Boiler Plus Legislation

From the 6^th April 2018 the Boiler Plus Legislation is to be enforced which require new minimum standards and requirements when installing Gas Combination Boilers in existing buildings, in England only.

Boiler Plus is an additional legislation to Part L of the Building Regulations, introduced by BEIS (The Department of Business, Energy and the Industrial Strategy). It sets out new requirements for gas engineers fitting new boilers and heating controls, with the aim of reducing domestic carbon emissions and encouraging energy efficiency. The new standards we have outlined in the Boiler Plus document improve the way many people use energy in their homes by giving them greater choice, greater control, and tangible savings on their energy bills.

When replacing/installing a Gas Combination Boilers in existing dwellings must be:

• The new minimum performance standard for domestic gas boilers in English homes will be set at 92% ErP.

When replacing a Gas Combination Boiler, at least one option from the following must be specified and installed;

• Flue Gas Heat Recovery System
• Weather Compensation
• Load Compensation (Internet Control)
• Smart Thermostat with Automation and Optimisation

Building Regulations require this as law.

The householder is required to comply with the building regulations, regulated by Building Control. Having non-compliant work carried out may result in prosecution and financial penalties for the homeowner. Gas engineers who don’t comply are breaching the Building Regulations and are therefore breaking the law and could face prosecution. Furthermore, if a gas engineer were to invoice a consumer non-compliant work, it could be considered fraudulent and therefore open to action from trading standards.

Information on your 4 options:

Flue Gas Heat Recovery System

• FGHRS recover heat from waste flue gases to preheat the cold water entering the boiler, lowering the amount of energy needed to warm the water up to the required level. FGHRS can further increase the efficiency of these condensing boilers in most cases, delivering the same amount of heat with up to 4% less gas.

Weather Compensation

• Weather compensation interacts intelligently with the boiler to reduce water temperatures, which increases efficiency without compromising user comfort. Many users have reported significantly improved comfort, as the boiler is better able to maintain a steady internal temperature by adjusting boiler output to account for changes in the weather.

Load Compensation

• Load Compensation is a common function in many smart controls and programme thermostats, these devices measure the gap between what the internal temperature is and what the user wants it to be, modulating the boiler so that it only uses as much fuel as necessary to close the gap.

Smart Controls featuring Automation and Optimisation Functions

• Smart Thermostats are products that let consumers remotely control their home temperature via tablets, smartphones or desktops for greater control over the central heating system. Smart controls offering Load Compensation or Weather Compensation would be fully compliant with the new standard, as they would offer the same benefits listed above.
• Automation: is a function that allows the device to automatically control the heating system output in response to programmed demand or occupancy detection.
• Optimisation: means the device calculates how long it takes the property to reach the desired comfort level, and times the systems operation to minimise the amount of work it has to do.

Need more information?

Please find more information on the following websites: Energy Saving Advice Service, Citizen Advice, Which? GOV.UK, Industry Council, Age UK, Gas Safe

If you require anymore information from us give us a call on 0208 859 5497 or email [email protected]