THE ULTIMATE WAY TO COMPLY WITH BOILER PLUS

18 December 2018 BY: CANETIS

As an innovator in energy saving technologies, working with Alpha Heating Innovation to help them develop their energy efficient boilers was a natural fit for Canetis.

Long before the government’s Boiler Plus legislation came into effect in April 2018, we had been working with Alpha to develop new additions to their boiler range that would make Alpha’s boilers one of the most energy efficient on the market. The Alpha GasSaver and InTec GS models, which are fitted with our patented flue gas heat recovery technology, really are the ultimate in energy efficient combi boilers and can be trusted by both consumers and installers to not only comply with current regulations but also deliver the highest level of energy savings possible.

For those that don’t know, Boiler Plus is a piece of legislation within the Heat In Buildings policy which states that new gas-fired combi boiler installations in England must include either a smart, load or weather compensation control or a flue gas heat recovery unit. As well as being a strategy to help control climate change, this legislation set out to “ensure all households have a reasonable level of choice and control to enable them to achieve comfort and efficiency without increased bills”.

Boiler Plus has been in full effect for several months now, so you would think installers and governing bodies alike would have their heads wrapped well around the new legislation by now. However, one month before the legislation came into place a survey conducted by Logic4training found that 57% of installers had little or no knowledge of the Boiler Plus legislation and how it will affect them. So, what has changed?

After the initial confusion and turbulence surrounding the launch of Boiler Plus many installers have felt the brunt of the upheaval in the installation process. However, the figures are suggesting that boilers are getting more efficient within the UK and, as a result, energy efficiency is improving overall. Another part of the legislation set out to “ensure all households have a reasonable level of choice and control to enable them to achieve comfort and efficiency without increased bills”, and despite some difficulty in implementing the successful roll out of smart meters, customers do now have more choice when it comes to the type of controls that are installed in their homes.

We thought we’d conduct our own piece of research (well, a Twitter poll) to see if the general attitudes of installers had changed. It seems that heating engineers, or at least the ones who answered our Twitter poll, are now more likely to comply with Boiler Plus, and 71% of respondents are complying on every job they undertake.

The conclusions to be drawn from this are clear. Although the introduction of Boiler Plus was slightly haphazard (to say the least), heating engineers and industry professionals alike have adapted. People don’t generally like change and it takes time for them to work out what’s happened and why they need to respond, but if the changes are for the good – which Boiler Plus definitely is – then they will adapt. With version two of Boiler Plus due to come into effect next year, maybe installers will welcome the next phase of legislation with open hearts and minds and the new energy efficiency measures will become something that everyone accepts as standard.

At Canetis we are passionate about energy efficiency and having GasSaver technology fitted to any model of combi boiler is a simple way of taking energy efficiency to a higher level.

Positioned neatly above the boiler, this compact unit extracts heat from waste gases that are normally pushed out into the atmosphere through the boiler flue. Rather than let these gases go to waste, the GasSaver uses them to pre-heat cold mains water before entering the boiler. As the boiler is now heating water that is already warmed, an average of 35% less gas is used to produce hot water, reducing energy bills and saving up to half a ton of carbon per year. This results in significant savings on both energy usage and energy bills.

The GasSaver device operates without the need for controls, settings or even electricity and it requires no maintenance. The unit is entirely passive.

It’s this kind of innovation that helps the heating industry stay one step ahead of new legislation surrounding gas boilers and helps consumers save both energy and money on household bills.

Click here to find out more about the Alpha GasSaver.

If you’d like to know more about Canetis and their energy saving technologies vist their website.