The Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) has published a notice regarding the so called ‘Boiler Plus Opt-Out’ which supports the advice that APHC has been issuing to members and the wider plumbing and heating industry.
The clarification from BEIS was issued after it came to light that British Gas were providing their customers with a choice to opt out of having the extra energy saving measures installed as stipulated under Boiler Plus.
On the 8 June 2018, APHC went on record stating: “Boiler Plus forms part of the Building Regulations and came into force in April 2018. The compliance requirements are detailed under the Building Regulations in the Domestic Building Services Compliance Guide. There is no provision to opt out.”
An extract of BEIS’ statement can be read below:
“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.”
A government spokesperson confirmed that British Gas would now be asked to set out a plan to ensure that none of its customers would be allowed to choose services that fail to meet Boiler Plus requirements – even if they are told where additional work is needed.
