Gas Safe news
Reminder: what to expect at an inspection
Technical Gas in the Channel Islands
The stepping stone to renewables
Win: 5 chances to win a great prize from ElectricalDirect
The new Vaillant ecoTEC plus has been taken to the next level. Beneath its sleek, modern exterior, the latest ioniDETECT ionisation technology constantly monitors gas quality and adapts combustion to ensure improved efficiency and heightened performance.
Gas Safe news
Reminder: what to expect at an inspection
Technical Gas in the Channel Islands
The stepping stone to renewables
Win: 5 chances to win a great prize from ElectricalDirect
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06 Gas Safe news
Registration reminder: what can you expect from a work inspection by Gas Safe Register? Have your say on the draft of Technical Bulletin 014B: Working within scope of work categories
09 Around the industry
Are consumers being misled over green heating claims?
11 Domestic servitude: would you know what to do if you spot the signs of it in a customer’s home?
12 The good, the bad and the ugly
19 Letters
20 Industry Standard Update 117
IGEM/G/5 Edition 3 Gas
08 Be on your guard against guaranteed contracts. Here’s what they look like and how not to fall for a scam
in Multi Occupancy Buildings with Amendments April 2023
21 Industry Standard Update 118
IGEM/UP/9 Edition 3
– Application of gas systems to gas turbines and supplementary and auxiliary fired burners
15 Profile
We sit down with Screwfix’s Trade Apprentice 2023 to find out why she decided to train as a gas engineer, how she won the accolade – and what she plans to do next
24 Technical Commercial catering: the standards and competences that are required to work in this field PLUS we talk to
Issue 172 July 2023
specialist gas engineer Richard Stowe to get an insider’s view
27 Hybrids
A step towards renewable energy, at lower cost and with less upheaval for your customers
32 The Legislative, Normative and Informative Documents List
39 Training
41 Products
The latest launches from Baxi, Fernox, Martindale, Modutherm, RadMag, Resideo, Stelrad and Testo
Competition
22
We’ve teamed up with ElectricalDirect to give five readers the chance to win a set of 3 Knipex Cobra water pump pliers
Most people reckon there will need to be a lot more heating engineers in the future, skilled in renewable technologies as well as traditional gas-run systems. But a skills crisis could be looming: our own reader survey earlier this year found that 50 per cent of gas engineers are aged over 55, and just 5 per cent are 26-35. With so many engineers approaching retirement age, how should the industry encourage more people to consider a career in this field?
A focus on diversity and those who are currently under-represented is one way: women gas engineers are still few and far between, for example. In this issue, we talk to Katie Jones, who was crowned Screwfix Trade Apprentice 2023, to find out why she decided to become a gas engineer and what she thinks about working in the industry.
Gas Safety Week in September will focus on diversity too, showcasing the range of gas engineers and highlighting their experiences in the industry. With our reader survey also showing that 55 per cent of you have been a gas engineer for more than 21 years, we can’t wait to see these stories and find out how your experiences have helped to keep customers gas safe.
Nicki Shearer, editorGas Safe Register, PO Box 631, DARLINGTON, DL1 9GD
Email: enquiries@gassaferegister.co.uk, register@gassaferegister.co.uk or technical@gassaferegister.co.uk
Managing editor: Sue Harker sue.harker@gassaferegister.co.uk
Editor: Nicki Shearer editorial@registeredgasengineer.co.uk
News: Jennie Ward news@registeredgasengineer.co.uk
Publisher: Peter McCreary publisher@registeredgasengineer.co.uk
Technical consultants: Carl Banister, Stephen Gallagher, Jonathan Palmer, Rob Walkerdine
Production: Mark Turpin
Advertising enquiries only: Ian Carter ian@rgemagazine.co.uk
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email: wgardiner@circdata.com, Tel 01635 869 868
The views expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of Gas Safe Register. The publishers will accept an advertisement or other inserted material only on the condition that the advertiser warrants that such advertisement does not in any way infringe copyright or contravene the provisions of the Trade Descriptions Act. All copy is subject to the approval of the publisher, who reserves the right to refuse, amend, withdraw or otherwise deal with advertisements submitted to it at its absolute discretion and without explanation. All advertisements must comply with the British Code of Advertising Practice. ABC membership approved 19 March, 2009.
Registered Gas Engineer is written, designed and published by The Team on behalf of Gas Safe Register. 30 Park Street, London, SE1 9EQ
The engineer section of Gas Safe Register’s website has been revamped: the fresh, clean look is in line with the government’s design standards and supports better accessibility.
It’s easier to navigate too: when you log in to your online account, you’ll see a new dashboard that’s personal to you and that shows the functions you use most frequently.
The My Business section is where you can update your details, notify installations, view invoices and make payments. You’ll find lots of useful information in Help & Resources, including technical updates, marketing support, how-tos, this magazine and online learning. www.GasSafeRegister.co.uk/sign-in
Gas Safety Week 2023 will showcase the breadth and diversity of gas engineers and how they help keep the nation gas safe by bringing to life their personal and professional experiences.
As in previous years, the industry will be joining together to highlight the importance of gas safety, sharing messages far and wide. Every day throughout the week, a different theme will focus on different aspects of gas safety.
11-17 September 2023
Monday Showcasing the diversity of gas engineers
Tuesday The risks of unsafe gas appliances: carbon monoxide, gas leaks, fires and explosions
Wednesday Renting a property: advice for tenants and landlords
Thursday Avoid illegal fitters: always use a Gas Safe engineer
Friday Buying/selling a home: what to consider
Saturday Don’t DIY: always use a Gas Safe engineer
Sunday Safety tips as we head towards winter.
These themes are reflected in the free supporters’ toolkit, which you will receive when you pledge your support. The toolkit is full of materials that you can use to join in easily with the daily themes. It includes logos and images, pre-written social media updates, web banners, articles and factsheets and a press release template. You’ll also be able to order free leaflets and posters.
Find out more and sign up at: www.GasSafetyWeek.co.uk
A work inspection is an assessment of gas work that has been completed at a customer’s address/premises by a Gas Safe registered business.
Registered engineers are expected to demonstrate their competence periodically through the work inspection process. The Register engages with registered businesses to monitor the application of gas safety competence against the work categories for which they are registered.
Failure to allow a work inspection without a justified reason will be deemed a breach of the Rules of Registration and will attract appropriate actions in accordance with the Sanctions Policy. You must:
• Agree to the Register inspecting any addresses relating to the registered business where gas work has been carried out, provided that consent to do so has been given by the property owner/tenant.
• Ensure that a suitably competent and registered person representing the registered business is available for an inspection visit: inspection will take place where the gas work was carried out, at the registered business address or as agreed.
• Make available for inspection records of gas work, as well as any other information that shows how the registered businesses and its engineers make sure that gas work is safe.
If your business employs more than one engineer, you can decide which engineer you wish to nominate for the inspection, unless the Register has informed you of the engineer who you need to make available.
On the day of the inspection, you should have available two addresses (within 30 minutes of your business address) where gas work has been carried out, or you can undertake gas work during the inspection, for example, a service or a landlord’s gas safety record check. The inspector will aim to contact you in the week before your inspection, by either a text message or a phone call, to confirm the inspection arrangements.
It is important that you are prepared for the inspection and that you are available at the
appointed time. The inspector will introduce themselves and show you their ID card. At this point, you will be expected to have your ID card ready for inspection too. There will be an introductory explanation about Gas Safe Register and what is expected from you to maintain your gas registration.
The inspection consists of the following:
• The inspector will assess your technical knowledge through a question-based assessment. This is to gain an understanding of your underpinning knowledge of the competencies you hold.
• The inspector will also undertake a visual inspection of the key gas safety equipment that you should have available in order to undertake gas work competently. This may be kept in your vehicle but should be available for inspection on the day.
• The inspector will observe you undertaking practical gas work that is within your competence. This will be carried out on site at the nominated property where you have recently undertaken gas work. Please ensure you have the relevant tools,
Gas Safe Register operates a risk-based inspection programme using a range of factors that are used to profile the risk applied to businesses and individual engineers to determine the frequency of inspection. Businesses that are determined to be higher risk will be subject to a more frequent inspection programme.
equipment and consumables available to undertake this part of the inspection.
At the end of the inspection, the inspector will let you know the outcome. If you have been nominated for the inspection by your employer, the inspector may also feed back the results of the inspection to your employer.
Where defective or noncompliant work is identified during inspection, the issues will be reported in a defect notice served to the responsible business and the responsible person for the property concerned. All identified defects are recorded, even if the work is corrected by the engineer during the visit. This is done to ensure that an accurate record of defects identified is held and that trends can be monitored, reported and addressed.
Gas Safe Register will monitor for the completion of the remedial action and, when requested, it can arrange to re-inspect any remedial action where unsafe gas work has been attributed to a registered business.
Failure to correct work identified on a defect notice or inform the Register that the work has been completed will attract appropriate actions in accordance with the Sanctions Policy.
You can find more information about Gas Safe Register’s policies at: www.GasSafeRegister.co.uk/ about-us/our-policies
Technical Bulletin 053 ‘Modular boiler installations - competency requirements and applicable industry standards’ has been redrafted and will eventually be replaced by Technical Bulletin 014B ‘Working within scope of work categories’.
This will expand on other areas of industry that would also benefit from guidance for competency within the varied environments that gas engineers
may encounter during their working day.
TB 014B has been drafted for review and you now have the opportunity to tell the committee panel what you think about it and provide your comments and opinions.
Are you satisfied with its content as it is now? Or is there anything that you think should change? Is there any information missing that should be
included? Or anything else?
You can review the draft of TB 014B at: www.GasSafeRegister.co.uk/ tb014breview
The draft will be available for your feedback until 28 July 2023. It will then be removed so that your comments and feedback can be reviewed.
When you have reviewed the Technical Bulletin, please send your comments to technical@
GasSafeRegister.co.uk
Only Gas Safe registered engineers may comment, and you must provide your registration number in the email. Please use ‘TB 014B comments’ as the subject line in your email.
The Technical Team will not be able to respond to your comments and suggestions, particularly during the review process.
Emails offering gas engineers guaranteed work for a fee are doing the rounds again. Here, we explore what they can look like and how not to fall for a scam.
We’ve been hearing from people contacted out of the blue by companies offering them so-called guaranteed contract work in return for an up-front payment.
This is how they often pop up: a company contacts you by phone or email, offering you exclusive and guaranteed work in your area. The company, often describing itself as a property maintenance firm, says it wants to give you a contract to provide landlords’ gas safety record checks and maintenance of gas appliances in a specific postcode area.
It sounds great, doesn’t it? But here’s the catch: you’ll be asked for a fee to secure the ‘exclusive’ contract, often around £2,000. Or you may be invited to apply through a tender for the work.
Several gas engineers have contacted Gas Safe Register to say that they have never received any work despite paying the fee. Then they can’t get hold of the company to which they have paid their hard-earned money and can’t recoup it. These companies pop up regularly and change name frequently. Their addresses are often serviced offices and any phone numbers provided are not in service or go through to virtual assistants only.
Jon from Southampton says:
“We received this email last month and, in a follow-up phone call, I was offered a contract for approximately 45 landlords’ gas safety certificates and legionella risk assessments per month for three leading lettings agents, at £95 + VAT per visit. This would be an annual contract value of approximately £51,300 + VAT.
“The ‘contracts manager’ on the phone was very knowledgeable about the industry, and claims to have
been in the lettings maintenance business for many years. He said they take £3,500 + VAT commission, payable as £2,400 + VAT (£2,880) up front and £1,100 + VAT after six months.
“Our initial due diligence showed they only had a recent Companies House incorporation, their website domain names had only been registered earlier this year, and their address was just a generic office/business park. I told them we could only consider the work if we could pay the commission in arrears on a monthly basis. Then they immediately stopped all communication.
“A reverse image search on their website shows the staff photos on the Meet The Team page are all copied from unrelated LinkedIn profiles, so I am as certain as I can be that this is a scam.
“I have reported the websites to the National Cyber Security Centre, but I am sure other Gas Safe registered businesses are being targeted.
“Other businesses and sole traders may well have transferred £2,880 for nothing.”
We’ve heard similar stories from other gas engineers for some time now and we know some have lost money. The companies involved change name frequently, and often appear to have an office in Scotland while being registered in London. We’ve seen the original email sent to Jon, which makes no mention of having to pay for or pay commission on the contract offered.
“The email header reads: “Gas safety checks & maintenance
– SO postcode” and it goes on to state: “We are currently looking for a fully qualified gas engineer/ company to conduct gas safety certs for landlords.
“As a national company, we work with a number of property management firms & letting agents who require us to react to heating/boiler issues and also conduct gas safety certs and follow on remedials.
“The contract comes with a 14-day payment cycle and set remuneration for certain services. The chosen gas engineer/ company will also be responsible for booking their own diary.” ■
Our advice is to ignore it and remember what your mother told you: “If it sounds too good to be true, it usually is.” If you do decide to follow it up, be on your guard and do your research thoroughly before agreeing to anything.
If you suspect fraud, you can contact Action Fraud, the National Fraud and Cyber Crime Reporting Centre. Action Fraud says: “Action Fraud makes it easy and quick to report non-emergency fraud and cyber crime. You can also tell us about a suspicious call, letter, text or email even if you haven’t lost any money.” www.actionfraud.police.uk
People looking to buy ‘green’ home heating technologies can face difficulties and are not always treated fairly by businesses, a new report has found.
The report, published by the Competition & Markets Authority (CMA), raised concerns about the complexity of buying green heating and insulation products, as well as a lack of information.
Consumer protection in the green heating and insulation sector also highlighted examples of potentially misleading sales claims by
some businesses. This could lead to people buying heating products that may not be as green as advertised, or might put them off green alternatives altogether.
The CMA report found three key areas of concern. People often don’t know where to get the information they need and it can be unnecessarily complicated, which can put them off or lead to them fitting the wrong systems for their home.
It also said not all businesses are acting fairly: some may be
Older people who are in or at risk of fuel poverty are the focus of a £1million partnership by the UK’s gas infrastructure companies with three national charities.
Age UK, Age Scotland and Age Cymru are collaborating with Northern Gas Networks, Cadent, Wales & West Utilities and SGN to help older people understand and access support services, including benefits checks. It will also give information on how to use energy safely and efficiently at home.
The companies are providing each charity with resources, including funding for benefits advisers who will help older people gain access to the benefits and monetary support they’re entitled to, potentially increasing their household income by up to £2,000 a year on average.
Homeowners who make their properties more energy efficient could see their mortgage rate cut, under a government-backed pilot scheme.
Perenna Bank is to develop a long-term, fixed-rate mortgage that will incentivise customers to make their homes more energy efficient by offering to reduce their mortgage rate. It will receive more than £193,000 in government funding.
