BEIS responds to Boiler Plus concerns

Following recent concerns around the Boiler Plus regulations and British Gas’ appearing to allow consumers to opt out from some of the additional measures, the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy has now issued further clarification.

A government spokesperson said: “We have met British Gas and will be writing to them to remind them of their obligations under Building Regulations when installing boilers. In addition, we have asked British Gas to set out how it will rectify any non-compliant installations carried out since the new mandatory requirements came into force in April, and to confirm that the company will not undertake any further installations that do not meet these standards.”

In addition, BEIS has issued the following statement to clarify the standards further:

Installers

As set out in Building Regulations, the standards for boiler installations are mandatory and must be met by every installer.

This includes the Boiler Plus requirements which came into force in April 2018, which sets the minimum efficiency for the boiler, or in the case of gas combi boilers, there is an additional efficiency requirement.

Any boilers installed without the measures set out in the Boiler Plus standards, will be non-compliant with the Building Regulations.

There is no provision for anyone to opt out of these standards, and an installer must not carry out an installation that does not meet the standards, even if the customer requests an opt out.

Responsibility for compliance sits with the person carrying out the work, and non- compliant installations can lead to action being taken against the installer. An installer is not excused from their obligations by making their customer aware that the work is non-compliant.

Consumers

If a consumer believes they have been provided with a non-compliant installation, they have the right to ask the original installer to fix the issue.

Citizens Advice provides detailed guidance on consumers’ rights under these circumstances, including how to approach the installer and what options exist if the installer refuses to fulfil their obligations. The usual course is to complain to the local authority, which is responsible for enforcing Building Regulations.

The consumer group Which? has a letter template that some may find helpful.

The clarification can be found online at https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/730607/boiler-plus-policy-clarification.pdf