News

More than 3 million UK households have never had their boiler serviced, according to research from the Benchmark Steering Group.

Benchmark’s survey of 2,000 people asked them about the maintenance of their heating system. While 76 per cent of respondents said boiler servicing was either important to them or very important, almost half said they don’t maintain their boiler in accordance with the manufacturer’s guidance. Furthermore, 15 per cent of homeowners are not sure if their boiler is in or out of warranty.

With 80 per cent of breakdowns resulting in people being left without heat or hot water for at least a day, and one in 10 enduring this for three days, it’s clear that a greater awareness is needed around boiler servicing, says the Benchmark group.

Benchmark raises standards in installation, commissioning and servicing. The steering group is responsible for policy and management issues in the Benchmark scheme. Billy Wilgar, deputy chair of steering group, says: “The results show that while UK homeowners know the importance of servicing, this is not translating into proactive action.

“It’s clear that it’s more important than ever to encourage prevention rather than cure. In support of this, Benchmark is launching a new app so that heating engineers can keep track of servicing and maintenance of the heating system, simplifying the process and allowing for full transparency.

“It’s our hope that the app will ensure more accountability, and prevent us from remaining trapped in ‘fit and forget’ culture.”

A new app for homeowners will launch soon, and both apps act as a digital passport for heating systems, storing key information for engineers to access, including installation and servicing history. They will encourage regular servicing via annual push notifications to homeowners, as well as enabling heating engineers to fill out the Benchmark checklist online at the time of installation.

The HHIC has updated its ‘Guide to Condensate Discharge Pipe Installation’. The guidance provides a summary of industry-agreed best practice to minimise the risk of condensate pipes freezing in cold weather.

HHIC has also reissued its customer information booklet, which gas engineers can give to their customers to explain the risks and any remedial action that may be required for those installations that may be at risk of freezing.

Director Stewart Clements says: “We are acutely aware that there are a significant proportion of installations that are not installed to current standards and manufacturers’ instructions. For example, where they are not connected to internal drain points such as a soil stack or sink waste.

“Condensate discharge pipes should be connected to an internal gravity discharge point, [but] where this is not possible, the HHIC guide details what action should be taken, such as external pipe insulation. In addition to this guidance, all other technical requirements for condensate discharge installation should still be followed.”

HHIC is urging engineers to to make sure they know what’s in both guides, as well as ensuring that all new boiler installations comply with the manufacturer’s instructions.

It also says engineers should ensure that any remedial or servicing work includes a condensate discharge pipe check, and explain any remedial action required to homeowners.

The guides are free to download from www.hhic.org.uk

The Welsh Government is proposing a new building safety regime and is consulting on legislative reform.

Its White Paper sets out its proposals, focusing on legislative change across the lifecycle of buildings, as well as setting out aspirations for a culture change in the way buildings are designed, constructed and managed.

You can find out more and respond by 12 April 2021 at:

Williams Trade Only Plumbing and Heating Supplies is one of 1,000 companies to inspire Britain, according to a London Stock Exchange report. The report recognises the UK’s fastestgrowing and most dynamic small and medium-sized businesses.

To be featured, businesses had to demonstrate strong revenue growth over the past three years and outperform their sector peers.

MD Ray Stafford says: “This represents much deserved recognition for a great group of hard-working and creative colleagues, trusted suppliers and, above all, the ever growing band of loyal customers who collectively make this business what it is.”

Our competition winners in December’s issue were Ian Andrews from Weymouth in Dorset, and Adam Goldman from Mill Hill in London.

Andrew won a KANE458s CPA1 kit from our friends at KANE, and Adam won a job site radio and a lava lamp from Williams Trade Only Plumbing and Heating Supplies.

You can enter this month’s great competition from Checkatrade on page 51.

Building services training provider GTEC has been awarded almost £1 million to help tradespeople access discounted training in renewable technologies, in order to meet the demand presented by the Green Homes Grant.

The Renewable Heat Installer Training and Support Scheme (RHITSS) aims to help installers gain the qualifications and certification required to become registered installation companies as required for consumers to take advantage of the Green Homes Grant.

RHITSS will provide vouchers worth up to 70 per cent of the cost of the training, assessment and certification and will enable companies to install low-carbon heating technologies, such as heat pumps and solar thermal.

The scheme covers the whole process that candidates need to follow to be listed on the GHG Installer Register.

Awarding organisations BPEC and LCL Awards will provide a number of training locations at their centres to support the roll-out of the courses.

The RHITSS is a package of support designed to provide financial incentives and make the process of becoming a GHG installer as easy as possible, from accessing vouchers to subsidise the cost of training and the various certifications required, finding suitable training providers and overcoming the practical barriers to help individuals and small businesses become MCS and TrustMark registered.

GTEC managing director Griff Thomas says: “We are absolutely delighted to have been awarded this bid. Our approach is focused on helping installers more easily take advantage of the market potential of two of the most popular renewable technologies. Working with MCS, LCL Awards and BPEC ensures candidates have access to the best possible training and support, while contributing to meeting the UK’s low-carbon targets.

“With the Green Homes Grant now extended to March 2022, the next year could be busy for installers with the right skills to deliver related technologies and services.”

Ian Rippin, CEO of MCS, says: “This is an excellent opportunity for those installers wishing to deliver renewable heat technologies. This scheme will provide the necessary training and support to become MCScertified, which in turn will allow a trained and certified installer to provide customers with a Green Homes Grant-supported installation.”

You can register your interest at www.rhitss.co.uk

Gas engineers in Northern Ireland can now get KANE after-sales support, calibration and repair for their analysers in Dublin at CalMet instead of returning them to the UK.

KANE sales director Tom McCue says: “We’re so pleased CalMet will deliver our unique after-sales service in Ireland.”

Vaillant’s new Bigger Little Book of Business is dedicated to strengthening gas engineers’ business in 2021. The business support guidance is designed as a go-to tool for practical support and is available only to Vaillant Advance members.

Featuring expert advice from the Sales Resolution, APHC, and the Boiler Business, topics expand on the Business Clinic content from 2020 to include building income resilience, diversifying your business into new areas and low-carbon technologies. There’s marketing information too, including advice on how to segment your market, using digital media successfully, and how to be realistic about what you are trying to achieve; whether that’s maximising every customer lead or offering a stand-out service in a busy marketplace.

You can access all Advance business support tools and find out when new tools come online in 2021, as well as download the book, at: www.vaillant-

A virtual house featuring a range of Grant renewable heating technologies has been added to the company’s online Knowledge Hub. Visitors can step inside virtual reality to see how a Grant heat pump, cylinder, radiators and underfloor heating system can work together in the home.

The virtual house has been developed so that people can immerse themselves in a real home environment. It aims to help homeowners on their own journey to net zero by showing how renewable technologies can integrate seamlessly into their home.

Visitors enjoy warm feet as they walk over the underfloor heating system in the hallway, then walk to the back of the home to the cylinder that provides hot water storage. Stepping out into the garden, an air source heat pump is beside the property. Throughout the property are aluminium radiators.

Grant’s Knowledge Hub is an area of zones designed for homeowners who want to research renewable technologies, helping them to make informed decisions about the sustainable future of their own heating systems.