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.

Vaillant EcoFit Pure Combination Boiler Review

Vaillant EcoFit Pure Combination Boiler Review

 

Vaillant, as we all know, have been producing high-quality central heating boilers for many years.

They were the first to pioneer the combination boiler many, many years ago.

Their latest combination boiler is the Ecofit pure, it has been designed with the homeowner in mind, it is compact and will fit inside a standard kitchen wall unit.

The dimensions of this boiler are 700 high 390 wide and 295 in depth.

The flue has two options, it can connect to the standard elbow turret on top of the boiler, where you have the option of directing it whatever way is best for the installation including vertical.

But the added bonus is you now have a rear flu option, which is very handy when installing within a cupboard.

The flu can be run up to ten meters in length, but that will reduce with every bend that is connected to the flue.

Internally the Vaillant Ecofit has a new heat exchanger compared to previous models of the Eco-Tec.

It is lightweight and made up of aluminium, it was designed with a larger waterway to help reduce blockages in the heat exchanger which restrict the flow of water and causes the boiler to eventually stop working. ( Common problem on most boiler makes)

It currently comes in 3 different heat outputs, 25KW, 30KW and 35KW

Having installed all 3 models I must say I am very impressed with this boiler, better still my customers have also been impressed especially with the hot water flow rate.

At the time of writing this review this boiler currently only work on natural gas, but I have been told by Vaillant they may produce an LPG model which may be the 30KW version.

Which is good news for homeowners on LPG

Like all Vaillant boilers, you can add the standard mechanical internal time clock on the front section as well as use the range of Vaillant smart controls.

These boilers are very easy for the engineer to install, very light compared to previous models.
For a boiler engineer working on his own, these boilers are ideal.

These boilers come with a 2-year warranty as standard but if installed by a Vaillant Advanced Member then the warranty is increased to 7 years.

The warranty can also be increased to 10 years at an additional cost if needed.

Like all boilermakers, these days to keep the warranty valid the boiler will need an annual service without fail.

On each service, the gas safe engineer will need to fill in the benchmark book that is supplied with every new boiler.

The service record which is in the benchmark book has to be signed and dated to validate the next year of the warranty.

If you miss the service and require a service repair under the warranty you will be charged for the repair, so it’s very important that you keep up with the annual service.

Speak to your local gas safe boiler engineer to arrange a yearly boiler service plan, that way you know you are covered should something go wrong.

All in all the Vaillant Ecofit pure is a good quality boiler and I would rate it as a 5-star boiler.