Issues on the boil

The powers that regulate the construction industry and make the legislation that it has to respond to often seem to be out of touch with reality. Our feature on boilers that are at the heart of heating systems for buildings bears testimony to this. On the one hand is the concern with efficiency of boilers themselves that is leading to commercial-boiler manufacturers having just 12 months to move to condensing-only operation — a challenge that is of serious concern to the managing director of Ideal Boilers, Paul Massey (page 17). On the other hand, the important issue of system controls has been omitted from the consultation document for the new Building Regulations. Even the simplest of controls can improve overall efficiency by at least 10%, and inadequate or incorrect applications of boiler control can add 15 to 30% to fuel consumption. Boilers themselves are nearly as efficient as they can be. There is little to be gained — so the issue of controls is becoming more important.