Boiler amendment April 2005

Important update about the Amendments to Approved Document L1 (2002) England and Wales only

As you may already know, a change to ADL1 came into force in England and Wales on the 1st April 2005. Please click on the link below to view this correction.

‘The Building Regulations 2000, Approved Document Part L1, Conservation of fuel and power in dwellings. Correction. April 2005’

Industry have been aware for over a year that their was to be a change to the building regulations which would mean that only boilers with a SEDBUK rating of A and B would be allowed in new build and in existing property replacements from the 1^st April 2005. This effectively meant that condensing boilers would have to be used. The ODPM only provided details of the content of these changes in February 2005; within this document it also allowed exceptions to the requirements, which described the circumstances where practical concerns prevented the installation of a condensing boiler.

Having received no additional information from ODPM, a member of FAERO (the trade body for authorised energy rating organisations) attended an information event in February, at which ODPM presence was promised. Unfortunately, no ODPM representative was present. Afterwards ODPM were contacted and again assurances were given that the documentation we had already seen was all that was being created to accompany this change, and secondly that other than the changed efficiencies in Table 2, no changes were to be made to either the Target U-value or Carbon Index methods.

The ODPM’s website was checked on the 1^st of April and there was no mention of the publication of an official document. On the 5^th April we were notified that the document now existed. The changes stated in this document are far more wide-ranging than we had been previously informed. Inside the new document the ODPM have amended the Target U-Value method and increased the Carbon Index compliance level to 8.3.

It appears that no consultation was undertaken with the industry including the FAERO members and everyone was caught completely unawares.

We at Elmhurst (and FAERO) are as concerned as everyone else that the ODPM chose not to inform the industry about these proposed changes. It also seems to us that it is unfair to expect the industry to make these changes given the new revision to Part L which is proposed to be in place on 4^th January 2006.

We have written, phoned and emailed the ODPM on this matter, and understand that is vital that we have clarification on the subject. We were promised a definite answer for the week ending 29^th April. However it is now unlikely that we will hear anything soon due to the election being undertaken this week.

Our recommendation to ODPM has been to change the amendment document immediately to leave the Target U-value and Carbon Index compliance methods unchanged. But we understand that industry themselves are already briefed on the need to use SEDBUK A and B rated boilers, and this will still apply, post 1^st April 2005.

As soon as we have clarification from the ODPM we will inform all our users. Please keep an eye on the news articles on this website, or alternatively call our helpline.