Another trial will see buy-to-let landlords add the cost of making properties more energy efficient on to their mortgage. This will
enable them to borrow the money for improvements. Ashman Bank will design and develop this, assessing the property’s energy efficiency, providing improvement options and incorporating the cost of carrying out the work on to the duration of the mortgage.
The projects are among 26 green finance products being developed and tested, backed by £4.1 million in funding.
They are aimed at encouraging and helping homeowners to make their properties more energy efficient with measures such as loft insulation.
making misleading claims about the cost saving or environmental benefits of their products. It added that businesses marketing boilers as ‘hydrogenblend’ or ‘hydrogen-ready’ risk greenwashing people into thinking these products are more environmentally friendly than they really are. This is because hydrogen is not available for home heating now.
Quality assurance schemes are not as effective as they can be. There are several different schemes, which can be confusing for people to
understand. The level and robustness of protections the schemes give to consumers also varies. Some people might miss out or have less protection than others, especially if something goes wrong.
To help people looking to buy green heating and insulation products, the CMA has published a new consumer guide, which sets out key considerations for people at each stage of the buying process and summarises their rights under consumer protection law.
Stelrad is to make electric radiators for the first time, in a new range that will be available in the autumn.
Its Electric Series will include around a dozen models, with different sizes available in each model. There will be standard radiators for any room, along with a selection of towel rails for bathrooms and en-suites.
Head of marketing Chris Harvey says: “The selection includes radiators that are dry,
dry stone and fluid-filled, and with fitted and Wi-Fi-enabled controls.
“Some of the new radiators will be three-in-one options, featuring a fan heater at the base of the radiator and manual controls that enable you to use the towel rail and the fan heater individually or together.
“We pride ourselves on being a one-stop shop for all things radiators and the arrival of the electric series builds on that claim still further.”
Almost half of heating installers (48 per cent) say they are not aware of the updates to Part L of the Building Regulations, according to new research. These findings from Polypipe Building Products also show that more than one-third say they do not keep up to date with changes to regulations.
The transitionary period to comply with updates to Part L of the Building Regulations came to an end last month and the new rules are in effect.
The survey of 150 heating installers also revealed that more
than one-quarter (27 per cent) don’t understand the Building Regulations at all and 30 per cent say that they have tried to gain an understanding of the updates but the regulations are not clear.
The research highlighted that there is also confusion when it comes to which projects the updates will affect. Of those surveyed, 37 per cent think that because they work on existing dwellings, the legislation won’t affect them, and one in four (23 per cent) say that they are not aware of whether the regulations affect new-builds.
England Lioness Lauren Hemp joined Worcester Bosch to donate a new boiler and put on an exclusive coaching session for a local Lancashire football club and its young players.
Coppull United FC is a vital
hub for aspiring local footballers but its boiler was beyond repair and the club could not afford a replacement.
Through Worcester Bosch’s Warming Your Community initiative, the club was able to secure an essential upgrade: Mark Heyes from Heyes Plumbing and Heating nominated the club and installed the donated Worcester Bosch boiler free.
Worcester Bosch asked Lauren Hemp to lead a day of training with young footballers. She says: “It is important having places like Coppull United.
If you’re self-employed, you need to tell HMRC about your income for each tax year by completing a self-assessment tax return. This is so that HMRC that can help you work out and pay any tax you owe.
You should register for self-assessment as soon as you can, and no later than 5 October after the tax year you became self-employed. So, if you became self-employed during the tax year ending 5 April 2023, you need to register by 5 October 2023. You can find more information online – go to GOV.UK and search ‘Register for Self Assessment’.
More than one-third say they have read Part L but don’t understand how it will affect their work. Conversely, 23 per cent know that the regulations might affect them but haven’t read the Approved Document.
Dan Love, head of Commercial at Polypipe Building Products, says: “The updated regulations will undoubtedly have a major impact on all domestic heating installers, no matter whether they work on new-builds or existing homes, which is why it is critical for installers to familiarise themselves
with the updates. Otherwise, they are putting themselves at risk of hefty fines and serious penalties.”
• See Industry Standard Update 110: Approved Document L: Conservation of fuel and power – Volume 1: Dwellings and Industry Standard Update 111: Approved Document L: Conservation of fuel and power – Volume 2: Buildings other than dwellings
You can view and download these documents by logging into your online account at: www. GasSafeRegister.co.uk/sign-in
There can always be talent in unexpected places, and we need to try and keep these grassroots spaces where people can express themselves and start their journey as a footballer, like I did.”
Installer Mark Heyes, who volunteers at the club, says: “I’m delighted to have been able to support the club even more. The new, efficient boiler will not only keep members warm but also help keep running costs down.”
You can nominate a local community group or individual at: www.worcester-bosch.co.uk/ warming-your-community
A new campaign is reminding employers of the benefits that apprentices can bring to their business.
And remember, if you were self-employed in the 2022-23 tax year, the deadline for your second payment on account is 31 July 2023. HMRC will send you a statement that shows how much you should pay. You can also check this by logging into your Personal or Business Tax Account. For more information, go to GOV.UK and search ‘Understand your self-assessment tax bill’.
If you don’t report your income through self-assessment when you should, or don’t make your payments on time, HMRC may charge you interest and penalties.
Apprenticeship provider JTL’s Just the Job! campaign highlights the talent and skills apprentices can offer. JTL says each apprentice it trains is equipped with skills relevant to modern standards in installation, safety, and technology, delivered at around 75 colleges throughout England and Wales.
Employers who take on a JTL apprentice receive a dedicated training officer to manage the apprenticeship process, from the initial appointment through to completion. All apprentices are supported with learning resources and receive a free toolkit for their workplace.
Apprentices are just the job, says JTL
can be helped by the National Referral Mechanism, through which they will receive specialist care and services specifically tailored to them. ■
If you encounter someone you believe to be a victim, the actions you should take depend on the circumstances: Consider contacting your local police force on 101. However, in an urgent situation where you think the victim
Consider contacting the Modern Slavery Helpline
Bear in mind that any person accompanying the victim may be a perpetrator, regardless of how they may appear towards them. So try not to alert them to your concerns or suspicions. Try to gather as much information/details as you can to pass to the police or Modern Slavery Helpline to give them the
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Registered Gas Engineer wants to see your pictures – whether you’ve come across some horrors or instances of really good work. Please email your stories and pictures to editorial@registeredgasengineer.co.uk or via Twitter to @RGEMag
Rus noticed this unusual arrangement: someone had decided to use the chimney/flue terminal to secure a bracket for their garden hose. He advised the occupants and it was removed.
Steven Hughes was alerted to a smell of gas when he arrived to fit a gas fire, which was really evident when the customer opened the door and let him in. After turning the off ECV and investigating further, he found the base of the gas meter had corroded through. The meter has been replaced.
Chris Andrew came across this chimney/ flue installation on a first-year service. The correct chimney/ flue terminal and plume kit have now been fitted.
We may share some of your pictures on social media, so remember to include your contact details so we can tag you (or let us know if you’d rather we didn’t).
Simon Western found the condensate pipe run below the bath when he was attending a boiler fault. The pipe has now been upgraded and installed correctly.
Darren Langrish removed the damaged burner on a two-yearold boiler after the customer had reported that it was lighting with a bang. The burner has been replaced and boiler is now operating correctly.
Steve Smith identified gas escapes on unprotected copper pipe behind a gas fire because soot was corroding the pipe. This is why gas pipework needs to be protected in a corrosive environment. It has been replaced and protected.
This chimney/flue terminal was noticed by Gavin Hughes while he was working in a neighbouring property. When the boiler was on it looked like a dragon was puffing out smoke, he says.
Karl Micklethwaite was asked to trace and repair a gas escape. He found the condensate pipe behind kitchen units was leaking on to the copper gas pipe and had corroded it through. The pipework was replaced.
Graham Freeman attended a hob on a boat where one of the burners wouldn’t stay lit. After testing the appliance, he found that the thermocouple had failed due to strangulation.
This MDPE gas supply pipe had been left exposed. Terry Roper advised the gas transporter.
There’s a prize for the best photo sent in (in our opinion). Please remember to take your pictures at high resolution and email them to: editorial@registeredgasengineer.co.uk
This month iHeat is giving away a 25-piece Wera Kompact tool set with tools and bits from Wera’s top 20 for plumbing and heating systems.
iHeat is one of the fastest-growing and most trusted boiler installation companies in the UK, seeing major success due to its forward-thinking approaches, as well as the convenience it provides for its engineers.
iHeat operates with a network of more than 300 self-employed installers all over the country, each having the freedom to manage their own workload at the touch of a button via the straightforward iHeat app.
The simplicity of iHeat’s strategy means engineers never have to worry about working out of their local area or working into the evening. iHeat takes care of all the logistics, invoicing, materials and customer communication for any job, freeing up installers to work as much or as little as they’d like.
Some installation companies carry out disruptive and delaying location assessments, whereas iHeat provides time-saving online quotes in as little as 60 seconds.
iHeat covers all types of boiler installation, including upgrades, conversions, servicing and back-boiler removals. Installing highly efficient and eco-conscious boilers from the most well-known and celebrated manufacturers in Europe, iHeat fuses simplicity with innovation, representing the future of the domestic heating industry. www.iheat.co.uk
This month’s winner is Simon Western from Swindon. Congratulations!
Apprentice gas engineer Katie Jones from Burscough in Lancashire has been named Screwfix’s Trade Apprentice 2023. Registered Gas Engineer caught up with her to find out what was involved in the competition, why she chose to join the industry and what the future holds.
What made you decide to become an apprentice gas engineer?
I left school with 10 GCSEs and was pushed into doing A-Levels, which were not for me. I quickly changed courses and completed a BTEC in Public Services.
I took a few years out working at a pub close to home, and from that landed a job touring with Westlife doing the catering and dressing rooms.
Then Covid happened: we were in lockdown and I applied for a job at a mobile testing unit, where I worked for over a year. On one shift, a colleague who used to be a college assessor offered me some advice and pointed me in the direction of learning a trade.
I looked up the types of trade I could go into and found that gas engineering fit perfectly for what I was after. My plan for the future is to go into property and so I wanted a career which went hand in hand with that. Gas engineering/plumbing fit perfectly as it would give me the skills and qualifications to renovate properties myself and it didn’t involve having to go to university.
I started my apprenticeship just after my 21st birthday.
How did you get your apprenticeship?
I knew I would have to find a company and I contacted more than 30 businesses. The Heating People in Southport loved my CV but they were not looking to take on any apprentices as they already had one. They did offer me some work experience, however.
I had only completed a week’s work experience when they offered me a two-year apprenticeship as they could see potential in me. I then enrolled on the Gas Engineering apprenticeship course at Southport College.
What is involved in being an apprentice gas engineer?
My week involves one day at college and then the other four days are on-the-job training at work. At college, we spend the morning learning the theory side of the course and then the afternoon is spent in the workshop developing our practical skills.
During the two-year apprenticeship, you have to complete a workbook at college and a portfolio of your practical work. I have received amazing support both in work from colleagues and at college from my tutor and classmates. Apprenticeships offer skills for life while being paid to learn.
Why did you enter the Screwfix Trade Apprentice 2023?
I wanted to encourage more women into the trades. I feel like I have a lot to offer the industry and there is a gap for female plumbers and heating engineers as there still aren’t many. I thought being crowned Screwfix Trade Apprentice would be a step in the right direction.
When will you qualify fully?
I am hoping to be qualified very soon. I have just submitted my portfolio, which will get sent off to City & Guilds and then I will be able to apply to become Gas Safe registered.
I plan to stay with the Heating People for a few years as they have invested a lot of time and effort into my training and gone above and beyond, paying for me to complete extra courses alongside my apprenticeship. Although I will be qualified, there is still a lot to learn within the industry and so it would benefit me massively to gain as much knowledge as I can before I look to start out on my own.
I plan to employ apprentices and do what I can to encourage more women into the trades.
Katie, 23, won a career-boosting £10,000 prize bundle including tools, tech and training, after successfully competing against nine other stand-out apprentices from across the UK and Ireland.
As part of the two-day final, Katie faced a panel of industry experts, including representatives from Screwfix, NICEIC, CIPHE, the Federation of Master Builders and Screwfix Top Tradesperson 2022 Toby Peacock.
Sammy Ough, head of Marketing Communications at Screwfix, says: “Katie showed a genuine passion for the plumbing and heating industry and a desire to learn new skills as the industry looks towards a sustainable future. All the judges were really blown away with her professionalism and drive to go the extra mile for her customers. We’re looking forward to seeing where this accolade will take her career.”
What do your customers think of you?
Customers are always surprised to see a woman doing a trade, especially gas engineering and plumbing as it can be messy work.
Everyone is always very positive about it, though, and some even prefer it.
I was recently working at a house where two young girls told their mum they felt a lot more comfortable with a woman tradesperson. They had a lot of work going on and I was the first woman in the trades that they had come across.
I am never treated differently by my colleagues but nine times out of 10 times I do hear, “isn’t it lovely to see a woman doing this kind of work”.
Unfortunately I get the odd sexist comment now and again. These do not faze me; I would
love to change the mindset of these people and prove that women are equally as capable of doing the job.
What would you say to your 12-year-old self?
I would say care less about what other people think of you. When I was 16 and choosing what career path to take, I considered everyone else’s opinions and was embarrassed to go down the route of an apprenticeship in a trade as it wasn’t the ‘normal’ thing to do.
Girls don’t get encouraged to learn a trade and so I believed I would get massively judged for doing so.
Now I realise it doesn’t matter what others think. I have skills for life and have come so far in the past two years. I can’t wait for what the future has in store for me. ■
I note the comments by Mr McManus, the managing director of Steibel Eltron UK, saying we should follow the example of Germany and push the market towards the use of renewable heating systems by banning installation of most gas and oil heating systems (Registered Gas Engineer, June 2023).
I could not disagree with him more.
How many working-class
people in this country will actually be able to afford to do this when they need to change their boiler? Very few, I suspect, given the high cost of living.
And from the limited knowledge I have on this, it is my understanding that, for the vast majority of people, this is simply not the right way of heating existing homes.
Plus, if this is done on a huge scale, doesn’t it put more pressure on the electricity grid,
I read the piece in June written by Peter Spurway of LG Electronics, “Ignore them at your peril”, with regard to the ongoing and, frankly, boring discussion regarding air source heat pumps. In Mr Spurway’s editorial, he indicates that there are “hundreds of thousands of heat pumps being installed in Germany this year and hundreds of thousands already fitted and operating very well in Scandinavia and North America”.
It is clear that Mr Spurway has no idea why air source heat pumps are so ineffective in the UK, as insulation to properties in the countries he outlines are far superior to the insulation in properties in this country.
While air source heat pumps may well offer an alternative to heating in new properties in the
UK, where insulation and SAP calculations make their installation so much better, existing properties do not have the same standard of insulation and I find his comments typically unhelpful, as well as those of many other manufacturers of heat pumps and politicians, who clearly have no understanding of the industry.
