The Chartered Institute of Plumbing and Heating Engineering (CIPHE) has welcomed the Government’s new safety measures on hot water, but warn they don’t go far enough.
CIPHE worked with government advisers from Communities and Local Government (CLG) to come up with amendments to the Building Regulations (Part G, sanitation, hot water safety and water efficiency), which were announced by Housing Minister Iain Wright. From October all new-build homes will have protective devices fitted to baths which limit hot water temperatures. They must also meet a new minimum standard of providing for 125 litres of water per person per day.
The aim is to prevent scalding, and improve water efficiency. But the regulations only apply to new homes, and not to ongoing maintenance. That, says CIPHE, opens the door to accidents or poor practice when the new house is several years old, and may have new owners who don’t know how or why the original installations were meant to work.
In the interests of public safety, the organisation wants the government to provide legislation to ensure the continued maintenance of hot water systems.
“We have voiced our concerns about the ongoing maintenance of these devices and will support CLG in raising awareness about it,” said Blane Judd, chief executive of the CIPHE. “From a sustainability perspective, the inclusion of water conservation is a positive one, and the CIPHE is well placed to educate installers and the public about these issues.” He added: “The new hot water safety measures are vitally important. It is unfortunate that it took two fatalities associated with the incorrect installation of hot water storage systems before they were introduced.”
Ends May 2009
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