Posted on 2nd Mar 2011 @ 10:35 PM

The recent changes to Part L of the Building Regulations has placed further focus on the need for greater energy efficiency within domestic dwellings. In line with this, the industry is also trying to push forward the idea of 'renewables' to homeowners. However, there are a number of factors that prevent a greater take up of newer technologies. Here Gren Ward from Biasi discusses the current state of the domestic heating market and how installers will need to adapt to deal with the installation of products that go outside the realms of a gas installation.

With 50 per cent of all household energy used for heating and hot water, efforts are being made to address energy efficiency in UK homes and the installer will continue to be a key facilitator in success. However, legislation still remains the driving force for encouraging greater demand for energy efficiency solutions as it basically removes choice from the market.

For example, the changes to Part L of the Building Regulations, which were introduced in October 2010 mean all boilers must now be the equivalent of SEDBUK 2005 Band A, with a minimum efficiency of 90 per cent.

So, for example, a current SEDBUK Band A boiler will either be SEDBUK 2005 90.1% or SEDBUK 2009 88.1%, depending on what the manufacturer states, in line with Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP). If the efficiency is not stated as SEDBUK 2009, it will be assumed to be SEDBUK 2005.

During the last decade, significant steps have been taken to improve the efficiency of heating systems within the UK's housing stock. Combi boilers have played a major part in this as they have become the boiler of choice for being simple and quick to install and are often requested by the homeowner who has heard about the technology, although may not actually understand it. But this could present challenges for encouraging greater take up of renewables in the future. If a boiler is certified to accept pre-heated hot water, then it is fine to install the solar system as a cold line feed, although most of these certifications will soon be exempt.

However, many combi boilers cannot accept preheated water because of the threat of Legionella in a warmed cold feed or may not have software that is able to adjust the boilers power slopes to avoid burner flutter or avoid potential scalding situations, so for example, it is not possible to install a solar water heating system with these boilers. If the homeowner is looking to replace an old boiler, then in many cases it would be best to install a storage cylinder and system boiler, helping to ensure the system's compatibility with any future renewable installation.

Aside from boilers, the government has made some efforts to also encourage a greater take up of renewables through incentives and targets. However, the UK's target of 15 per cent of energy requirements coming from renewables by 2020 is impossible without the heating industry generating a greater number of skilled installers to understand and specify such solutions.

At the moment, only a minority of installers are proactively out in the marketplace installing technologies such as solar panels, PV panels and heat pumps. This is probably partly due to a lack of understanding about the products and the installation itself requires skills beyond those traditionally learnt by installers. In many cases, knowledge of electrics is also required, which falls into the remit of an electrical contractor.

Coupled with these factors is that traditionally, the industry has put greater emphasis on increasing boiler efficiency and updating out-of-date systems, which has led to a lack of support and demand for the new technologies coming onto the market.

Yet, solar panel solutions can easily be installed to allow households to reap the benefits that harnessing energy to help produce hot water brings. All that is required is a certain amount of roof space and the right positioning of the property.

In addition, when it comes to implementing renewable technologies, such solutions are often seen as 'trend' led rather than a necessity to help strive towards a 'greener vision' for the future. This has meant there is a lack of interest from homeowners who are apprehensive due to the initial investment and start-up costs.

For installers, it is becoming ever more prevalent that they take the role of a heating consultant. Those who are firstly trained on the specification of new technologies and secondly recognise the opportunities to up sell, will benefit from being able to stay ahead of the competition. This means installers need to be able to identify customer's concerns about aspects of the heating systems such as energy efficiency, cost saving and reliability and present intelligent solutions, whether it's advice on manufacturer's warranties, how to use controls to improve the system's performance or looking at system design to ensure the customer is provided with the best solutions possible, not just the one that might be the quickest to install.

Installers don't need to worry about having to do this on their own. There are a plethora of manufacturer's training programmes, which can be tapped into to help them keep up-to-date on the latest specification techniques, from new models of boilers and controls through to solar and heat pumps.

With legislation influencing both the boiler and renewables market, installers will need to continue to update and expand their skills to account for new market trends. Coupled with this, the industry will have to ensure that installers are fully supported to cope with the changes required of them, otherwise we could see companies aside from heating companies achieving a greater grasp on the future opportunities available.