One example is what type of air source heat pump is to replace a gas-fired combi boiler or the space required for an air source installation.
Please stop the incessant misinformation and provide a true forum for intelligent discussion about future heating appliances without creating deadlines that clearly will not be met.
DT Peters, Crowthorne Heating Copotentially putting us in a situation where they would have to do load-shedding?
If we are looking at changes, then we should be looking at hydrogen for the majority of people who have gas central heating. I have been to the hydrogen house in Gateshead and that seems a better way for most of us.
I have nothing against renewables and I think there is a place for them in this country.
And they should go hand in hand with gas/hydrogen blending and eventually 100 per cent hydrogen in the right places and manner.
But having out-of-touch politicians – regardless of political party – ramming this down our throats as Mr McManus suggests is out of order.
Robert Ward, R Ward Gas ServicesI was called out to fix a boiler at a brand new property a few months ago. The customer couldn’t get the manufacturer out for five days, so I was given the green light to fix the boiler.
While carrying out the repair, I noticed the boiler wasn’t connected to an outside temperature sensor and therefore wasn’t running weather compensation. I informed the customer of this omission and explained that it was costing him 5-10 per cent of his gas cost.
The next day I went back to the site (they are still building houses) and spoke to the site manager, who informed me that, “we don’t do weather comp on this site”.
Sadly, the regulations that allow gas engineers to sign off their own work as complying with the regulations were not being followed and they were not complying with Part L.
I believe much of the problem is down to the fact that the ACS reassessment does not cover the Building Regulations and so changes are not communicated at a regular interval.
This results in old standards being maintained and ‘new’ technology such as weather compensation not being understood and adopted by tradespeople. This needs to change.
Richard Weir, Boiler BeeIGEM/G/5 Edition 3 – Gas in Multi Occupancy Buildings with Amendments April 2023
Date issued: 5 June 2023
This Industry Standard Update provides an overview of the recently published revised Industry Standard IGEM/G/5 Edition 3 with Amendments April 2023 – Gas in Multi Occupancy Buildings.
Introduction
During April 2023, IGEM published a revision to IGEM/G/5 Edition 3(1) IGEM/G/5 Edition 3 with amendments April 2023(2) Edition 3 (Communication 1874) supersedes IGEM/G/5 Edition 3 (Communication 1855), which is now obsolete. The revision to this standard comes into effect immediately.
To allow registered businesses time to carry out internal update training to reflect the technical requirements of the amended standard, Gas Safe Register will inspect to the new requirements of this Standard from 1 October 2023. However, this should not restrict businesses from applying the specification sooner.
The following is a brief overview of the amendments of IGEM/G/5 Edition 3 with Amendments April 2023.
General
The standard has undergone some minor changes and now includes reference to the Scottish Technical Handbook. It also contains a wording change in relation to network pipeline locations and gives more specific advice on where a network pipeline must not be installed.
Appendix changes
A change has been made to the appendix A2.10 Miscellaneous. The appendix now mentions the Domestic Technical Handbook dated 1 June 2022 from the Scottish Government.
Wording changes
Paragraph (c(i)) now states the network pipeline shall not be installed in a staircase for firefighting or in a lift shaft. The previous edition of the standard only mentions lift shafts and stairs.
Bibliography
(1) IGEM/G/5 – Edition 3 Gas in multi-occupancy buildings.
(2) IGEM/G/5 – Edition 3 with amendments April 2023 Gas in multi- occupancy buildings.
Summary
As previously stated, this Industry Standard Update is only a brief overview of the information contained in the amended standard. Registered businesses should be aware that they have a responsibility to ensure they are fully apprised of all the requirements of the whole published standard and their practical application.
IGEM/UP/9 Edition 3 – Application of gas systems to gas turbines and supplementary and auxiliary fired burners
Date issued: 14 June 2023
This Industry Standard Update provides an overview of the recently published revised Industry Standard IGEM/UP/9 Edition 3 Application of gas systems to gas turbines and supplementary and auxiliary fired burners.
Introduction
Recently IGEM published a revision to IGEM/UP/9 Edition 2(1). IGEM/ UP/9(2) Edition 3 (Communication 1863) supersedes IGEM/UP/9 Edition 2 (Communication 1705), which is now obsolete. The revision to this standard comes into effect immediately.
The following is a brief overview of the amendments in IGEM/UP/9 Edition 3.
General
The standard has been amended to update terms, references to legislation and other standards. It defines the installation requirements for gas systems supplying gas turbines and supplementary and auxiliary fired burners. The standard confirms that the scope no longer applies to turbines fuelled by fuel oil.
Sectional changes
Section 7 contains changes to acceptable standards for pipework materials. Purging instructions have been removed and it now advises that the system must be purged in accordance with IGEM/UP/1.
S7.4.2.2 previously stated a test pressure and now specifies that the final test pressure shall not exceed 90 per cent of the specified minimum yield stress (SMYS).
S7.6 Inspection and maintenance planning has more detailed information for inspection and maintenance and advises IGEM/UP/2 to be referenced to assess the inspection and maintenance requirements for the installation. A risk assessment must be completed in accordance with DSEAR. Any leak testing deemed to be required from the assessment must be performed.
AECVs and other appropriate valves should be checked for correct operation. An additional
reference to test instrumentation relating to combustible gas analysers and hydrogen-rich gases is now included.
S7.6.8.1 states that a monitoring programme should be created and is to be conducted at intervals, generated from a suitable risk assessment. This survey must confirm accessibility, etc. A gas leakage inspection is also to be conducted at intervals determined by a suitable risk assessment.
Section 9 directs vent pipe design, installation and testing to be completed in accordance with IGEM/UP/2 Edition 3 and should be tested to the appropriate standard used for the testing of the installation pipework.
The location of detectors from flammable gas detection systems is listed in S11.1.2.6 and states that they should be positioned in the vent outlet of the enclosure and that a two-stage alarm/shutdown system is preferred. The device should cause an automatic lock-out situation and operation of the AIV and dump valves.
S11.1.3.1 is a new addition and specifies the requirement for general cooling air in addition to combustion air. The actual requirement should be specified by turbine manufacturer or equipment packager.
Ventilation around any potential leakage points and gas turbines is covered in S12.3.3 and shall be determined through a DSEAR assessment. Electrical systems must comply with 2016 (SI 1996/192 ATEX) rating.
A note in S13.2 states that downstream duct work and combustion must be diluted to a safe level and ensure that ancillary equipment temperatures and the temperature within the duct do not exceed 450°C.
Section 17 covers operating and maintenance instructions. This section now contains more technical detail and includes reference to gas valve tightness testing and operation, safety shut-off valve operation, proving system and flame detection systems, turbine safety circuits, and alarm trip systems. Written procedures must be prepared for all maintenance items and records must be kept. The work must be completed by a person competent to work on a compressor or booster.
Appendix changes
Some changes have been made to the appendix guidance: these include the addition of new units and definitions, and a vent pipe design diagram detailing size and termination position. New guidance has been added on checking safety shut-off systems.
Bibliography
(1) IGEM/UP/9 - Edition 2 –Application of Natural Gas and fuel oil systems to gas turbines and supplementary and auxiliary fired burners (Communication 1705).
(2) IGEM/UP/9 – Edition 3 –Application of gas systems to gas turbines and supplementary and auxiliary fired burners (Communication 1863).
Summary
As previously stated, this Industry Standard Update is only a brief overview of the information contained in the amended standard. Registered businesses should be aware that they have a responsibility to ensure that they are fully apprised of all the requirements of the whole published standard and their practical application.
Working on gas in Guernsey and Jersey is not the same as in the UK. The supplied gas is an LPG/air mixture that has different characteristics to natural gas.
Gas engineers who go to Guernsey and Jersey to work need to know the difference between the type of gas supply on the islands and the rest of the UK. You’ll need to undertake a competency test with the islands’ own HSEs before starting work.
While the UK and Northern Ireland use natural gas (methane) in the network, the gas supplied in Guernsey and Jersey is different, and is a mix of LPG and air known as mains gas. It’s piped through the gas network and combines air with butane or propane, or a mixture of both.
There are other differences too, such as the operating pressure for mains gas which is 14 mbar (+/-2) at the meter. Gas appliances shall be designed to work at this gas pressure and you must check this compatibility when you work on the appliance.
The use of butane, propane or a mixture of both in the network can vary and affect the ignition temperature of the gas at the appliance. So can the specific calorific value of the gas: so the stated calorific value is an average of the gas supplied. Specific details of the supply can be provided by the local gas supplier.
An LPG/air mixture gives a
different flame picture, which shows a yellow-tipped blue flame when combusted instead of the all-blue flame of a natural gas flame picture.
Domestic gas pipework design can be followed from BS 68911, which guides on the correct pipe sizing and pressure absorption across the pipework. IGEM UP/1B Edition 32 guides on the procedures of purging and tightness testing of LPG/air mixtures.
Working safely, competently and within the regulations in the Channel Islands is not as simple as packing your tools and getting a ferry to these beautiful Islands: it will need some preparation and consideration before taking on that gas work. You need to be Gas Safe registered and the Register does inspect gas engineers and businesses as part of its work there to ensure safe working practices and public safety. ■
Bibliography
1 BS 6891:2015 – Specification for the installation and maintenance of low-pressure gas installation pipework of up to 35mm (R1¼) on premises
2 IGEM/UP/1B Edition 3 +A: 2012 –Tightness testing/direct purging of small Liquefied Petroleum Gas/Air, NG/ LPG installations
Part of competency is the knowledge of local requirements. The required legislative documents for Jersey and Guernsey are included in the collection of Legislative, Normative and Informative Document List (LNIDL), which includes all the relevant gas documents for Guernsey and Jersey.
The LNIDL is updated every three months and the most recent version is on pages 32-37 of this issue.
You can also view and download an online version of the document with online links to the required documents by signing into your Gas Safe Register online account at www.GasSafeRegister.co.uk/sign-in
The online version includes an easy search for information such as Jersey’s Approved Code of Practice 13, Safe work with Gas Systems and Appliances, and Guernsey’s Approved Code of Practice Ordinance 2006, updated 2010.
Guidance on gas work is provided in the appropriate British Standards, IGEM documents and Liquid Gas UK Codes of Practice, when they are recognised in the Codes of Practice for each island. Local Building Regulations and the Health and Safety at Work regulations shall be also followed. Reminder: you are expected to have gas safety and local knowledge/competence of the gas systems you are working on.
(mbar) (+/-2) 21 14
Ignition temperature (°C) 704 530 (propane) 408 (butane)
Note: These figures are approximate and given as an indication of the differences that can be experienced when working in the Channel Islands and the UK. Some are not exact because gas calorific value and the mixtures will vary.
The commercial catering sector is a specialist field and gas engineers who are trained and qualified to work in this environment need to know and understand the requirements of both BS 61731 and IGEM/UP/19 Edition 22. These documents do not apply to mobile catering or event catering, which are covered by Liquid Gas UK CoP 24 Part 33 BS 6173 refers to DW 1724 for ventilation systems but the design, installation of the canopies, extract and supply air is usually undertaken separately by a specialist heating and ventilation contractor.
BS 6173 covers the installation of kitchen equipment and how catering areas shall be ventilated to provide air for combustion, and to remove combustion products and steam from the cooking process.
In 2001, new requirements were added that gas installations in commercial kitchens must be interlocked. The standard recognises the fact that the extraction/ventilation of products acts in the same way as any other mechanical fan-assisted flue for gas appliances and so is a safeguard to prevent appliances operating in the event of mechanical failure.
The standard was reviewed and published again in 2009, adding a requirement to carry out air-quality sampling in commercial kitchen areas.
More detail on how interlocking and air testing should be carried out is given in IGEM/UP/19.
The requirement for any interlock of a catering installation is to ensure adequate air quality and to prevent appliance operation should an air extraction or supply component fail. Interlocks shall:
• Be reliable and suitable for their intended duty and consider maintenance and testing requirements of the devices, where applicable
• Be independent of other functions unless their safety function cannot be affected by such other functions
• Be compatible with other components, equipment, and functions
• Provide suitable and reliable protection: that is, fail-safe modes, redundancy, diversity, and self-diagnosis
• Be able to monitor the correct air provision and/or quality conditions as required and cause shutdown condition of the system, requiring a manual
Carbon dioxide monitoring
– used to ensure a safe working environment, where combustion products are emitted into the kitchen area and provide further proof of fan performance. IGEM/ UP/19 specifies the installation of CO2 monitoring in new kitchens (including their location and height) and that they shall only be used in conjunction with either an air flow, air pressure or fan power monitoring interlock, irrespective of whether the appliance is flued or flueless.
The actuation of the CO2 alarm when the level is above 2800ppm shall cause visual or audible warning. If the level rises above 5000ppm, the interlock will cause lockout of the gas system.
Industry Standard Update 115 highlights the main changes in IGEM/UP/19 Edition 2. You can read and download Industry Standard Updates by logging into your online account at www.GasSafeRegister.co.uk/sign-in
reset upon a failure occurring
• Control systems shall comply with BS EN 60730-1:20165 and automatic gas valves shall comply with BS EN 1616 They shall not incorporate any override.
Interlock systems are described as:
Air flow monitoring – simply, a vane switch that has a pre-determined weight adjustment in the flow of air and products of combustion.
Air pressure monitoring
– interlock system that senses the correct operation of fans using differential pressure sensing.
Fan power monitoring
– monitors the power or current consumption of the fan motor(s) to ensure that they are within a specific tolerance of the commissioned values. They are less prone to failure caused by grease affecting the sensing element.
Air quality testing
Air testing shall be carried out when:
• A new gas and or ventilation system is installed and commissioned
• When working on gas equipment for the first time, carrying out service/ maintenance on gas or ventilation system, including installing additional or replacement gas appliance or part of gas-fired item
• Following replacement of fan motors or other ventilation equipment
• If you suspect that the extract system is not performing correctly, such as working environment issues reported by staff (high heat or condensation). Analysers conforming with BS EN 505437 are used for direct reading of CO2 when undertaking air testing.
Important: Most electronic portable combustion gas analysers are not suitable as they do not measure CO2 directly.
Air testing is carried out with appliances operating under maximum load condition and without utensils. Ventilation systems shall be operating normally. With demand-controlled kitchen ventilation (DCKV – known previously as variable-speed drives), the test shall be performed at the lowest setting and throughout variable speed settings. The measurement of CO2 is taken at three points within the kitchen work area(s) at a height of 2m above floor level and the average of the readings is taken. CO2 readings below 2800ppm are usually considered safe. EH408 sets a maximum exposure limit of CO2 at 5000 ppm/8 hour time-weighted average.
Using IGEM/G/11 – the Gas Industry Unsafe Situation Procedure – CO2 of between 2800ppm and 5000ppm is classified as At Risk, while readings above 5000ppm are Immediately Dangerous. ■
Bibliography
1 BS 6173 – Installation & maintenance of gas-fired catering appliances for use in all types of catering establishments (2nd and 3rd family gases) –Specification
2 IGEM/UP/19 Edition 2 – Design and application of interlock devices and associated systems used with gas appliance installations in commercial catering establishments.
