UK: October 1 marks 'A' fresh start for boilers, as Sedbuk Band B condensed models will no longer be permitted for installation a week from today.
Installers of Sedbuk Band B boilers are being urged to seek manufacturer advice in advance of October's changes to Part L of the Building Regulations.
The advice from Worcester, Bosch Group, one of the UK's leading boiler manufacturers, comes amid fears that installers of Band B boilers may not be aware of the alternative options available to them.
The October changes will mean that installers will not be able to specify B-rated condensing boilers from 1 October onwards. However, installers can continue to fit Band B boilers until April 2011, providing the order was taken before October 1 2010.
The exception to this rule is oil-fired combination boilers which can continue to be installed.
Martyn Bridges, director of marketing and technical support at Worcester, Bosch Group, commented: "Band B has served a purpose, allowing many installers who were comfortable with less efficient technology to continue to install what they know and recognise.
"When a Band B boiler case is removed installers see a familiar boiler with just a secondary heat exchanger in place to extract more heat."
Industry statistics report that sales of Band B boilers account for approximately 10-15% of the UK boiler market, which in real terms is circa 150-180 000 boilers a year.
"I would urge merchants to advise their installer customers who still get the majority of their work from installing Band B to get onto a manufacturer training course as soon as possible," said Mr Bridges.
