New Legislation. How does it affect me?
On the 1st of January 2005 part P of the Building Regulations was updated and on the 1st of April 2005 part L of the Building Regulations was updated, click on the links below to see how they affect you when it comes to installing a new boiler or replacing an existing boiler. In 2007 the government is planning on bringing in a homebuyers pack, click on the link below to discover how this will affect you and possibly the sale of your house.

• Update of part P (Electrical regulations)
• Update of part L (Conservation of fuel and power in dwellings)
• Homebuyers pack

Part P (Electrical regulations)
As of the 1st of January 2005 the government brought in new legislation as to who can and who cannot work on electrics.

The new rules affect anyone considering electrical work in the home, including DIY enthusiasts. Failure to comply could lead to householders being required to bring the work up to standard and may make it more difficult to sell their homes.

Minor works such as changing a socket of a light fitting will not be affected, but works such as re-wiring a central heating system or putting a ‘fuse spur’ in a new position for a new boiler will be affected.

To comply with the new rules one of the following options is available.

• Get a qualified electrician prior to your gasman’s visit.
• Do it yourself or get a friend to do the work. If you choose this option you will need to get the work inspected by the local building inspector at a cost which is payable by you.
• Employ someone who is registered with a competent person scheme.
• Use Transgas Services.

CORGI runs a scheme for gasmen in which they can self certify their work and pass it off as safe. This does not require the extra cost of the building inspector. Also a works certificate is issued and placed in the homebuyers pack.

Not all gasmen are registered in the scheme, Transgas Services IS registered. To check for an engineer in the scheme either telephone CORGI on 01256 372300 or log on to their web site at www.corgi-gas-safety.com. com . Alternatively check their CORGI ID card for part P listing on the back.

Part L (Conservation of fuel and power in dwellings)
New installations- As of the 1st of April 2005 the government brought in new legislation that requires new boilers to conform to strict efficiency guidelines. New installations require a condensing boiler that has a minimum SEDBUK rating of 86%.

SEDBUK stands for Seasonal Efficiency of Domestic Boilers in the UK. This is the method developed under the Governments Energy Efficiency Best Practice Programme with the co-operation of boiler manufacturers and provides a basis for fair comparison of different models.

SEDBUK is the average annual efficiency achieved in typical domestic conditions, making reasonable assumptions about pattern of usage, climate, control and other influences.

There are seven different bands (A-G) -

Band	SEDBUK range
A	90% and above
B	86 - 90%
C	82 - 86%
D	78 - 82%
E	74 - 78%
F	70 - 74%
G	Below 70%

New installations also require Thermostatic Radiator Valves fitting to ALL radiators and a room thermostat fitting.

System upgrades - Where a system is to be upgraded the legislation now means that a condensing boiler should be fitted where it is reasonable to do so, but the law recognises that non-condensing boilers are acceptable if it would be too difficult to install a condensing boiler in your home.

As well as a condensing boiler to be fitted where possible, a room thermostat must be fitted and thermostatic radiator valves must be fitted to a MINIMUM of the bedroom radiators.

Homebuyers pack
This is a government led initiative to bring transparency to the home buying and selling process by bringing together key information about a property's condition, energy efficiency and ownership before homes are marketed. There are still plenty of discussions to take place but there is a planned ‘dry run’ in 2006. For more information or the latest press releases go to www.odpm.gov.uk

In summary if you tell a potential buyer that you have had a new energy efficiency boiler fitted by a CORGI registered installer and the wiring of the central heating system was updated by a competent person you will need a certificate from CORGI and an electrical works certificate for the electrical work that was undertaken.