The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) has announced the start of Boiler Plus, an initiative that encourages energy efficiency by mandating requirements designed to improve the energy efficiency of heating systems. They set out new expectations for both manufacturers and installers.
Alongside a host of other measures, this policy will require a new minimum performance standard for domestic gas boilers in English homes to be 92% ErP. The ErP Directive aims to phase out poorly performing products across a range of product groups to reduce carbon emissions across Europe.
The legislation will require all those fitting new combination boilers to include one of the following in their system:
- Flue gas heat recovery systems
- Weather Compensation
- Load Compensation
- Smart controls featuring automation and optimisation functions
The legislation is designed to encourage and enable householders to make informed decisions about the products that best meet their needs.
Given the extent to which domestic heating contributes to emissions, the new standards, coming into effect in April 2018, will help reduce carbon emissions by 2 MtCO2e in the fourth Carbon Budget and 3.2 MtCO2e in the fifth Carbon Budget.
