New rules for boiler installations in England April 2018
Weather compensation installer factsheet
“Today we are launching additional guidance for installers. This document is intended to assist with the interpretation of additional measures required, as outlined in the Boiler Plus policy document. For each measure, guidance on the technology is given and an interpretation of the standard provided to help with understanding and compliance. “
Boiler Plus policy requires a new minimum performance standard for domestic gas boilers in English homes of 92% ErP. The ErP Directive aims to phase out poorly performing products across a range of product groups to reduce carbon emissions across Europe, with the ultimate goal of achieving the EU’s 2020 targets.
The legislation also requires all those fitting new combination boilers to include one of the following in their system:
- Flue gas heat recovery systems
- Weather compensation
- Load compensation
- Smart controls featuring automation and optimisation functions
EDITOR’S NOTE: In case you missed it, read our take on the confusion caused by what appears to be a Boiler Plus “opt out” section in a British Gas quotation.
