Legislation
Make it legal and safe Most building work done in your home will be subject to Building Regulations – and that includes any installation or upgrade work done of your heating system. Building Regulations vary depending on where you in the UK, but generally all work must be notified to your local authority.
Because your OFTEC Registered Technician is a ‘competent person’ under the Building Regulations, he can self-certify his work and take care of the notification for you. You’ll receive a certificate confirming that the work done meets the relevant Building Regulations. Keep this certificate in a safe place as you may need it for the Home Information Pack which became mandatory for England and Wales in June 2007.
Find out more about Building Regulations where you live:
England and Wales www.communities.gov.uk
Another useful resource for oil storage regulations is the environment agency at www.environment-agency.gov.uk
Scotland www.sbsa.gov.uk and also the Scottish Environment Protection Agency at www.sepa.org.uk
Environmental Protection Agency in the Republic of Ireland
www.epa.ie
Republic of Ireland www.environ.ie
Jersey www.gov.je
Guernsey www.gov.gg
Isle of Man www.gov.im
Boiler efficiency database www.sedbuk.com
Range cookers efficiency database www.rangeefficiency.org.uk
Links to regional legislation and guidance
England
Wales
Scotland
Ireland
Jersey, Guernsey and Isle of Man
Republic of Ireland Building Regulations
The Republic of Ireland Building Regulations Technical Guidance Document L came into effect on 1 April 2008. The Regulations require new and replacement oil fired boilers to have a seasonal net efficiency of 86 percent.
Building Regulations
Building regulations cover:
- Boiler, cooker or stove installations
- Oil storage tank installations
- Electrical work
Change to Approved Document J
From 1st October 2010 a revised version Approved Document J comes into force for England & Wales.
Regarding secondary containment, the existing pollution risk assessment has been expanded to include assessment to determine whether the tank is located within an “Environment Agency Source Protection Zone 1”(SPZ). To answer this question, technicians will have to use the tool on the Environment Agency website to view maps after entering the property postcode. OFTEC would suggest that technicians become aware of SPZ’s in their local areas of work, which will be of benefit when risk assessing new or existing oil tank installations
For more information on SPZ’s click and for the mapping tool ...click
Scotland Building Warrant Scheme changes
The Water Environment (Oil Storage)(Scotland) Regulations 2006
All installations that are
covered by this regulation are required to have secondary containment (retrospectively) by 1st April 2010. For more information please ...click