BEAMA has released tools to help heating installers explain a new requirement in the Building Regulations to their customers.
New regulations for existing homes mean that from June 15th, heating installers will be required to install thermostatic room controls when replacing a boiler.
To support the change, industry experts from the BEAMA Heating Controls group have produced a short animation to explain the change to consumers and highlight the benefits of this work being done.
The animation is freely available for installers to share on their websites and social media, it said.
This year’s changes fall under Part L of the Building Regulations covering energy. The new requirement will match the current standards for new heating systems, and in most cases this requirement will be met by adding thermostatic radiator valves (TRVs) to radiators.
These should be added to all heated rooms except where the room thermostat is located, and there is no need to replace existing TRVs if these are fully working, BEAMA outlined.
Recent research at the University of Salford showed that under standard operating conditions a heating system with TRVs would use around 18% less gas compared to the same system without TRVs.
Remi Volpe of Schneider Electric and chairman of BEAMA Heating Controls said: “This change to the Regulations will directly benefit householders by saving them money and should be welcomed by our industry. We know that many installers saw fitting TRVs as good practice to deliver an efficient and effective heating system, but also feared that adding them to a quotation could see them being undercut by competitors.
“The fact that this is now a required minimum standard will help to level the playing field, and it’s important that we get this message out as widely as possible.”