3 Liquid Gas UK CoP 24 Part 3 –Use of LPG for Commercial Catering Events, Street Food and Mobile
Catering
4 DW 172 – Specification for kitchen ventilation systems
5 BS EN 60730-1 – Automatic electrical controls - Particular requirements for automatic electrical pressure sensing controls including mechanical requirements
6 BS EN 161 – Automatic shut-off valves for gas burners and gas appliances
7 BS EN 50543 – Electronic portable and transportable apparatus designed to detect and measure carbon dioxide and/or carbon monoxide in indoor ambient air. Requirements and test methods
8 EH40/2005 Workplace exposure limits, HSE Books
Since Richard set up his company Canary Gas in 2015, he has learned an awful lot about gas equipment in kitchens. Whether it’s in takeaways, restaurants, fish and chip shops, hotels or mobile catering units, the Oswestry gas engineer has seen most things.
Food outlets call him so that he can check their catering appliances and provide their gas safety records. But he sees a lot of issues, including burners with no flame supervision devices, problems with interlocks, and extraction that gets turned down or off because kitchen staff feel cold or it’s too noisy – or because owners believe that turning it down will uses less power (this may not be the case as it could put the motor under stress).
When he arrives at site, he always carries out a visual risk assessment first, and sometimes calls Gas Safe Register’s Technical Team for their input. He says problems are often caused by cutting corners on gas safety and maintenance.
“A few years ago at a reputable hotel,” he says, “they had three chefs cooking a lot of steaks. Steaks create a lot of airborne particles but the kitchen was running with no extraction at all. I told the customer that it was a health risk to his staff and issued a warning notice.”
When he returned a week
later, the fan had not been fixed.
Richard generally takes the approach of educating and advising his customers about why they need to make sure that kitchens are safe environments.
“We are expected to conduct checks on commercial catering equipment to verify that no products of combustion are present at high levels and when there is often a lack of sufficient air movement to remove the products of combustion, let alone provision for replacement air.
“It’s best to educate users on the dangers but they know that it could cost a lot of money to put things right.” he says. “Some kitchens contain huge pieces of equipment that use a lot of gas – an average fish and chip frying range is 120kW and each pan is a separate unit.”
He’s seen a sharp increase in the number of mobile catering units too, often bought by people who are unaware of the gas safety measures that are needed. “I’ve seen some real horrors that I’ve had to ID straight away. I’ve looked at it and I’ve thought, how have you managed to stay alive? Why would you look to buy a catering trailer or van and not take a professional with you who knows about it?” ■
All photos taken at jobs attended by Richard Stowe
Richard wasn’t always a gas engineer: he’s also a time-served sheet metal worker and coded welder. He worked in aerospace before starting his own company in 2002, designing and making commercial extraction companies, which is still running alongside Canary Gas.
As well as holding domestic competences in natural gas and LPG, he has COMCAT 1,3,4 and 5 and TPCP1.
to it. Notice that it’s bending
roof
a cellar. Not a good idea because the corrugations trap the high fat content that comes off all frying ranges. It’s a fire hazard, to say the least
The mobile catering trailer above was a real carbuncle, with dangerous scenarios waiting to cause a serious problem. Whoever fitted it obviously thought it was OK to fit rubber hoses adjacent to a burner. The burners were controlled with needle valves, which were leaking gas. Richard says he is amazed that nobody was seriously injured or worse
Hybrids are ideal for replacing combi boilers without the upheaval and additional cost of a full heat pump installation, says Henk van den Berg, strategic business manager –Heating & Renewables – at Daikin UK.
Hybrid heat pumps are a great stepping stone to renewable heating. Installation, commissioning and servicing are similar to traditional gas or oil boilers, as is their operating menu, thermostat unit and heat output – with a quick and easy install alongside a manageable upfront cost.
They combine renewable heat pump technology with a gas boiler to ensure maximum efficiency. The technology is best suited to smaller homes in urban areas that are likely to have a combi boiler, and where the shell of the building is not energy efficient enough to be heated by a fully renewable system.
They are ideal for home renovations and replacing old boilers. As the efficiency of the building is improved and upgraded over time, the hybrid system’s operation mode can be gradually shifted in favour of the heat pump.
Around 80 per cent of boilers sold now are combis1, which makes that the potential market opportunity for hybrids. And training on these systems now means that you can grow your scope of work and futureproof your business as fossil fuel heating is phased out.
Because making a change and choosing fossil fuel alternatives is so critical, the government is incentivising homeowners to choose renewable energy sources to heat their homes. There are a number of schemes your customers can take advantage of.
This involves having a set of heat meters, electricity meters and temperature sensors installed on a new heat pump system. These check how well the system is performing and helps to inform future research on the performance of heat pumps. Homeowners can receive an up-front payment of £805, plus £115 per year for seven years, totalling £1,610.
Homeowners in Scotland can apply for a grant of up to £7,500 to install heat pumps, including hybrid systems, with an additional £1,500 for homeowners in rural areas.
In July 2020, the government launched the Local Authority Delivery (LAD) Scheme, with up to £500 million of support for English local authorities to use when improving the energy efficiency of homes occupied by those on low incomes. Funding is currently being allocated to successful applicants and this phase of the LAD Scheme funds can be used to install forms
of hybrid heating for homes currently heated by mains gas.
Extending the Boiler Upgrade Scheme until 2028 is a positive step but there’s a real need for transitional technologies such as hybrid heat pumps to be included. These systems have already been successful in transitioning homes to greener forms of heating in other European nations and we hope the government will extend the scheme to cover hybrids in due course.
The government is considering whether courses such as the Heat Pump Association’s five-day foundation should be mandatory for heat pump installers. The course is closely aligned to industry requirements and covers the fundamentals of how a heat pump works, as well as technical details on the installation and how to choose the right heat pump. On top of this, product-specific training is a good idea for heating engineers who want to get every install right first time. ■ 1 www.uswitch.com/energy/boilers/ boiler-statistics
Smart programming on Daikin Altherma’s air-to-water hybrid heat pump helps to save up to 35 per cent more energy than a traditional condensing boiler by automatically determining the most economical and energy-efficient operating combination, based on energy prices, outdoor temperatures and indoor heat capacity.
Its compact design requires minimal installation space and integrates with existing pipework and radiators so that homeowners don’t need replace their entire heating system.
Daikin provides a three-level training course format on Altherma air source heat pumps, including monobloc, low-temperature, hightemperature, hybrid and water source heat pump ranges.
The first level, Standard Installation, is ideal for anyone who is only involved in basic installations. The second level, Advanced Installation and Commissioning, covers the skills required for effective troubleshooting – valuable for those who are involved in a number of different types of installation.
For competent installers, Service and Fault Finding covers all types of servicing tasks. Advanced heat pump maintenance and faultfinding requires F-Gas qualification, too, for the safe handling of refrigerants as well as hydraulics.
Everyone who completes the course will leave with the skills and knowledge to offer hybrid heat pumps to homeowners looking to start their decarbonisation journey.
“Product-specific training is a good idea for heating engineers who want to get every install right first time.”
Darran Smith, technical manager at Alpha, looks at why a hybrid solution provides a better option for some homeowners than a full heat pump installation, and answers some of the questions that heating engineers frequently ask.
The domestic heating sector is set to go through a revolution over the coming years. Homeowners will undoubtedly be looking to heating engineers to help them decide how to move towards renewable energy. There are a host of electric heat pumps coming to the market but many homes may not meet the requirements to take on a heat pump-only offering.
One option is a hybrid approach, where a heat pump is installed to provide the majority of the space heating, with a boiler back-up to provide hot water. When combined with smart tech controls, you have high-efficiency heating and hot water that provides a perfect pathway into renewable heating.
Why a hybrid?
You’ll need to work with the homeowner to discover the best solution for them. Many homes may not be ready for a full heat pump. This could be down to a number of factors:
• Poor insulation
• The need to replace older radiators with new, bigger and more effective models
• The property may be older, with solid walls and no cavity insulation
• The property may be listed and therefore harder to modify
• Not having a suitable location for a full heat pump solution
• Cost.
A hybrid could be the answer. Because the system can run off the existing pipework, your customer doesn’t need to worry about drastic changes to their heating system, such as upgrading radiators and pipework. The system cleverly combines live energy prices with the outdoor temperature to choose the most efficient combination to heat the home. And, when hot water is needed,
Alpha’s most recent hybrid heat pump course provides training in packaged heat pump solutions. The one-day hybrid course is free and includes: key features of the Alpha hybrid solution, considerations when fitting a heat pump, system design, positioning and installation.
✔ Is the property suitable? You’ll need to discover if the home has sufficient space and the correct clearance, as well as whether it falls within permitted development or needs planning permission
✔ Is there sufficient power supply? We recommend that the heat pump is wired to the consumer board, with its own breaker (16amp). Do you have the correct cables and has a Part P registered electrician attended before installation?
✔ Are you ready for installation? Make sure you’ve got the correct pipe lagging and choose to use either an antifreeze valve or add glycol to the system
it is provided instantly by the gas boiler.
A full heat pump system can be costly, but a hybrid approach provides a transitional step to renewable energy at a lower cost. Over time, customers can upgrade their radiators, use the heat pump more and watch the efficiency change as the house adjusts to a low-temperature system.
FAQs
Q. Does the system work on microbore?
Yes, we have installed systems on microbore and have not received any negative effects. However, increasing pipe diameters will help
to increase efficiency. The system must be clean with good circulation for this to be successful.
Q. Does the hybrid need a buffer tank?
Not necessarily. We ask for 20 litres of ‘open volume’ to allow the system’s anti-freeze protection to function. Open volume can be unrestricted radiators or open flow-and-return pipework: think radiators without TRVs fitted.
Q. How much power does the heat pump draw?
The maximum absorbed current is 2.3kW, but in general running it
✔ Is the system commissioned properly? To achieve high efficiency, the system must be hydraulically balanced and correctly wired with the necessary account created for the smart controls (completed with accurate energy tariffs uploaded).
averages around 1,500 watts, depending on demand – similar to plugging in a hairdryer.
Q. Do I need to add glycol to the system?
You can: however, an anti-freeze valve is included that you can fit inside the heat pump’s casing. Fitting this eliminates the need for glycol. n
Mixed heating systems, such as the combination of radiators with underfloor heating (UFH), are becoming increasingly popular as homeowners look to be more sustainable in heating their home.
UFH enables energy and cost efficiency but generally needs a lower input temperature to work effectively, typically 40°-50ºC, given that they cover a wider surface area. With this lower flow temperature, less energy is required and so heating bills are likely to be lower.
When upgrading a system to incorporate UFH, it’s important to consider the suitability of the radiators. Historically, most gas boiler systems have been set to run at a flow temperature of around 80ºC and radiators will have been sized accordingly. However, if correctly installed and balanced, the same radiators will be able to deliver the desired levels of heat even with the lower flow temperatures required for UFH.
If the existing radiators aren’t suitable for lower flow temperatures, then upgrading them to a larger size will benefit homeowners in the long run when sustainable heat sources, such as heat pumps, become more widely adopted.
As the popularity of alternative heat systems increases, heating engineers will need to broaden their knowledge of the options available to ensure they can meet individual needs. There is also the matter of getting to grips with
which heating controls are compatible and fit in with the user’s lifestyle.
Smart heating controls are ideal when working with mixed heating systems. They can manage heating schedules for radiators and UFH from a single control. For installers, this reduces the need to understand the workings of several controls and means they don’t need to keep a large amount of stock.
For homeowners, this type of control offers makes it easier to manage their heating, adjust schedules as needed and operate the system remotely all in one place, rather than having individual controls for different heat sources.
Some homeowners switch to UFH because they are looking to save money on bills or because they want to do their bit towards sustainability. A smart heating control can help make improvements in both these areas.
A control system with multi-zoning capabilities means
with this type of system.
Energy-saving smart modes, such as Eco and Away, are a great addition to a household looking to automate the heating and maximise efficiency. These modes work by using optimum
better understanding of how they use their heating, without the hassle of having to evaluate reports taken from individual controls or their energy provider.
the user can heat individual rooms rather than the whole house, so using less energy. Research from the University of Salford found that energy consumption can be reduced by 19 per cent
stop and weather compensation, which enables the heating control to study the home’s thermal properties, learning when to switch off the energy source once the set point is reached. Research among Wiser users has found that using smart modes helped to reduce their energy usage by an average of 16 per cent.
A smart heating control can also help the homeowner gain a
They can provide an overall picture of how the system is working, helping homeowners to use their energy more efficiently. Wiser is also able to connect to the home’s smart meter, with its Insights+ giving even more visibility of energy use. This can help homeowners save an additional 7 per cent by enabling them to make more informed decisions about how they use their heating.
With the use of mixed systems gaining momentum, it’s worth digging into the best heating controls to use across different heat sources, and how they can fit into the daily lives of their customers. This will ensure that, when the time comes for customers to make the switch to mixed, they are confident in their heating engineer’s knowledge and recommendations. ■
www.draytoncontrols.co.uk
“A control system with multi-zoning capabilities means the user can heat individual rooms rather than the whole house, so using less energy.”
PartsArena Pro users can now identify the right part first-time and order seamlessly via the app, thanks to a new integration with BuyTrade.
A valuable resource for any heating engineer, PartsArena Pro provides everything there is to know about boilers and parts, along with the catalogue codes for all national stockists.
And now they have gone one step further, making PartsArena a complete solution by incorporating parts purchasing into the repertoire of features.
Using clever integration with online multi-merchant purchasing platform BuyTrade, heating engineers can now identify parts and view the
fulfilment options available from a number of leading UK merchants.
Not only is it the first of its kind in the parts market, allowing users to see all their purchasing options together in one place; they will also benefit from competitive parts pricing and choice from branch collection or delivery - as well as express same-day courier options nationwide.
Martin Jones, Managing Director of BuyTrade said, “Statistics show that heating engineers are wasting 15 full working days a year (on average) by having to delay jobs to make in-person purchases of workrelated items. BuyTrade displays the best fulfilment options and availability for an engineer to make a quick and informed purchase, with zero requirement to call round local merchants or check stock and prices online.
It allows businesses to be more efficient, saves them money and - most importantly - saves them time to spend on the job in hand, providing a better service to the customer.”
BuyTrade will also support engineers, free of charge, to source difficult to find products and assist with any returns.
Alison Chappell, Sales and Marketing Manager of PartsArena said, “Until now, the process of ordering parts has been absent in the mobile version of PartsArena. Thankfully, this integration has fulfilled what our customers have been asking for. We are delighted to be able to enhance the PartsArena Pro experience and provide our
customers with a complete endto-end parts solution.”
Parts ordering is now LIVE and included in the PartsArena Pro subscription. If you are not already a customer you can try it out now with a free 2 week trial. Monthly or annual subscriptions are available.
