Social landlords must comply with gas regulations to avoid prosecution....

Social landlords must comply with gas regulations to avoid prosecution in case of an explosion, says Matthew Lake

On average there are four gas explosions each year in the UK. The Health and Safety Executive might conclude that those explosions were the result of unavoidable and tragic circumstances.

However, if a death occurs the police might prosecute the landlord of the property - potentially even for suspected corporate manslaughter - if it discovers a breach of gas safety regulations.

The Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 require landlords to protect tenants’ safety by ensuring regular inspections of gas appliances are undertaken by suitably qualified persons on the Gas Safety Register.

While a breach of the provisions may not be the cause of the explosion, this will certainly not assist a landlord which becomes the subject of a regulatory investigation following an explosion.

To ensure compliance with the regulations, landlords should undertake regular audits and maintain a register of those they employ to work on gas appliances and flues to ensure they are on the Gas Safe Register (which replaced the Corgi registration scheme from 1 April 2009).

For registered providers of social housing it will often be the case that they have entered into long-term service contracts before the transition from Corgi registration to the Gas Safe Register took place. Installers’ Corgi registration numbers were available to landlords at the point of registration on the Gas Safe Register so an audit should be a fairly straightforward exercise to undertake - but an important one.

Matthew Lake is a solicitor in the property litigation team at Weightmans LLP
matthew.lake@weightmans.com

Plumbing news - Energy efficient boilers and renewable technologies

Hove MP, Mike Weatherley and Brighton Kempton MP, Simon Kirby visited their local PTS trade counters to learn more about a range of technology and to discuss its wider importance to the UK economy with PTS managing director, Kelvin Stevens, and policy manager at the BMF, Brett Amphlett.

"It's encouraging to see newly-elected MPs taking a keen interest in how renewable technologies can improve the UK economy as we believe that more Government support and incentives are needed to really make this sector take off." said Stevens.

"This was a great opportunity for us to express our belief in the importance of taking emitted and embedded carbon out of buildings whilst communicating the concerns felt by the installers we talk to every day.

"As a nation we rate the worst in Europe for wasting energy, but by working with merchants like PTS, the Government can make renewable technologies more enticing for homeowners to adopt, which in turn provides a whole new revenue stream for the UK's plumbing and heating installers."

Mike Weatherley MP said: "We need to explain and persuade our constituents to carry out energy-saving work. With ever-increasing demand for electricity and other forms of energy, efforts on conservation and efficiency to combat fluctuating temperatures - and save money on bills - are incontrovertible".

The day was another in the Builders Merchants Federation's industry and parliament programme. Such visits bring MPs together with the building materials' supply chain to gain insight and understanding of each others' world.

For further information on trade discounts on boilers and energy efficiency contact Energy Smart

Scottish Boiler Scrappage Scheme - £1million in funding

Scottish Boiler Scrappage Scheme

Scotland has one of the most ambitious CO2 emission reduction targets in the world. The installation of an efficient heating system is one effective way of reducing your household energy bills and CO2 emissions. There are currently an estimated 250,000 homes in Scotland that have boilers of the least efficient type (efficiency of less than 70%).

To help address this, the Scottish Government has announced £1million in funding for the boiler scrappage scheme for owner/occupiers in Scotland. Scrappage schemes work by helping to meet the cost of replacing inefficient equipment with new more efficient alternatives.

What are the eligibility criteria?

What are the benefits?

Upgrading your boiler can result in:

•     Lower running costs
•     Reduced CO2 emissions
•     Lower energy bills

For example, this means that by upgrading an existing boiler with a SAP2005 efficiency of less than 70% to an Energy Saving Trust Recommended one, your household heating bill should drop by about a quarter – a saving on average of £190 a year, or £235 for a 3 bed semi-detached house.

•   You must be replacing a working boiler with a SAP2005 efficiency rating of less than 70% as detailed on www.sedbuk.com. If you wish to clarify if a system is eligible, please contact the Home Energy Scotland Hotline on 0800 512 012.
•  However, if you are aged over 60 and have a boiler that is not working but has a SAP2005 efficiency rating of less than 70%, you may still apply.
•  You must be installing an Energy Saving Trust Recommended (ESTR) boiler or a Microgeneration Certification Scheme accredited microgeneration technology. (Please note, an A-rated boiler does not automatically qualify as ESTR). You can find a list of ESTR boilers on our website or should you require further assistance please contact the Home Energy Scotland Hotline on 0800 512 012.

•   The property where the boiler is to be installed must be a domestic address in Scotland.
•   You must be the owner/occupier of the residential property (in Scotland) in which the new boiler will be installed.
•   You must have received a written/verbal quotation for your boiler replacement before making an application.
•   You must make an application and receive your voucher before having the boiler replaced.
•  Work on the installation must not have commenced before the date on which the rebate voucher is  received.
•  You have not received, nor will you be receiving, an Energy Saving Scotland home renewables grant or  home loan offer, and/or any CERT funding towards the installation of your new boiler.
•  The installer must be Gas Safe registered (for gas installation) and should be a member of a recognised industry body such as CLE, SNIPEF or OFTEC. Installation of a microgeneration technology must be carried out by a person qualified under the Microgeneration Certification Scheme.

The scheme is now open for applications. see the following link for further information: Energy Saving Trust

Please obtain a written/verbal quotation from your installer before making your application.

For energy efficient boilers contact Energy Smart