Customers can take precautions, whether they use DM & SONS or not is their choice, to ensure the service they get is value for money.
Our list below highlights some of the precautions we would advise customers to take in commissioning any of the trade services.
- Use a reliable company with an established history.
- Ensure there is a contactable address/landline phone no.
- Find out if there any CCJ’s against the company.
- Don’t rely on spurious references - if you see a van parked outside a job call in and see if you can speak to the customer.
- Gas related work must always be undertaken by Gas Safe registered engineers, if not the engineer is operating illegally.
- Insist on seeing their own personal Gas Safe registration.
- Ask to see Qualifications.
- Always obtain an estimate or hourly charges.
When gas is used correctly and with respect it is a safe and economical fuel. However - as with any area of expertise - people working with gas need to have the appropriate training and experience. Gas Safe Registered Installers have to undergo at least the minimum requirement of training before they are accepted on to the Gas Safe register. Most have significantly more training. The training and assessments that registered gas installers have are not only about the technical know-how of specific appliances but also about safety. All assessments have to be renewed every five years in order to keep installers up to date with ever-changing standards and regulations and to keep their knowledge fresh.
It is not only illegal for people to work with gas unless they are Gas Safe Registered, it is also highly dangerous. Statistics demonstrate that a significant proportion of gas work carried out by people who are not registered with Gas Safe is incorrect and therefore potentially unsafe.
If you need gas installation or maintenance work, make sure that you employ a Gas Safe Registered Installer with the appropriate training and credentials. Gas Safe Registered Installers will make sure that your appliances meet all gas safety and building regulations and that you have the necessary documentation you may need to sell your house in the future.
If you are unsure whether your installer has the appropriate registration to handle your work, ask to see their ID card and check the details on the reverse.
Gas boiler regulations
If you are planning to install or replace an existing gas boiler you should choose a condensing boiler. This is a requirement of Part L1 of the Building Regulations that relate to the conservation of fuel and power.
Why install a condensing boiler?
Gas-fired boilers installed after 1 April 2005, and oil-fired boilers installed after 1 April 2007, must be condensing boilers, whether they are replacements or new installations.
Condensing boilers are more efficient than ordinary boilers as they:
- Produce less carbon dioxide while still meeting heating needs
- Reduce the amount of heat that is lost through the flue, compared with ordinary boilers
- Convert 86 per cent or more of the fuel they use into useful heat (older types of ordinary boilers may convert as little as 60 per cent of fuel to useful heat)
- The new standards apply only if you decide to change your existing hot-water central-heating boiler or if you decide to change to one of these boilers from another form of heating system.
Climate change has been caused by increasing amounts of carbon dioxide being released into the atmosphere. Around 16 per cent of the carbon dioxide that the UK produces comes from the gas and oil boilers that we use to heat our homes.
for more information on saving energy and reducing your fuel bills, call your local energy advice centre on 0800 512 012 or visit www.est.org.uk
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