The Gas Safe Register Legislation & Standards Document List
Date issued: 1 July 2023
This document defines all documents recognised by Gas Safe Register as being Legislative, Normative (gas standards) and Informative reference documents. Some documents may only be available as hard copy documents, but the majority are available to download, either via Gas Safe Register’s engineer website or from the organisation or body promoting the document. In some cases, the document is only available for purchase from the organisation or a recognised supplier.
In this document list, the hierarchy of documents within the following tables is defined in order of significance.
Detailed first are Statutory Acts or regulations that are legally enforceable. These are followed by a recognised list of documents known as ‘Second Tier’ documents. This series of documents provides practical guidance on ways to comply with the functional requirements of Regulations. This guidance is not law, but provides information that, if followed correctly, will ensure that legal obligations have been met.
Where someone chooses to depart from this guidance, they will need to ensure that the method chosen provides equivalent or better standards of safety than the relevant published guidance. The guidance provided within appropriate second-tier documents will be used to assess compliance.
The next tier of documents is gas industry standards that are aimed specifically at the installation, commissioning or maintenance of gas equipment (pipework, appliances, etc). These are known as Normative Documents and are referred to as ‘Gas Industry Standards’. These documents, in conjunction with any available manufacturer’s instructions, will be used by Gas Safe Register to assess compliance.
Finally, the remaining listings provide details of links to other available information that is considered useful to help registered businesses comply with
their obligations and assist them in carrying out their day-to-day activities. These are referred to as Informative Documents.
Legislation
In this section, the listed documents are those brought to the Statute Book by an Act of Parliament and are referenced as Statutory Instruments (SI) or equivalent. These are the law in the respective countries as stated and must be followed. The SI Reference number (or equivalent) is preceded by the year of it being added to the Statute Book, ie, the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 has an SI Number of 1998:2451.
Regulations are in general written in a format that provides high-level requirements.
Documents supporting legislation
These documents provide practical guidance on ways to comply with the functional requirements of the Regulations. For the Building Regulations, these are outlined in a series of Approved Documents (AD) published by the appropriate government department responsible for the Regulations.
The ADs that currently apply to gas work are:
• A Structure
• B Fire safety
• F Ventilation
• G3 Hot water storage
• J Heat producing appliances
• L Conservation of fuel and power
• M Access to and use of buildings
• P Electrical safety in dwellings. Each document contains general guidance on the performance expected of materials and building work in order to comply with each of the requirements of the Building Regulations; and practical examples and solutions on how to achieve compliance for some of the more common building situations.
In this section are all the Gas Industry Standards published by
the three current Standard Setting Bodies, which are:
• British and European Standards (BSI)
• Institution of Gas Engineers and Managers (IGEM)
• Liquid Gas UK (formerly known as UKLPG).
One standard is published by National Caravan Council (NCC).
3. Documents under review
If it is known that the three-month validity period coincides with a period of time in which a standard being revised is out for public comment, the final date for comment will be included.
Gas Safe Register will use best endeavours to keep the documents under review as up to date as possible, but the Register is NOT responsible for reviewing, revising or updating industry standards. Where a registered business or industry stakeholder has an enquiry about revisions to guidance documents, this should be directed to the relevant Standard Setting Body.
Comments on draft standards can be submitted to:
• British and European Standards (BSI) https://standardsdevelopment. bsigroup.com (registration required)
• Institution of Gas Engineers and Managers (IGEM) www.igem. org.uk/technical-standards.html
4. Links to online documents
When viewing this document online, hyperlinks are active, so that you can open the document and read it or save it for later use.
However, all saved documents will be considered as uncontrolled versions and you should check that you are referencing the current version.
When Gas Safe Register inspects work undertaken by registered gas businesses in Great Britain, Northern Ireland, the Isle of Man and Guernsey, in the first instance, it will assess against the manufacturer’s installation instructions. Where these are not available or relevant, it will inspect
against the criteria as specified within legislative documents and relevant gas industry standards. However, it is recognised that, due to the differences of individual legislation used in different geographical areas, there will be some differences in application. While conducting inspections, due regard will be taken of the requirements of all appropriate guidance.
6. General
This Gas Safe Register document will be updated and republished on, or about, the following dates each year:
• 1 January
• 1 April
• 1 July
• 1 October.
If you identify an error in this document, or you are aware of reference documents that may be useful that you think should be added to future editions, please email: technical@ gassaferegister.co.uk
BSI, IGEM and Liquid Gas UK develop and publish guidance with the help of industry in the form of committees. Gas Safe Register does not have any responsibility for the development and publication of this type of guidance document. Where registered businesses and stakeholders have questions regarding these guidance documents, they should be directed to the relevant Standard Setting Body.
Health & Safety Legislation
Health & Safety at Work etc Act
1974 (GB)
The Management of Health & Safety at Work Regulations 1999 (GB)
The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 (GB)
Health & Safety at Work (Northern Ireland) Order 1978
Health & Safety at Work etc Act
1974 (of Parliament) (As applied to Isle of Man)
The Construction (Design & Management) Regulations 2003 (As applied to Isle of Man)
The Health & Safety at Work (General) (Guernsey) Ordinance, 1987 As Amended – Version May
2016
Gas Safety Legislation
The Gas Safety (Installation & Use)
Regulations 1998 (England, Scotland & Wales)
The Gas Safety (Installation & Use)
Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2004
Gas Safety (Installation & Use)
Regulations 1994 as amended & applied by the Gas Safety
(Application) Order 1996 (As applied to Isle of Man)
The Health & Safety (Gas) (Guernsey)
Ordinance, 2006 As Amended
Version – May 2016
Approved Code of Practice ‘Safe Work with Gas Systems and Appliances’ – Jersey
The Gas Appliances (Safety)
Regulations 1995 (As applied in the United Kingdom)
The General Product Safety Regulations 2005
The Gas Safety (Management)
Regulations 1996 (As applied in Great Britain)
The Gas Safety (Management)
Regulations 1997 (As applied in Northern Ireland)
Gas Safety (Rights of Entry)
Regulations 1996 as applied to Great Britain
Schedule 5 (Powers of Entry, etc) of The Gas (Northern Ireland)
Order 1996
Gas Safety (Rights of Entry)
Regulations 1983 as applied by the Gas Safety (Application) Order 1996 (Isle of Man)
Part 7 of The Health & Safety (Gas) (Guernsey) Ordinance, 2006 As Amended Version May 2016
Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences (RIDDOR)
The Reporting of Injuries, Diseases & Dangerous Occurrences Regulations
2013 (RIDDOR) (GB)
Reporting of Injuries, Diseases & Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1997
Reporting of Injuries, Diseases & Dangerous Occurrences Regulations
1999 (RIDDOR) (Isle of Man)
The Health & Safety at Work (General) (Guernsey) Ordinance, 1987 (includes RIDDOR-type reporting)
Building Legislation
Building Regulations (England and Wales) 2010
Building and Buildings, England & Wales, The Building Regulations & C (Amendment) Regulations 2015
Building Standards (Scotland)
Regulations 2004
Building (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2010
Building (Scotland) Amendment
Regulations 2011
Building (Miscellaneous Amendments) (Scotland)
Regulations 2013
Building (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2022
Building Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2012
The Building (Guernsey) Regulations 2012
Building Bylaws (Jersey) 2007
Building Regulations 2014
Construction (Design & Management) Regulations 2015 (Great Britain)
The Construction (Design & Management) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2007
The Construction (Design & Management) Regulations 2003 (As applied to Isle of Man)
Building Control (Approved Documents) Order 2014 (As applied to Isle of Man)
Other Legislation
The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992
The Dangerous Substances & Explosive Atmospheres Regulations 2002 (DSEAR) (GB)
Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 (COSHH) (GB)
The Pressure Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016
The Pressure Equipment (Amendment) Regulations 2015 (UK)
The Pressure Systems Safety Regulations 2000 (GB)
Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations 2002 (GB)
Control of Asbestos at Work (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2003
The Control of Asbestos Regulations (GB) 2012
The Control of Asbestos Regulations
(Northern Ireland) 2012
Managing asbestos (Isle of Man)
HSE Guernsey – Management of Exposure to Asbestos in Workplace Buildings and Structures – ACOP
HSE Guernsey – Control of Asbestos – ACOP 2017
The Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 (GB)
Electricity At Work Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1991
Note 1: Further information on ordinances in Guernsey at: www.gov.gg/hseguidance
Note 2: Further information on legislation in the Isle of Man at: www.gov.im/categories/planningand-building-control/
Key Approved Documents to the Building Regulations (England)
Approved Document 7: Materials and workmanship
B: Fire Safety – Volume 1: Dwelling houses
B: Fire Safety – Volume 2: Buildings other than dwelling houses
F: Ventilation Volume 1: Dwellings
F: Ventilation Volume 2: Buildings other than dwellings
G: Sanitation, hot water safety & water efficiency (2016 edition)
J: Combustion Appliances & Fuel Storage Systems
L: Conservation of fuel and power –Volume 1: Dwellings
L: Conservation of fuel and power – Volume 2: Buildings other than dwellings
Second tier documents to the Building Regulations – England Code for Sustainable Homes & Technical Guide December 2014
Building Energy Performance
Assessment
Key approved documents to the Building Regulations (Wales)
B: Fire Safety – Volume 1: Dwelling houses
B: Fire Safety – Volume 2: Buildings other than dwelling houses
F: Ventilation
G: Sanitation, hot water safety & water efficiency (2016 edition)
J: Combustion Appliances & Fuel Storage Systems
L: Conservation of fuel and power Volume 1 - Dwellings
L: Conservation of fuel and power Volume 2 – Buildings other than dwellings. Out for comments
Second tier documents to the Building Regulations – Wales Code for Sustainable Homes & Technical Guide December 2014
Building Energy Performance Assessment
Key Approved Documents to the Building Standards (Scotland) Regulations (Domestic)
Scottish Technical Handbook (Domestic)
Section 2 – Domestic Fire
Section 3 – Domestic Environment
Section 6 – Domestic Energy
Building Energy Performance Assessment
Key Approved Documents to the Building Standards (Scotland) Regulations (Non-domestic)
Scottish Technical Handbook (Non-Domestic)
Section 2 – Non-Domestic Fire
Section 3 – Non-Domestic Environment
Section 6 – Non-Domestic Energy
Second tier documents to the Building Standards (Scotland) Regulations
Scottish Government Guide to the Condensing Boiler Installation Assessment
Building Energy Performance Assessment
Key Approved Documents to the Building Standards (Regulations) Northern Ireland
DFP Technical Booklet C: 2012 –Site preparation & resistance to moisture
DFP Technical Booklet E: 2012 –Fire Safety
DFP Technical Booklet C: 2012 –Site preparation & resistance to moisture
DFP Technical Booklet E: 2012 –Fire Safety
DFP Technical Booklet F1: 2022 –Conservation of fuel & power in dwellings
DFP Technical Booklet F2: 2022 –Conservation of fuel & power in buildings other than dwellings
DFP Technical Booklet K: 2012 –
Ventilation
DFP Technical Booklet L: 2012 –Combustion appliances & fuel storage systems
DFP Technical Booklet P: 2012 –Sanitary appliances, unvented hot water storage systems and reducing the risk of scalding
Building Energy Performance Assessment
Key Approved Documents to the Building Regulations Isle of Man (IoM)
B – Fire Safety – Fire safety (2022 Edition)
F – Ventilation (2022 Edition)
J – Combustion Appliances & Fuel Storage Systems (2022 Edition)
L1 – Conservation of Fuel & Power in Dwellings (2022 Edition)
L2 – Conservation of Fuel & Power in Buildings other than Dwellings (2022 Edition)
> Building Energy Performance
Assessment
Key Approved Documents to the Building Bylaws (Guernsey) –Channel Islands
B – Fire Safety – Volume 1: Dwelling houses
B – Fire Safety – Volume 2: Buildings other than dwelling houses
F – Ventilation
J – Heat producing appliances & Fuel Storage Systems
L1 – Conservation of Fuel & Power in Dwellings
L2 – Conservation of Fuel & Power – Buildings other than Dwellings Building Energy Performance
Assessment
Key Approved Documents to the Building Bylaws (Jersey) –Channel Islands
Part 2 – Fire Safety
Part 3 – Combustion appliances and Fuel Storage Systems
Part 5 – Ventilation
Part 11 – Conservation of Fuel and Power
HSE Publications and other
Approved Codes of Practice (Great Britain)
L21 – Management of Health & Safety at Work Withdrawn. See HSG65 below
L24 – Workplace health, safety & welfare (ACoP & Guidance)
2nd Edition
L25 – Personal Protective Equipment at Work
L56 – Safety in the Installation & use of Gas Systems & Appliances –
Approved Code of Practice
L80 – A guide to the Gas Safety (Management) Regulations 1996
L108 – Controlling noise at work –The Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005 – Guidance on Regulations
L122 – Safety of pressure systems – Pressure Systems Safety
Regulations 2000 – Approved Code of Practice (Second Edition)
L138 – Dangerous Substances & Explosive Atmospheres. Dangerous Substances & Explosive Atmospheres Regulations 2002.
