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.

Landlords Gas Safety Inspection, What Are They, Why Do I Need One?”

Landlords Gas Safety Inspection

 

The Landlords gas safety inspection is a safety check of all the gas appliances within a property that is classed as rented.

Once an inspection is carried out the gas safe engineer carrying out the inspection will issue a certificate with his findings.

Under the United Kingdom law any property that is classed as rented and this includes local councils and housing associations need to have an annual gas safety inspection, even if the property is only rented out for 7 days, a gas safety inspection is needed.

It is the responsibility of whoever manages the property to arrange for this inspection to be carried out.

Failure to comply with this regulation could lead to severe penalties.

If a property is rented out to new tenants and there is still 5 months left before the next inspection is due, it is recommended that a new inspection is carried out to make sure everything is still safe.

The previous tenant may have tampered with the gas supply or appliances and left them in an unsafe condition.

What is a Landlords Gas Safety Inspection

All gas appliances within the property need to be checked for safety, this involves checking the flue of the appliance is not leaking carbon monoxide and is terminating correctly.

Checking that the air supply if needed, is of the correct size and is not restricted.

Any gas appliance that is classed as open flue needs fresh air to burn correctly, not enough air will make the appliance burn incorrectly and the products of combustion could enter the room instead of terminating up the flue.

Every room that has a gas appliance fitted needs to have a carbon monoxide alarm installed, this will also be tested and recorded on the certificate.

All safety devices on the appliance need to be checked to make sure they are working correctly.

A gas tightness test needs to be carried out, this is checked at the gas meter.

This test will highlight any gas leaks within the property.

While at the gas meter checking that the gas supply pipe is fitted with the correct size earth bonding.

Once the inspection is finished two copies of the certificate will be issued, one should be left with the tenant and the other copy goes to the property management or landlord.

If any faults are found they will be noted on the inspection certificate, another certificate called a warning notice will now be issued with details of any faults found.

The landlord will have 30 days to rectify any faults, this will depend on the severity of the fault.

If the fault is classed as immediately dangerous the gas supply to that appliance will be disconnect and made safe.

Landlords by law, have to make sure that the property they are letting out is safe, too many landlords try to avoid having this inspection carried out because of the cost involved.

If you are a tenant make sure your landlord has this gas safety check carried out annually and that you have a copy of the certificate for your own records.

If you are a landlord make sure you comply to the gas safety regulations, keep your tenants safe and always have a landlords gas safety inspection carried when it becomes due.