Boiler Plus Legislation 2018
Boiler Plus: New standards for domestic boiler installations in England from April 2018
What is Boiler Plus and what does it mean for you?
New regulations for boiler efficiency have come into place since April 6, 2018 called Boiler Plus. It’s designed to improve the way you use energy in your home, as it gives you greater choice and control over your energy usage, which results in tangible savings on your energy bills.
The new Boiler Plus Legislation 2018 will also make programmable timers and room thermostats an explicit requirement for all gas and oil systems, making sure it gives you the power to achieve the greatest comfort in your home. Under this legislation there are three new requirements for boilers installed in existing dwellings in England:
- All gas boilers must have a seasonal efficiency of at least 92% ErP.
- All gas and oil boilers must have time and temperature control.
- All gas combination boilers must be installed with one of the following additional energy saving measures:
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Flue Gas Heat Recovery Systems (FGHR):
This device is designed to improve energy efficiency of the boiler by recycling the heat from the flue gases, which would usually be lost into the atmosphere. Instead this heat is used to preheat domestic hot water.
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Weather Compensation
Weather Compensation uses sensors installed outside on a north facing elevation that monitor the temperature changes through time. They communicate this information back to your central heating system, which then calculates, with great accuracy, how much heat should be generated, and for how long. This way the Weather Compensation system maintains the temperature you want without spikes of overheating and underheating.
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Load Compensation
Simply put, Load Compensation monitors the response from the heating system, measures it, and then adjusts the flow temperature automatically based on requirements to reduce fuel consumption.
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Smart Controls (Thermostats) featuring Automation and Optimisation functions
Below is a diagram that better explains how the Boiler Plus Legislation 2018 works courtesy of the Heating and Hotwater Industry Council website:
You can now get an online quote for a Boiler Plus Legislation 2018 compliant Boiler or Full Central Heating System Installation. Simply enter your postcode below and hit the green button:
Why is the government pushing Boiler Plus and why is it important?
We think, and sure you will agree, this is a great initiative by the UK government. The UK is a global leader in the gas boiler market, and has continued to develop cutting edge technologies that have exceeded the minimum standards set in the last decade. Looking forward to 2020, raising these already high standards will help the UK maintain this strong market position. As a global leader, UK’s new Boiler Plus Regulations 2018 will ensure that English homes provide people with the advances they expect and the comfort they deserve. The Boiler Plus standard achieves this while reducing fuel consumption, which not only saves a lot of your hard earned money on energy bills, but also reduces your carbon footprint. The best thing about Boiler Plus is you as a consumer have a choice of technologies. You can choose a setup that best fits your lifestyle, ensuring that your home has the right heating controls in place, we can help drive down bills.
What’s more, the UK government has also taken some more positive steps toward higher energy efficiency:
- They have invested about £3.6 billion into the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) Scheme helping to eradicate fuel poverty.
- They are striving to upgrade all fuel poor homes to Energy Performance Certificate Band C by 2030 to 2035.
- Improvement in the energy performance standards of all private homes to Energy Performance Band C by 2030.
What happens if you don’t comply with Boiler Plus Legislation 2018?
If you are a homeowner, and are in the market for a new boiler, and are told by a plumber/installer/installation company that installing a cheap, below 90% efficiency boiler will comply with Boiler Plus, please be warned. If they have invoiced you for the same, it can be considered fraudulent. While there is a grace period of about 6 months for installers and homeowners to comply with Boiler Plus, precaution is a better route than cure. It is possible for Building Control to prosecute installers who do not install boilers complying with Boiler Plus Legislation 2018 as it can be deemed breaking the law. As a homeowner, it is your responsibility to ensure your new boiler complies with Boiler Plus, as there may be prosecution and fines ahead for you if you don’t.
Does Boilerhut comply with Boiler Plus Legislation 2018?
As you can understand, a standard like this will affect all of close to 1.2 million boiler installations taking place in England every year. On top of that, these legislative changes can be a headache for heating engineers as they often have to take time out of their already busy schedule to attend further training. The Boiler Plus Legislation 2018 is different however, especially for Boilerhut, because our engineers and installers have been recommending and installing energy saving measures for the past few years already. On top of that, Boilerhut are Viessmann Approved Installers. Viessmann was given a “UK Best Buy” approval in 2017. They are also one of the highest efficiency boilers in the world, with the Vitodens 050-W and the Vitodens 100-W close to 94% efficiency, and the Vitodens 200-W close to a whopping 98% energy efficiency. Which means Boilerhut have been “Boiler Plus” way before any legislation was put into place, installing one of the highest efficiency boilers all over the UK.
What’s more, our installation cost already includes a smart, wireless, programmable roomstat, which when combined with a high efficiency boiler like the Viessmann Vitodens range, will comfortably take you over the efficiency required for Boiler Plus Legislation 2018.
If you would like a quote for a brand new A-Rated Boiler Plus compliant condensing boiler installation, or even a full central heating installation quote, you can do that by simply entering your postcode in the box below and hitting the green button. Based on the answers you choose, our intelligent quoting system will give you an online estimate, which can be finalized on the same day and your boiler will be installed within 2-3 days.