Approved Code of Practice & Guidance
L143 – Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 (ACoP) –The management of asbestos in non-domestic premises, and Work with materials containing asbestos (Second Edition) Incorporating previous L127
L144 – Managing health & safety in construction – Construction (Design & Management) Regulations 2015
Approved Code of Practice
HSG47 – Avoiding danger from underground services – Third edition 2014
HSG48 – Reducing error & influencing behaviour
HSG65 – Managing for Health & Safety Management –
Third Edition – 2013
HSG85 – Electricity at Work –Safe working practices –
Third Edition 2013
HSG97 – A step by step guide to Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) assessment (see also COSHH Essential Guidance publications)
HSG137 – Health Risk Management
– A practical guide for managers in small & medium-sized enterprises
HSG176 – The storage of flammable liquids in tanks
HSG210 – Asbestos Essentials –A task manual for building, maintenance & allied trades on non-licensed asbestos work (Free task sheets)
HSG213 – Introduction to Asbestos Essentials
HSG250 – Guidance on permit-towork systems: A guide for the petroleum, chemical & allied industries
HSG253 – The safe isolation of plant and equipment (Second edition)
HSG261 – Health & safety in motor vehicle repair and associated industries
EH40 – Occupational Exposure Limits (2020)
INDG163 (rev4) – Risk assessment
(A brief guide to controlling risks in the workplace)
INDG223 (rev5) – Managing asbestos in buildings (A brief guide)
INDG231 (rev1) – Electrical safety and you (A brief guide)
INDG258 (rev1) – Confined spaces
(A brief guide to working safely)
INDG428 (08/09) – Inspecting and maintaining or replacing buried metallic pipework carrying LPG vapour
INDG223 – Manage buildings? You must manage asbestos
INDG370 (rev1) – Controlling Fire and explosion risks in the workplace – A brief guide to the Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regs
INDG453 (rev1) – Reporting accidents and incidents at work. A brief guide to the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR)
HSE aO – Advice on non-licensed work with Asbestos. Introduction to ‘Asbestos essentials’ task sheets
Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Essentials guidance publications
Building Bulletin 101 – Ventilation of school buildings (Called up in IGEM/ UP/11 Edition 2)
LAQM.TG(09) Local Air Quality Management – Technical Guidance
CAIS10 (Revision 2) – Ventilation of kitchens in catering establishments (7.12)
CAIS23 (Revision 2) – Gas safety in catering and hospitality (July 2013 version aimed at those operating catering and hospitality businesses)
Note 3: Further asbestos-related guidance at: www.hse.gov.uk/ asbestos/essentials/index.htm
Note 4: Further Health and Safety Guidance (HSG) publications at: www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/books/ index-hsg-ref.htm
HSENI Publications and other Approved Codes of Practice (Northern Ireland)
A guide to the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases & Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1997
L56 Safety in the installation and use of gas systems and appliances – GB ACOP approved for use in NI Memorandum of guidance on the Electricity at Work Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1991
Note 5: Further information on Northern Ireland Approved Codes of Practice and guidance notes at: www.hseni.gov.uk/publications
HSE Publications and other Approved Codes of Practice (Guernsey)
Safety in the Installation & Use of Gas Systems & Appliances. The Health & Safety (Gas) (Guernsey) Ordinance 2006
The Organisation & Management of Health & Safety in Construction (Guernsey)
Reporting an Injury, Disease or Dangerous Occurrence (Guernsey)
Note 6: Further information on Approved Codes of Practice and guidance notes for gas safety and other important issues at: www.gov.gg/hseguidance
British & European Standards
BS 4163: 2014 Health and safety for design and technology in schools and similar establishments – Code of practice
BS 5440-1: 2008 Flueing & ventilation for gas appliances of rated input not exceeding 70kW net (1st, 2nd & 3rd family gases) Specification for installation of gas appliances to chimneys & for maintenance of chimneys. Under review
BS 5440-2: 2009 Installation & maintenance of flues & ventilation for gas appliances of rated input not exceeding 70kW net (1st, 2nd & 3rd family gases). Specification for installation & maintenance of ventilation provision for gas appliances. Under review
BS 5546: 2010 Specification for installation & maintenance of gas-fired water-heating appliances of rated input not exceeding 70kW net
PD 54823: 2016 Code of practice for domestic butane & propane gas-burning installations. Installations in boats, yachts & other vessels
BS 5864: 2019 Installation & maintenance of gas-fired ducted air heaters of rated input not exceeding 70kW net (2nd & 3rd family gases).
Specification
BS 5871-1: 2005 Specification for installation & maintenance of gas fires, convector heaters, fire/back boilers & decorative fuel-effect gas appliances – Gas fires, convector heaters, fire/back boilers & heating stoves (1st, 2nd & 3rd family gases)
BS 5871-2: 2005 Specification for installation & maintenance of gas fires, convector heaters, fire/back boilers & decorative fuel-effect gas appliances – Inset live fuel-effect gas fires of heat input not exceeding 15kW & fire/back boilers (2nd & 3rd family gases)
BS 5871-3: 2005 Specification for installation & maintenance of gas fires, convector heaters, fire/back boilers & decorative fuel effect gas appliances – Decorative fuel-effect gas appliances of heat input not exceeding 20kW (net) (2nd & 3rd family gases)
BS 5871-4: 2007 Specification for installation & maintenance of gas fires, convector heaters, fire/back boilers & decorative fuel effect gas appliances – Independent gas-fired flueless fires, convector heaters & heating stoves of nominal heat input not exceeding 6kW (net) (2nd & 3rd family gases)
BS 6172: 2010 + A1 2017 Specification for installation, servicing and maintenance of domestic gas cooking appliances (2nd & 3rd family gases)
BS 6173: 2020 Specification for installation of gas-fired catering appliances for use in all types of catering establishments (2nd & 3rd family gases)
BS 6230: 2011 Specification for installation & maintenance of gas-fired forced convection air heaters for commercial & industrial space heating (2nd & 3rd family gases)
BS 6400-1: 2016 Specification for installation, exchange, relocation, maintenance and removal of gas meters with a maximum capacity not exceeding 6m3/h – Part 1 – Low pressure (2nd family gases)
BS 6400-2: 2018 Specification for installation, exchange, relocation & removal of gas meters with a maximum capacity not exceeding 6m3/h (2nd & 3rd family gases) –Medium pressure (2nd family gases)
BS 6400-3: 2007 Specification for installation, exchange, relocation & removal of gas meters with a maximum capacity not exceeding 6m3/h – Low & medium pressure (3rd family gases)
BS 6644: 2011 Specification for Installation of gas-fired hot water boilers of rated inputs between 70kW (net) & 1.8MW (net) (2nd & 3rd family gases) – Incorporating Corrigendum No. 1
BS 6798: 2014 Specification for selection, installation, inspection, commissioning, servicing and maintenance of gas-fired boilers of rated input not exceeding 70kW net
BS 6891: 2015 + A1 2019
Specification for the installation and maintenance of low-pressure gas installation pipework of up to 35mm (R1¼) on premises
BS 6896: 2011 Specification for installation & maintenance of gas-fired overhead radiant heaters for industrial & commercial heating (2nd & 3rd family gases)
BS 7624: 2004 Specification for installation & maintenance of domestic direct gas-fired tumble dryers of up to 6kW heat input (2nd & 3rd family gases)
BS 7671: 2018 + A2: 2022 Requirements for electrical installations. Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) Wiring Regulations (formally IEE Wiring Regulations) – Eighteenth edition. Amendment to existing guidance document
BS 7967: 2015 Guide for the use of electronic portable combustion gas analysers for the measurement of carbon monoxide in dwellings and the combustion performance of domestic gas-fired appliances
BS 7967-5: 2010 Carbon monoxide in dwellings & other premises & the combustion performance of gas-fired appliances – Guide for using electronic portable combustion gas analysers in non-domestic premises for the measurement of carbon monoxide & carbon dioxide levels & the determination of combustion performance
BS 8313: 1997 Code of practice for accommodation of building services in ducts
BS 8446: 2020 Specification for the installation & maintenance of open-flued, non-domestic gas-fired laundry appliances.
BS 8660-1: 2011 Gas-fired micro-cogeneration appliances of rated thermal input not exceeding 70kW net Part 1: Specification for selection, installation, inspection, commissioning, servicing and maintenance of Stirling engine micro-cogeneration appliances
BS EN 721: 2019 Leisure accommodation vehicles –Safety ventilation requirements
BS EN 751-1:1997 Sealing materials for metallic threaded joints in contact with 1st, 2nd & 3rd family gases & hot water. Anaerobic jointing compounds
BS EN 751-2:1997 Sealing materials for metallic threaded joints in contact with 1st, 2nd & 3rd family gases & hot water. Non-hardening jointing compounds
BS EN 751-3:1997 Sealing materials for metallic threaded joints in contact with 1st, 2nd & 3rd family gases & hot water. Unsintered PTFE tapes
BS EN 1775: 2007 Gas supply pipework for buildings – Maximum operating pressure loss ≤5bar –Functional requirements
BS EN 12327: 2012 Gas infrastructure – Pressure testing, commissioning and decommissioning procedures –Functional requirements
BS EN 50292: 2013 Electrical apparatus for the detection of carbon monoxide in domestic premises – Guide on the selection, installation, use & maintenance
BS EN 15001-1: 2009 Gas installation pipework with an operating pressure greater than 0.5bar for industrial installations & greater than 5bar for industrial & non-industrial installations –Detailed functional requirements for design, materials, construction, inspection & testing
BS EN 15001-2: 2008 Gas installation pipework with an operating pressure greater than 0.5bar for industrial installations & greater than 5 bar for industrial & non-industrial installations –Detailed functional requirements for commissioning, operation & maintenance
BS EN ISO 10239: 2017 Small craft – Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) systems. Under review
BS EN 13410: 2001 Gas-fired overhead radiant heaters –Ventilation requirements for non-domestic premises (Amd Jan 03)
BS EN 1749: 2020 European scheme for the classification of gas appliances according to the method of evacuation of the products of combustion
Institution of Gas Engineers and Managers Documents (IGEM)
IGE/UP/1 Edition 2 Strength testing, tightness testing & direct purging of industrial & commercial gas installations. Under review
IGE/UP/1A Edition 2 Strength testing, tightness testing & direct purging of small low pressure industrial & commercial Natural gas installations (inc amendments published March 2005).
Under review
IGEM/UP/1B Edition 3 Tightness testing and direct purging of small Liquefied Petroleum Gas/Air, Natural Gas and Liquefied Petroleum Gas installations (with Amendments October 2012). Out for public comment
IGEM/UP/1C Strength testing, tightness testing & direct purging of Natural Gas and LPG meter installations
IGEM/UP/2 Edition 3 Installation pipework on industrial and commercial premises. Under review
IGEM/UP/3 Edition 3 Gas fuelled spark ignition and dual-fuel engines. Under review
IGEM/UP/4 Edition 4
Commissioning of gas fired plant on industrial & commercial premises
IGEM/UP/6 Edition 3 Application of compressors to Natural Gas fuel systems
IGE/UP/7 Edition 2 with amendments October 2008 Gas installations in timber framed & light steel framed buildings (inc amendments published October 2008)
Note 7: IGE/UP/7 – Edition 2 with amendments is available free at: www.igem.org.uk/resource/ ige-up-7-edition-2-a-2008-gasinstallations-in-timber-framed-andlight-steel-framed-buildings.html
IGE/UP/9 Edition 3 Application of Natural Gas and fuel oil systems to Gas turbines and supplementary and auxiliary fired burners.
IGEM/UP/10 Edition 4 with amendments March 2016 & February 2017 Installation of flued gas appliances in industrial and commercial premises
IGEM/UP/11 Edition 3 Gas installations for educational establishments
IGEM/UP/12 Edition 2 Application of burners and controls to gas fired process plant. Under review
IGEM/UP/16 Design for Natural Gas installations on industrial and commercial premises with respect to DSEAR
IGEM/UP/17 Edition 2 Shared chimney and flue systems for domestic gas appliances
IGEM/UP/18 Gas installations for vehicle repair and body shops
IGEM/UP/19 Edition 2 Design and application of interlock devices and associated systems used with gas appliance installations in commercial catering establishments
IGEM/GL/8 Edition 4 Notification, investigation and reporting of gas-related incidents
IGE/GL/9 Guidance for large gas consumers in dealing with Natural Gas supply emergencies. Available free at: www.igem.org.uk/resource/ igem-gl-9.html
IGE/TD/4 Edition 5 PE and steel gas services and services pipework. Revision expected
IGEM/G/1 Edition 2 Defining the end of the Network, a meter installation and installation pipework. Under review
IGEM/G/4 Edition 2 Definitions in the Gas Industry. Under review
IGEM/G/5 Edition 3 with amendments April 2023 Gas in multi-occupancy buildings.
IGEM/G/6 Gas supplies to mobile dwellings. Out for public comment
IGEM/G/7 Risk Assessment Techniques
IGEM/G/10 Non-return valves
IGEM/G/11 Edition 2 with amendments July 2022 The Gas Industry Unsafe Situations Procedure (GIUSP)
Note 8: IGEM/G/11 Edition 2 is available free at: www.igem.org. uk/resource/igem-g-11-edition2-gas-industry-unsafe-situationsprocedure.html
IGEM/G/11 Supplement 1
Responding to domestic CO alarm activations/reports of fumes after attendance by the emergency service provider or the Liquid Petroleum Gas supplier
Note 9: IGEM/G/11 Supplement 1 is available free at www.igem.org.uk/ resource/igem-g-11-supplement-1responding-to-domestic-co-alarmactivations-reports-of-fumes.html
IGEM/G/13 Domestic supply capacity and operating pressure at the outlet of the meter
Note 10: IGEM/G/13 is available free at www.igem.org.uk/resource/ igem-g-13-domestic-supplycapacity-and-operating-pressure-atthe-outlet-of-the-meter.html
IGE/GM/4 Edition 3 Flow metering practice for pressures between 38 bar and not exceeding 100 bar
IGE/GM/5 Edition 4 Electronic gas meter volume conversion systems. Under review
IGEM/GM/6 Edition 3 Non-domestic meter installations – Standard designs
IGEM/GM/7A Edition 2 Electrical connections for gas metering equipment
IGEM/GM/7B Edition 2 Hazardous area classification for gas metering equipment
IGEM/GM/8 – Pt 1 Edition 2
Non-domestic meter installations. Flow rate exceeding 6m3/h-1 & inlet pressure not exceeding 38 bar
Design
IGEM/GM/8 – Pt 2 Edition 2
Non-domestic meter installations. Location, housings and compounds
IGEM/GM/8 – Pt 3 Edition 2 Non-domestic meter installations. Fabrication, installation and commissioning
IGEM/GM/8 – Pt 4 Edition 2
Non-domestic meter installations. Operation and maintenance
> IGEM/GM/8 – Pt 5 Edition 2 Non-domestic meter installations. Notices and labels
IGEM/IG/1 Edition 2 Standards of Training in Gas Work
Note 11: IGEM/IG/1 Edition 2 is available free at: www.igem.org.uk/ resource/igem-ig-1-ed-2-standardsof-training-in-gas-work.html
IGEM/IG/1 Supplement 1 Standards of Training in Gas Work, Nondomestic training specification
Note 12: IGEM/IG/1 Supplement 1 is available free at: www.igem.org. uk/resource/igem-ig-1-supplement1-non-domestic-trainingspecification.html
IGEM/IG/2 Engineer’s Guide to relevant sections of IGEM/UP/19 in catering establishments
Note 13: IGEM/IG/2 is available free at: www.igem.org.uk/resource/ igem-ig-2-guidance-for-gasengineers.html
IGEM/SR/25 Edition 2 Hazardous area classification of natural gas installations (with amendments July 2013). Under review
IGEM/SR/29 Dealing with gas escapes
IGEM/H/1 Reference Standard for low pressure hydrogen utilisation
Note 14: IGEM/H/1 is available free at: www.igem.org.uk/resource/ igem-h-1-with-amendments-june2022-reference-standard-for-lowpressure-hydrogen-utilisation.html
Liquid Gas UK Codes of Practice (CoP)
UKLPG – LPG Technical Fundamentals
CoP 1 Part 1 Bulk LPG Storage at Fixed Installations – Design, installation & Operation of Vessels
Located Above Ground
CoP 1 Part 2 Bulk LPG Storage at Fixed Installations – Vapour Off-take
Small Bulk Propane Installations
CoP 1 Part 3 Bulk LPG Storage at Fixed installations – Examination & Inspection
CoP 1 Part 4 Bulk LPG Storage at Fixed Installations – Buried/Mounded LPG Storage Vessels
CoP 7 Storage of full & empty LPG cylinders & cartridges.
