On October 2017 a new industry policy was released called Boiler Plus.
The policy was released by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and will form part of the building regulations.
The new standard demands a new minimum performance for gas boilers to be set at 92% ErP.
It will also require a new minimum performance standard for domestic gas boilers in English homes to be set at 92% ErP.*
The new scheme gives homeowners and consumers more choice on how they heat their property and extra control over their energy bills.
All gas installers need to be aware of the Boiler Plus Scheme, as it is now mandatory.
Installers, manufacturers and the Government all have an obligation to promote the new policy, educating consumers with the requirements and implementing the new standards.
What is The Boiler Plus Scheme
Boiler Plus Scheme aims to improve household energy consumption by allowing them to maximise boiler efficiency.
The Boiler Plus regulations have 3 main requirements:
- All gas boilers installed in England need to have a minimum of ErP efficiency of 92%
- new gas boiler installations need to have time and temperature controls installed if they’re not already installed.
- New combi boilers need to have an energy efficiency measure installed at the same time in the measure of:
- Smart controls
- Weather compensation
- Flue gas heat recovery
- Load compensation
Why are these changes being introduced?
The new Boiler Plus Scheme is designed to help the UK meet energy efficiency targets by 2020.
The installer’s role
Installers have both a legal and moral obligation to promote the scheme.
At present, there is a gap in knowledge regarding smart controls both from the installer and the consumer.
Installers will need to provide advice on the best energy efficient measures that we listed above and will need to be able to install them too.
The Government will work with consumer advocacy groups to provide more information to consumers and enable them to hold tradespeople to account if they do not consider whether homes would benefit from:
- Individual radiator controls;
- Balancing the system so that all radiators get as warm as each other;
- Suitable levels of cleaning and protecting the heating system from debris.
What Options Do I Have?
FLUE GAS HEAT RECOVERY SYSTEM
A flue gas heat recovery system makes gas boilers more efficient by capturing and re-using heat energy that would otherwise have escaped out of your flue or chimney.
When a boiler burns fuel to create heat, it produces exhaust gases that need to be flued to the outside. However, as these gases are extremely hot (about 200°C), up to 35% of the heat being made can be wasted.
A Flue gas heat recovery system substantially increases the efficiency of condensing boilers, meaning less fuel is used, saving the economy reducing your heating bills.
WEATHER COMPENSATION
Weather compensation intelligently communicates the outside temperature to the boiler using a temperature sensor. Heat and energy that we generate is lost through the
The heat we generate to keep our homes warm gets lost through the framework of the property, and the speed in which it does this depends on the outside temperature. Weather compensation tells the boiler to adjust the temperature of the radiators to match the extra heat loss caused by a cold day, leading to a more comfortable and consistent environment.
LOAD COMPENSATION
Load compensation is a common function in lots of programmable thermostats and smart heating controls. They measure the differential between what the inside temperature is and what the consumer would like it to be and adjusts the boiler to maximise the fuel efficiency.
SMART CONTROLS WITH AUTOMATION AND OPTIMISATION
Smart heating controls are thermostats that allow homeowners to remotely control their home temperature via an app for extended control over their central heating system.
Automation is an action that enables the ability to automatically adjust the heating system output in response to programmed demand.
Optimisation means the control measures how long it takes the property to reach the desired temperature and controls the operation of the thermostat to minimise the amount of work it has to do.
Do we need to Install all of the Additional Energy Efficiency Options?
Not all of the energy-efficient measures need to be installed when replacing a combi boiler. One of the detailed measures is enough to comply with the new regulations, although installing more measures will likely help with efficiency.
*ERP – ErP stands for “Energy-related Products”. The ErP directive, which is a new regulation set by the European Union is designed to improve the efficiency of heating and hot water products.
