New Boiler Regulations

Update To Boiler Building Regulations

 

If you are in the market for a new boiler there is a new regulation that everyone has to comply with be it a homeowner or installer.

It’s called boiler plus

 

From the 6 April, any new boiler installed will now need to have a time clock and room thermostat fitted as standard.
All new combination boilers will also need the above fitted as well,

Either, a flue gas heat recovery, weather compensation,

 

load compensation or some form of smart control.

 

Every new boiler will need to meet the new ERP efficiency rating of 92 percent.

This new legislation is part of the building regulations part L and must be followed by law.

 

Failure to comply with this new building regulation could lead to prosecution,
not just for the installer, but the homeowner as well.

The homeowner may only want a new boiler installed and no controls fitted, but under the new regulation,

the boiler installation must comply with law.

This regulation comes originally comes from the EU and applies to England.

 

So what does this mean for the Gas Safe Installers?

 

First, it will mean the Gas Safe installer explaining to their customers that extra controls are now needed

For the boiler to comply with building regulations and as such the price will rise.

The best and probably cheapest way to comply with this new regulation is to install a smart thermostat.

 

First it’s a room thermostat, second, it’s a time control as well as a weather compensate.
These smart controls need to connect to your home broadband, so they can check the local weather and adjust the boiler accordingly.

They also work via an app that you download on to your smartphone.

 

Most of the boiler manufacturers are now producing their own controls which can be fitted on to the new boiler internally or externally.

These controls tend to be on the expensive side though but comply with the new regulation.

 

As an installer myself I think this new regulation may cause a problem,

I come across many people who find it difficult just to raise the funds to have a new boiler installed,

now with the extra costs involved in upgrading the controls, it could become a problem.

It’s bad enough now when you tell the customer the cost of a new boiler, some think you are having then over,

So now you have to explain that it’s not just a new boiler installation but also a control upgrade as well.

What Is Gas Safe?

What Is Gas Safe 

Gas safe is the registration body for anyone who works on gas, be it an individual or a company, even the likes of British Gas has to be registered with Gas Safe.

The law states that anyone who works on gas has to be registered with gas safe.

Just because someone is registered it does not mean they can work on all gas appliances.
Each appliance is categorized so someone who is registered for fires may not be able to work on boilers unless they are registered for boilers.

Every gas safe registered person is issued with a gas safe card, on that card will be a picture of the person registered, the gas safe number as well as their personal license number.

On the back of the card will be details of what that person can work on, there is also a section stating the gas type, NG for natural gas and LPG for liquid petroleum gas.

Before any work is carried out, it’s very important to check to make sure that the person who will be carrying out the work is registered for the appliance in question.

Each year the registered person has to renew with gas safe to be able to carry on working with gas.

Everyone's registration expires on the 31st March and has to be renewed on or before the 1st April.

You can also double check the person is registered and up to date by visiting the gas safe registered online, by entering their details you will see everything they are able to work on as well as their picture.

Whatever you do don’t DIY on gas, by law you have to use a gas safe registered person, even if it’s connecting up a simple thing like a gas cooker on a flexible hose into the bayonet.

Gas Safe aims to protect the public from rogue tradesmen and unsafe gas work if you have any form of gas work carried out and feel something is not quite right then contact gas safe. They will investigate for you.

If you are a tenant then it’s the landlord's responsibility to have all gas appliances checked within the property every 12 months without fail.

When you take possession of the property you should ask to see a copy of the current gas safety certified, you should be given a copy on signing your tenancy agreement this is your right.

When you see the certificate check it over to make sure it is still in date. If the certificate still has 6 months to run, you can ask that the property is checked again, just to make sure everything is still safe.

Sometimes previous tenants have had a dispute with the landlord and may have caused a problem with the gas appliances, so it’s best to have them checked over, again this is your right.

Should the landlord refuse then you can contact gas safe and they will contact the landlord to discuss the issue.

Gas Safe work with the health and safety and should they come across any illegal work they will investigate and prosecute the person or company in question.

I Want To Install My Own Gas Boiler, Is This Illegal?

Installing My Own Gas Boiler

 

This is a question that gets asked many time, and the simple answer is YES. 
 
It is illegal to install your own gas boiler.

I understand it’s your property and you should be able to do whatever you want.
I even understand that you want to keep the costs down and cut out the professional Gas Safe installer and carry out the work yourself.

The legal requirements for fitting any form of gas appliance is that it can only be carried out by someone that is Gas Safe Registered and qualified for that particular appliance.

Every gas safe engineer is issued with a gas safe identity card that displays a picture of the person in question, he or she will also have a unique licence number which can be checked with gas safe.

On the front of the card will be the gas safe number and expiry date.
Turn the card over and you will see what the engineer is qualified to work on, this also include the gas type, natural or LPG Gas.

Fitting your own gas boiler is not as simple as it sounds, there are many things that have to be checked out first.
The gas supply may need to be updated to a larger size.

If your old boiler is over 10 years old then there is a good chance the gas supply has been run in15m pipe, most new boiler now require a  gas supply run in 22 m pipe to within 1 meter of the boiler.

Can the new boiler be fitted in the same location as the old one?

The condensing gas boilers have to be installed to current regulations, and the old boiler location may not conform to the current regulations, and so on.

Don’t forget gas is dangerous in the wrong hands.

All Gas safe engineers have to re-sit all their gas exams every 5 years to be able to carrying on working with gas.

A boiler that has been installed incorrectly can be life threatening, the flue if not connected correctly can leak carbon monoxide, which you cannot smell or see.

Carbon monoxide poisoning affects over 240 people and results in around 60 deaths every year in the United Kingdom.

All new gas boilers have to be installed to current Gas and Building regulations and have to be registered with the local authorities. This is a legal requirement.

Your new boiler may come with a long warranty, but if you install it yourself, the warranty may become void.
Each boiler is supplied with a benchmark book that has to be filled in by the engineer, it has to be signed and dated.
Without these details most boiler manufactures will void the warranty.

Don’t be fooled into thinking you can watch videos on youtube, yes there are many, on how to install your boiler the correct way, then once you have completed the work call in a gas safe engineer to sign it off.

 It is illegal to sign off any form of DIY gas work.

Installing your own gas boiler is not as cost saving as you may think. Be safe and use a professional.