Revised guidance document
CoP 17 Purging LPG vessels & systems
CoP 21 Guidelines for Safety Checks on LPG appliances in Caravans
(Including Amendment Aug 2000)
CoP 22 Including Amd 1 Design Installation and Testing of LPG Piping Systems.
Revised guidance document
CoP 24 Part 1 Use of LPG Cylinders – At residential & similar premises
CoP 24 Part 3 Use of LPG for Commercial Catering Events, Street Food and Mobile Catering
CoP 24 Part 5 Use of LPG Cylinders – Storage & use of LPG on construction sites
CoP 24 Part 6 Use of Propane in cylinders at commercial & industrial premises
CoP 25 LPG Central storage & distribution systems for multiple consumers (Including Amendment 1 2008)
CoP 32 Liquid Gas UK CoP 32 LPG systems in Leisure Accommodation Vehicles and Road Vehicles with Habitation – Post Delivery Inspection, Commissioning and Maintenance
GN 2 A guide to servicing cabinet heaters
Liquid Gas UK Consumer Guidance Sheets (CGS)
CGS 01 Mobile Bottled Gas Heaters and Condensation
CGS 03 The Use of LPG Cylinders
Indoors
CGS 04 LPG Patio Heaters –Safe Use
CGS 05 LPG Hose and Tubing for use with Vapour Offtake Cylinders
CGS 20 Camping Safely
CGS 22 Owning Your Own LPG Storage Vessel
CGS 25 LPG Installation Record & Documentation
CGS 28 Safe Use of Propane and Butane Cylinders and Cartridges
CGS 37 Guidance for Private Ownership and Filling of LPG Cylinders
CGS 39 Regulators – Safe Use
Note 15: Liquid Gas UK Consumer Guidance Sheets (CGS) are available at: www.liquidgasuk.org/ domestic/consumer-guidancesheets
Other Industry Procedures/ Documents
DW/172 Specification for kitchen ventilation systems
IGEM/G/11 Edition 2 with amendments July 2022 The Gas Industry Unsafe Situations Procedure (GIUSP)
This can be viewed by logging into your online account at: www. gassaferegister.co.uk/sign-in or the IGEM website at: www.igem.org.uk/resource/ igem-g-11-edition-2-gas-industryunsafe-situations-procedure.html
All Technical Bulletins
For further information see TB 1000. This can be viewed by logging into your online account at: www. gassaferegister.co.uk/sign-in
All Gas Safe Register Safety Alerts
This can be viewed by logging into your online account at: www. gassaferegister.co.uk/sign-in
All Gas Safe Register Industry Standard Updates
This can be viewed by logging into your online account at: www. gassaferegister.co.uk/sign-in
Note 16: Gas Safe registered businesses can find up-to-date manufacturer’s instructions/ information for a wide range of heating appliances, notably boilers and warm air heating appliances, on the HHIC’s website. For further information go to: installersfirst. co.uk/register
The Industry Standard numbers highlighted below are those included in the list of current Industry Standards available on a subscription basis to the majority of Gas Safe registered businesses. To subscribe, log into your online account at: www.gassaferegister. co.uk/sign-in and choose Standards Subscriptions. Choose and pay for a one or three-year subscription and then you will be able to access the normative documents.
BS 5440-1: 2008 Flueing & ventilation for gas appliances of rated input not exceeding 70kW net (1st, 2nd & 3rd family gases) Specification for installation of gas appliances to chimneys & for maintenance of chimneys
BS 5440-2: 2009 Installation & maintenance of flues & ventilation for gas appliances of rated input not exceeding 70kW net (1st, 2nd & 3rd family gases). Specification for installation & maintenance of ventilation provision for gas appliances
BS 5546: 2010 Specification for installation & maintenance of gas-fired water-heating appliances of rated input not exceeding 70kW net
PD 54823: 2016 Code of practice for domestic butane & propane gas-burning installations. Installations in boats, yachts & other vessels
BS 5864: 2019 Installation & maintenance of gas-fired ducted air heaters of rated input not exceeding 70kW net (2nd & 3rd family gases).
Specification
BS 5871-1: 2005 Specification for installation & maintenance of gas fires, convector heaters, fire/back boilers & decorative fuel-effect gas appliances – Gas fires, convector heaters, fire/back boilers & heating stoves (1st, 2nd & 3rd family gases)
BS 5871-2: 2005 Specification for installation & maintenance of gas fires, convector heaters, fire/back boilers & decorative fuel-effect gas appliances – Inset live fuel-effect gas fires of heat input not exceeding 15kW & fire/back boilers (2nd & 3rd family gases)
BS 5871-3: 2005 Specification for installation & maintenance of gas fires, convector heaters, fire/back boilers & decorative fuel effect gas appliances – Decorative fuel-effect gas appliances of heat input not exceeding 20kW (net) (2nd & 3rd family gases)
BS 5871-4: 2007 Specification for installation & maintenance of gas fires, convector heaters, fire/back boilers & decorative fuel effect gas appliances – Independent gas-fired flueless fires, convector heaters & heating stoves of nominal heat input not exceeding 6kW (net) (2nd & 3rd family gases)
BS 6172: 2010 + A1 2017 Specification for installation, servicing and maintenance of domestic gas cooking appliances (2nd & 3rd family gases)
BS 6173: 2020 Specification for installation of gas-fired catering appliances for use in all types of catering establishments (2nd & 3rd family gases)
BS 6230: 2011 Specification for installation & maintenance of gas-fired forced convection air heaters for commercial & industrial space heating (2nd & 3rd family gases)
BS 6400-1: 2016 Specification for installation, exchange, relocation, maintenance and removal of gas meters with a maximum capacity not exceeding 6m3/h – Part 1 –Low pressure (2nd family gases)
BS 6400-2: 2018 Specification for installation, exchange, relocation & removal of gas meters with a maximum capacity not exceeding 6m3/h (2nd & 3rd family gases) –Medium pressure (2nd family gases)
BS 6400-3: 2007 Specification for installation, exchange, relocation & removal of gas meters with a maximum capacity not exceeding 6m3/h – Low & medium pressure (3rd family gases)
BS 6644: 2011 Specification for Installation of gas-fired hot water boilers of rated inputs between 70kW (net) & 1.8MW (net) (2nd & 3rd family gases) – Incorporating Corrigendum No. 1
BS 6798: 2014 Specification for selection, installation, inspection, commissioning, servicing and maintenance of gas-fired boilers of rated input not exceeding 70kW net
BS 6891: 2015 + A1 2019
Specification for the installation and maintenance of low-pressure gas
installation pipework of up to 35mm (R1¼) on premises
BS 6896: 2011 Specification for installation & maintenance of gas-fired overhead radiant heaters for industrial & commercial heating (2nd & 3rd family gases)
BS 7624: 2004 Specification for installation & maintenance of domestic direct gas-fired tumble dryers of up to 6kW heat input (2nd & 3rd family gases)
BS 7967: 2015 Guide for the use of electronic portable combustion gas analysers for the measurement of carbon monoxide in dwellings and the combustion performance of domestic gas-fired appliances
BS 7967-5: 2010 Carbon monoxide in dwellings & other premises & the combustion performance of gas-fired appliances – Guide for using electronic portable combustion gas analysers in non-domestic premises for the measurement of carbon monoxide & carbon dioxide levels & the determination of combustion performance
BS 8446: 2020 Specification for the installation & maintenance of open-flued, non-domestic gas-fired laundry appliances
BS EN 721: 2019 Leisure
accommodation vehicles –Safety ventilation requirements
BS EN 12327: 2012 Gas
infrastructure – Pressure testing, commissioning and decommissioning procedures –Functional requirements
BS EN 15001-1: 2009 Gas
installation pipework with an operating pressure greater than 0.5 bar for industrial installations & greater than 5 bar for industrial & non-industrial installations –Detailed functional requirements for design, materials, construction, inspection & testing
BS EN 15001-2: 2008 Gas
installation pipework with an operating pressure greater than 0.5 bar for industrial installations & greater than 5 bar for industrial & non-industrial installations –Detailed functional requirements for commissioning, operation & maintenance
BS EN 1949: 2021 Specification for the installation of LPG systems for habitation purposes in leisure accommodation vehicles & accommodation purposes in other vehicles
BS EN ISO 10239: 2017 Small craft – Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) systems
BS EN 13410: 2001 Gas-fired overhead radiant heaters –Ventilation requirements for non-domestic premises (Amd Jan 03)
Institution of Gas Engineers and Managers Documents (IGEM)
IGEM/UP/1 Strength testing, tightness testing & direct purging of industrial & commercial gas installations
IGEM/UP/1A Strength testing, tightness testing & direct purging of small low pressure industrial & commercial Natural gas installations
IGEM/UP/1B Tightness testing and direct purging of small Liquefied Petroleum Gas/Air, Natural Gas and Liquefied Petroleum Gas installations
IGEM/UP/1C Strength testing, tightness testing & direct purging of natural gas and LPG meter installations
IGEM/UP/2 Installation pipework on industrial and commercial premises
IGEM/UP/3 Gas fuelled spark ignition and dual-fuel engines
IGEM/UP/4 Commissioning of gas fired plant on industrial & commercial premises
IGEM/UP/6 Application of compressors to Natural Gas fuel systems
IGEM/UP/7 Gas installations in timber framed & light steel framed buildings (inc amendments published October 2008).
See Note 7
IGEM/UP/9 Application of Natural Gas and fuel oil systems to Gas turbines and supplementary and auxiliary fired burners
IGEM/UP/10 Installation of flued gas appliances in industrial and commercial premises
IGEM/UP/11 Gas installations in educational establishments
IGEM/UP/12 Application of burners and controls to gas fired process plant
IGEM/UP/16 Design for Natural Gas installations on industrial and commercial premises with respect to DSEAR
IGEM/UP/17 Shared chimney and flue systems for domestic gas appliances
IGEM/UP/18 Gas installations for vehicle repair and body shops (Replaced British Gas Technical Publication IM/28: 1993)
IGEM/UP/19 Design and application of interlock devices and associated systems used with gas appliance installations in commercial catering establishments
IGEM/GL/8 Notification, investigation and reporting of gas-related incidents
IGEM/GL/9 Guidance for large gas consumers in dealing with Natural Gas supply emergencies. Available free at: www.igem.org.uk/resource/ igem-gl-9.html
IGEM/TD/4 PE and steel gas services and service pipework
IGEM/G/1 Defining the end of the Network, a meter installation and installation pipework
IGEM/G/4 Definitions in the Gas Industry
IGEM/G/5 Gas in multi-occupancy buildings
IGEM/G/6 Gas supplies to mobile dwellings
IGEM/G/11 The Gas Industry Unsafe Situations Procedure (GIUSP)
IGEM/G/11 Supplement 1
Responding to domestic CO alarm activations/reports of fumes after attendance by the emergency service provider or the Liquid Petroleum Gas supplier
IGEM/GM/4 Flow metering practice for pressures between 38 bar & not exceeding 100 bar
IGEM/GM/5 Electronic gas meter volume conversion systems
IGEM/GM/6 Non-domestic meter installations – Standard designs
IGEM/GM/7A Electrical connections for gas metering equipment
IGEM/GM/7B Hazardous area classification for gas metering equipment
IGEM/GM/8 – Pt 1 Non-domestic meter installations. Flow rate exceeding 6m3/h-1 & inlet pressure not exceeding 38 bar Design
IGEM/GM/8 – Pt 2 Non-domestic meter installations. Location, housings and compounds
IGEM/GM/8 – Pt 3 Non-domestic meter installations. Fabrication, installation and commissioning
IGEM/GM/8 – Pt 4 Non-domestic meter installations. Operation and maintenance
IGEM/GM/8 – Pt 5 Non-domestic meter installations. Notices and labels
Liquid Gas UK Codes of Practice (CoP)
CoP 1 Part 1 Bulk LPG Storage at Fixed Installations – Design, installation & Operation of Vessels Located Above Ground
CoP 1 Part 2 Bulk LPG Storage at Fixed Installations – Vapour Off-take Small Bulk Propane Installations
CoP 1 Part 3 Bulk LPG Storage at Fixed installations – Examination & Inspection
CoP 1 Part 4 Bulk LPG Storage at Fixed Installations – Buried/Mounded LPG Storage Vessels (Inc Amendment March 2013)
CoP 7 Storage of full & empty LPG cylinders & cartridges
CoP 17 Purging LPG vessels & systems
CoP 21 Guidelines for Safety Checks on LPG appliances in Caravans (Including Amendment Aug 2000)
CoP 22 Including Amd 1 Design Installation and Testing of LPG Piping Systems
CoP 24 Part 1 Use of LPG Cylinders – At residential & similar premises
CoP 24 Part 3 Use of LPG for Commercial Catering Events, Street Food and Mobile Catering
CoP 24 Part 5 Use of LPG Cylinders – Storage & use of LPG on construction sites
CoP 24 Part 6 Use of Propane in cylinders at commercial & industrial premises
CoP 25 LPG Central storage & distribution systems for multiple consumers (Including Amendment 1 2008)
CoP 32 Liquid Gas UK CoP 32 LPG systems in Leisure Accommodation Vehicles and Road Vehicles with Habitation – Post Delivery Inspection, Commissioning and Maintenance
GN 2 A guide to servicing cabinet heaters n
Highlands College has launched a net-zero training facility in Jersey. The centre, developed with GTEC, provides resources to train and assess candidates to install air source heat pumps. On-island training and assessment aims to help Jersey installers upskill as well as train future apprentices.
The courses, and others being developed, align with an initiative to develop a Jersey-specific quality assurance scheme to approve contractors who want to carry out government-funded work as part of the new low-carbon heating incentive.
Tony Tyrer, Highlands College’s assistant principal, Planning and
Skills, says: “Highlands College plays a crucial role in the training and upskilling of Islanders: it is therefore imperative that we are responsive to the needs of the island.
“The government plans to bring into force legislation that updates current Building Regulations and sets increased energy efficiency and carbon emission standards, and prohibits new fossil-fuel boilers being installed in any property after 1 January 2026. We need to be training the workforce of the future now.”
Griff Thomas, MD of GTEC Training, adds: “We have been delighted to help set up and
deliver training in partnership with Highlands College. There are some ambitious targets in Jersey for carbon reduction and this has
to be underpinned by ensuring that installers have access to the high-quality training they need, without having to leave the island.”
Elco Heating Solutions’ new CPD focuses on heat pumps in hybrid systems. The CIBSE-approved CPD, the Use of Heat Pumps in Hybrid Systems, explores the concept of hybrids and their suitability for use in existing applications such as schools and hospitals, as well as public and historic buildings.
The module outlines how CoPs can vary, depending on operating conditions, and gives an overview of variables including seasonal performance factor (SPF) and standardised temperature data (SCOP).
