Changes to the Building Regulations that require thermostatic room controls to be added to heating systems when a boiler is replaced in an existing dwelling apply in Wales from November 2022, the trade association BEAMA has set out. The same requirement has applied in England since 15 June 20221. BEAMA, which describes itself as the trade association for energy infrastructure and systems, published householder and installer factsheets on the change in May 20221.
Under the requirement, each room should be provided with thermostatic room controls when a boiler is replaced in an existing dwelling. BEAMA states that adding a thermostatic radiator valve (TRV) to the radiators in each room is usually the easiest way to meet this, although it notes that alternative control solutions may be offered by an installer2. The factsheet adds that similar regulations for Scotland are expected to follow2.
"This applies in England from June 2022 and in Wales2 from November 2022."
BEAMA cites research at the University of Salford which, it says, showed that under standard operating conditions a typical gas boiler will use around 18 per cent less energy over an average UK heating season2. On the figures in its factsheet, average annual gas consumption in UK homes is 13,600 kWh, of which 77 per cent is for heating. At a gas cost of 4p per kWh, an 18 per cent reduction in heating costs is calculated to save £69 per year, or £1,034 over the 15-year expected lifetime of a new boiler. The factsheet states that since those calculations were made gas bills have risen significantly, and that they were predicted to rise again in October 2022; if the expected higher prices remain, it puts the annual saving at £202 and the lifetime saving at £3,0372.
Why it matters for households
The requirement bites at the point a boiler is replaced, not at the point controls are otherwise upgraded, so for most homes it is a condition attached to that job rather than a standalone obligation. Its purpose, as BEAMA describes it, is to make sure heating systems are installed in a way that uses as little fuel as possible2. Room-by-room control matters to a home's energy independence because it stops heat being delivered to rooms that are already warm, whether from sunshine, occupants or appliances, and lets the boiler sense the valves closing and reduce or stop its output in response2. The same factsheet states that adding TRVs while the boiler is being replaced is the most convenient and economical time to do it, and that the savings on fuel bills will far outweigh the extra installation cost2. BEAMA also notes that if a TRV setting is reduced, for example in an unoccupied room, heat output falls further to hold only that lower temperature2.
What happens next
BEAMA states that similar regulations for Scotland are expected to follow2. No date for Scotland is given in the material. The Welsh requirement applies from November 20221.
Sources2 cited
- TRVs in the Building Regulations, beama.org.uk
- TRV-factsheet-for-householders.pdf, beama.org.uk