It provides detailed explanations of principal operating modes and control strategies and essential advice on the design principles of hybrid systems, including identifying the bivalent points and sizing radiators accordingly when reducing overall flow temperatures.
This knowledge enables designers and specifiers to calculate the carbon emissions from a system, as well as the potential running costs.
The module lasts for 60 minutes and includes a question-and-answer session with an Elco heating expert. www.elco.co.uk/cpd
Vaillant has expanded its in-person training facilities with a partner centre in Scotland to support the transition to lowcarbon technologies. The Aberdeen Training Centre is in addition to its Glasgow Centre of Excellence, increasing accessibility to training in Scotland.
As part of the partnership, Vaillant has delivered ‘train the trainer’ sessions to the centre’s team across its range of highefficiency boilers, heat pumps and hybrid systems. This means that staff at the Aberdeen centre can offer Vaillant product training to the same standards as those in its six Centres of Excellence.
The company has fitted several key products, including the Arotherm Plus air source heat pump, for hands-on experience of
the technology, as well as being able to ask questions in a training environment.
Mark Wilkins, Training and Technologies director, says: “While the government’s target of 600,000 heat pump installs [per year by 2028] is clear, having the right skills in place is vital in ensuring its success.
“We’re delighted to be able to further expand our comprehensive training offering to even more installers.”
Steve Anderson, managing director at Aberdeen Training Centre, adds: “With many parts of Scotland being remote, access to training can be challenging. Our partnership with Vaillant opens the doors for even more installers looking to invest in training.”
www.vaillant.co.uk/training
Steve Willis Training Centres in Burgess Hill, West Sussex, are offering two courses on air source heat pumps, now booking into September and October.
The training is suitable for experienced heating engineers. The Installation, Commissioning, and Servicing of
Air Source Heat Pumps (nonrefrigerant system) course covers areas including health and safety, regional legislation and requirements, safe electrical isolation, factors to be considered before and during installation, filling and flushing requirements, appliance installation, soundness
tests, operational checks and procedures, fault-finding, identifying unsafe situations and practical servicing and commissioning.
The Design of Heat Pump Systems covers the sizing of systems and selection of components, legislation, ground
source collector circuit design and sizing, open and closed-loop systems, heating circuit design requirements, energy efficiency, pipework, heat emitters, and hot water system design.
www.stevewillis.com/ our-cours es/air-source-heatpumps
Good water pressure and flow forms a critical part of the infrastructure of larger properties and commercial buildings.
Poor water performance can cause widespread disruption to the building, negatively impacting the water supply to appliances in kitchens, bathrooms and other areas of the property. Having adequate water pressure and flow is also essential for installers if they are to carry out a new installation or a renovation, such as a B&B conversion or installing a shower block, where additional water flow in the property is required.
To provide the perfect solution to ongoing and disruptive water performance woes, Salamander Pumps has launched TankBoost. An easy-to-install, single-unit solution, TankBoost has been brought to market to fulfil the fundamental need to optimise water performance to multiple outlets in large, multi-storey properties.
Here, Salamander Pumps details three reasons why TankBoost ensures that water performance remains at optimum levels in high water demand premises such as offices and commercial applications.
1. TankBoost will boost water performance above and beyond
With an all-in-one unit made up of a water storage tank and integrated submerged
pump, TankBoost will deliver up to 3 bar pressure and water flow rates up to 80L/min, providing adequate water performance for multiple outlets across multiple floors.
Because water is also replenished when TankBoost is use, it’s is ideal for even the busiest of properties where taps, toilets, kitchen sinks and other appliances are being used at the same time by multiple people, such as hotels, B&Bs, offices and gyms.
2. Quiet in operation
The latest product in the expanding MainsBooster range, TankBoost combines a cold water storage tank and an integral pump. The high-quality stainless-steel pump is submerged within the tank, resulting in a product that is compact and extremely quiet throughout operation.
Commercial properties should always factor in sound levels when choosing water boosting pumps to avoid disruption caused by intrusive noises.
3. Multiple outlets can be linked for increased water storage
TankBoost has been designed to meet the water pressure and flow needs of domestic and light commercial installations, with four tank sizes available ranging from 100L to
450L, providing flexibility in terms of water storage, usage requirements and availability of space.
If the water storage provided still isn’t enough, then additional storage tanks are also available to increase capacity for large properties with high water usage or those with particularly low incoming flow rates.
Installers can provide this additional storage by linking TankBoost and a storage unit together. Linking multiple tanks will enable large amounts of water to be stored, which provides an easy solution to deliver increased water flow across the property.
Although the typical application for the product is a larger dwelling, with several floors and bathrooms, TankBoost can also service smaller properties due to its compact size.
CAT5 variants and additional water storage tanks are also available as part of the range, again making it the perfect solution for commercial applications. www.salamanderpumps.co.uk/tankboost
Testo’s summer special offers are out. All Testo 327 and 300 flue gas analyser kits will come with a free set of three adjustable water pump pliers (7 inch, 10 inch and 12 inch). The pliers have a comfortable rubber grip, long handles and ultra-strong hardened steel, making them perfect for your day-to-day tasks.
This offer is also available across digital manifolds for heat pump servicing and installation. You can
claim free water pump pliers when you buy any Testo 550i, 550s, 557s and new 570s digital manifold, featuring smart error analysis, logging functionality for long-term measurements and rechargeable battery.
This offer is available through authorised Testo distributors only. Offers end on 31 August 2023. Terms and conditions apply.
www.testo.com/en-UK/ free-pliers
Stelrad is bringing out a range of 900mm radiators in a variety of widths, designed to cope with lower-temperature and renewable systems.
The latest Building Regulations state that the maximum flow temperatures for new wet heating systems should be 55°C and that heating appliances and radiators should not be oversized, says Stelrad. TRVs need to be fitted to every radiator except where a room thermostat is fitted. The differential between the flow and return should be 10°C – giving a 45°C return and a mean water temperature of 50°C.
Head of marketing Chris Harvey says: “There is a clear need for larger size radiators to cope with the lower circulating system temperatures generated by renewable heating systems and we are making sure our customers have access to the full range of options they will need.”
He adds: “This will have an impact on radiators but simply
means that sizing is more important than ever.
“The transition from fossilfuelled, boiler-driven systems to heat pump-driven renewable systems is well under way and we’re making sure that installers and specifiers realise that radiators are fit for the future and more than capable of providing the necessary heat.”
www.stelrad.com
Baxi has added a range of direct and indirect hot water cylinders to complement its Megaflo brand.
Designed and made in the UK by Heatrae Sadia, the cylinders provide a high-performance, cost-effective option for heat-only and system heating set-ups.
The cylinders provide hot water without the need for additional shower pumps or tanks, even at low pressure, delivering up to 76 litres per minute of hot water at 3 bar pressure.
The tank is made of high-grade stainless steel with a high corrosion resistance and its 50mm injected foam insulation provides heat retention and energy efficiency. Indirect models have a high performance ‘coil-in-coil’ heat exchanger for fast recovery time.
The range has a 25-year warranty on the inner tank and two years for other components, subject to terms and conditions. All cylinders are compatible with other system and heat-only boilers, including those from Baxi’s latest 600 and 800 ranges.
Commercial and marketing
director Nick Platt says: “This first ever high-performance range from Baxi opens up a cost-effective set of options that complements the high-quality ranges from Megaflo that installers know inside out.” www.baxi.co.uk/products/ cylinders
Resideo’s new L Series water control products help to protect against costly water damage.
The L1 Wi-Fi water leak and freeze detector alerts consumers to leaks or frozen pipes with smartphone notifications, on-site alerts and an alarm. The Braukmann L5 Wi-Fi water leak shut-off valve automatically turns off the water supply when a water leak is detected by the
attached sensing cable or by a paired water leak and freeze detector.
The combination of products creates a water leak damage defence system, connected via the Resideo Smart Home app, that raises awareness of leaks and helps to safeguard belongings and the home’s structure from potential costly repairs.
Global water product director Sylvain Baladon says: “Water damage is one of the most common types of domestic property damage claim.
“For many years we have been focused on raising awareness of the risk of water damage through our existing water leak detector portfolio. However, now with our new L5 water leak shut-off valves, we are going one step further and making a difference to the speed at which homes and belongings can be protected following the detection of a leak.”
RadMag is a simple and inexpensive way to install magnetic protection in the heating system with a minimum of tools and without breaking into existing pipework.
It’s an unobtrusive unit with a high-powered magnet array that can be extended to optimise the ferrite capture area for magnetic metal debris circulating in the heating system. It can be fitted in most towel rail-type radiators and can be removed periodically for inspection, wiped clean and re-inserted.
Inventor Mark Norris says: “RadMag is the easiest way to add magnetic filtration to any wet heating system that has standard towel rails or designer radiators.
“When coming up with the idea for RadMag, I recognised that manufacturers fit heating elements to them so why not a removable magnetic filter? A lot of heating engineers use the towel warmer to dose a system with cleaner or inhibitor so why not use it to fit a filter too?”
www.navigatormsl.com/ radmag
Martindale’s TB118KITA kit has been designed specially for gas engineers. It includes the VIPD138 voltage indicator and proving unit and the LOKKITGAS1, for securely locking off circuits before carrying out work on appliances connected to the mains power supply.
The kit is suitable for working on systems with electrical content: it includes the main items of test and safety equipment to help safe isolation, verification that the circuit is dead and lock-off procedures as detailed in Technical Bulletin 118a.
TB 118a provides information and guidance on safe-to-touch and safe isolation procedures on single-phase supplies when carrying out gas work.
The AWC/AWST Monobloc from Modutherm is a range of air source heat pumps suitable for heating, cooling and domestic hot water. AWC Monobloc is available in five models, with a range of 6kW to 19kW, while AWST is available in four models from 6kW to 15kW, and is paired with a 250L stainless steel DHW cylinder.
The AWC/AWST Monobloc can be used in new-build and refurbishment projects, where it can replace or supplement an existing heat source.
The AWC Monobloc uses a heat curve to provide a constant indoor temperature: when the external temperature drops, the heat pump then raises the temperature of the water to the heating system (and vice versa when it gets warmer outside). The unit can set two heat curves for two different heating circuits, so that it can run both underfloor heating and radiators. This feature offers greater energy-saving potential and, in some cases, eliminates the need to add additional system components.
The outdoor unit
has an automatic and selflearning defrost function, which minimises defrosting time and increases efficiency.
Where heating and cooling only are needed, or where an alternative cylinder is required, the AWC is paired with an indoor control box. For AWST systems, there is an integrated controller on the DHW cylinder. Both can be controlled using the touchscreen or remotely via a smartphone or computer.
Modutherm managing director Ian Bradley says: “All units are easy to install and produce low noise levels when operating, in addition to excelling in terms of increased comfort and energy efficiency.”
www.modutherm.co.uk
Martindale managing director Steve Dunning says: “We are urging all gas engineers to identify the point of isolation, lock off the electricity supply and place warning tags on the equipment before they begin any work. It is vitally important and could save a life.”
www.martindale-electric.co.uk
The Fernox TF1 Sigma UB system filter can be installed horizontally at a 90° angle, directly under the boiler, close to the wall and with direct connections to the system. It’s suitable to use in restricted spaces and has been developed for use with concealed pipework.
The filter captures circulating debris: system water passes through the manifold into the main body, where the magnetic debris is transferred directly to the powerful, neodymium magnet.
The drain valve is a service point so that the filter can be emptied without the risk of spillage. It also acts as a dosing point for chemical water treatment.
Because the system does not need to be drained down, it helps to save time on site, and cleaning and dosing can take place in less than two minutes.
Head of Mechanical Engineering Mark Hall says: “The TF1 Sigma UB Filter provides an effective solution for new-builds or properties where boilers are housed behind cupboards and close to kitchen counter tops, meaning installation of an in-line filter was -42not practical or convenient.”
www.fernox.com/ubfilter
Logic4training is the premier Training and Assessment organisation for trades in the UK.
Whether starting a new career or making sure you’re the best you can be, find out how we can help at:
logic4training.co.uk 0208 845 7222
NORTHOLT | LUTON | BASILDON | SITTINGBOURNE
We have teamed up with leading electrical supplier ElectricalDirect to give five lucky readers the chance to win a set of 3 Knipex Cobra water pump pliers.
ElectricalDirect is big on making sure its customers have access to a huge range of quality products from trusted brands, to simply pick, click and deliver.
The retailer has more than 12,000 products on its website, including everything from ducting and extractor fans to underfloor heating and carbon monoxide alarms. You can choose from a range of flexible delivery options to meet the needs of your busy schedule, including next-day delivery and same-day delivery to postcodes in selected areas of London and the East of England, as well as click-and-collect from 6,500 pick-up points across the UK.
The big-on-trade supplier recently launched Issue 13 of its latest catalogue, featuring best-sellers from its huge range. The catalogue can be viewed online or ordered for free delivery to browse project essentials while you’re on the move.
To request a free catalogue or to find out more about ElectricalDirect, go to: www.ElectricalDirect.co.uk
By entering this prize draw, you agree to these terms and conditions:
• Registered Gas Engineer and ElectricalDirect do not accept responsibility for lost, delayed, corrupted or invalid entries.
• The winners will be chosen at random from all correct answers submitted in accordance with these terms and conditions.
• The winners will be notified by email. The judges’ decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.
• The prize cannot be substituted or upgraded.
For your chance to win a set of 3 Knipex Cobra water pump pliers, comprising 180mm, 250mm and 300mm lengths, simply answer the following question correctly: What is the latest catalogue issue that can be ordered for free delivery or viewed online at ElectricalDirect?
1) Issue 13
2) Issue 17
3) Issue 18. Send your answer, plus your name, address and registration number to: competition@ registeredgasengineer.co.uk
Please include ElectricalDirect Competition in the subject line. One winner will be chosen at random from all correct entries received by the closing date of Monday 31 July 2023.
• The prize is non-transferable and there is no cash alternative.
• Registered Gas Engineer and ElectricalDirect may disqualify you from winning if they have reasonable grounds to suspect that you are in breach of these terms and conditions or your participation is fraudulent or otherwise unlawful.
• This draw is not open to employees of ElectricalDirect, Gas Safe Register or Registered Gas Engineer or their direct family members or agents.
• Registered Gas Engineer and ElectricalDirect do not accept any responsibility for any network connection,
technical failure or other problem in any telephone line, network, system, provider or otherwise which results in any entry not being properly recorded or received.
• One entry per person.
• Your entry details will be provided to ElectricalDirect, which may use them for marketing purposes. By entering this competition, you agree that you may receive communications from ElectricalDirect. If you do not wish to be contacted, please add NO COMMUNICATIONS in your email entry.
The new Vaillant ecoTEC plus has been taken to the next level. Beneath its sleek, modern exterior, the latest ioniDETECT ionisation technology constantly monitors gas quality and adapts combustion to ensure improved efficiency and heightened performance.
Unlock
Smart Home Integration Pair with the
