What is your boiler’s efficiency rating? And how much does it impact the running costs of your central heating and hot water?
You may have noticed various energy-efficient ratings listed on electric appliances when browsing online or within retail settings and although seeking highly rated products, you may not have been too familiar with the scale or what ERP means.
As the nation becomes more aware of the impact of global warming and carbon emissions, households aim to make improvements to their household energy efficiency, including making wiser choices when replacing electrical devices and heating systems.
In this post, we will discuss what ERP is, what the legislation relates, provide an overview of the labelling scale and also discuss the ERP in relation to home heating.
How old is your boiler? Should you consider a boiler repair or start looking at the latest boiler prices? It’s no secret that boiler efficiency deteriorates over time.
Boiler Efficiency In The UK
What does ERP mean?
ERP stands for Energy Related Products Directive, which is a piece of European legislation that relates to all products that consume energy throughout their entire product lifespan including their supply chain.
The aim of the directive is to set a mandatory framework that the manufacturing industry must follow, focusing on sustainability and the reduction of the use of energy throughout all stages of the product design, development, production, transportation and packaging.
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What size boiler is right for your home? If you are thinking about a combi boiler, it is largely determined by the number of radiators in your home.
Check out our complete guide to new boiler installation here if you are wondering about the best type of boiler for your home.
How much may a new boiler cost? Are you considering converting from a conventional to a combi boiler? Use our boiler installation cost calculator to get an estimation.
The framework also enforces manufacturers to consider all environmental considerations when developing and manufacturing products including the use of water, materials used and emissions created plus waste production, end of life management such as recycling.
The legislation covers all products made and imported throughout the EU, and the responsibilities to ensure that products are compliant are borne by the manufacturers and importers themselves.
Following the end of the Brexit transition process, the UK’s manufacturing legislation named ‘Eco-design of energy-consuming products’ regarding the environmental impact of products has been updated.
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How Does ERP Work?
The Energy Related Products Directive has two parts: The Eco-design element and the Energy Labelling element as follows:
- Eco-design – This element of the directive enforces companies to ensure that their products meet a range of energy-saving criteria, both when the product is being manufactured and when installed to use. The EU will only allow products that meet the requirements to be sold for use in residential homes.
- Energy Labelling – This part of the directive sets out instructions of how products are required to be labelled, demonstrating at a glance how energy efficient a product is using a scale from A+++ to G.
How Does ERP Relate to Boilers?
In 2018 new boiler regulations were brought in within the UK setting a minimum ERP rating that all new boilers must meet.
New Installations since April 2018 must meet these standards of having at least 92% ERP efficiency rating as well as time and temperature control.
In addition, combi boilers must also be fitted with one of the following additional elements:
- Weather compensating thermostat – An additional device that adjusts the radiator temperature based on the external temperature. Such a device will add around £20-£30 to the cost of the installation however are likely to save the household money on energy bills.
- Load Compression – Similar to the weather compensating in the fact that an additional device is required to be installed, however, this feature adjusts the radiator temperature based on the temperature inside the property.
- Flue Gas Heat Recovery – Additional technology, usually already built inside the boiler that reuses the heat that would have traditionally been wasted down the flue.
- Smart Controls – Smart controls enable the heating and hot water system to be adjusted and managed from anywhere via an app. There are various types of smart controls available on the market from analysing the energy efficiency to enabling zone heating within the property.
The boiler efficiency is calculated by reviewing how much fuel is used and successfully converted into energy and how much is wasted.
The boiler efficiency percentage is then turned into an energy efficiency letter rating as per the ERP framework, in a similar way to other devices.
Did you know the efficiency of your boiler can impact the amount of energy it uses and ultimately impact your heating bill costs? Check out our guide to the best condensing boilers if you are interested to find out more.
You may also find our review of the best eco-friendly boilers of interest.
Both the UK boiler regulations and EU ERP framework aim to improve device efficiency and ultimately reduce climate change and must be considered when buying a new boiler as homeowners can be fined for knowingly installing an old boiler that will not comply with the latest regulations.
In order to assist with the clarification of the efficiency of a boiler when browsing the market, there is also another system known as the Sedbuck system, in addition to the ERP rating system.
The Sedbuk system or Seasonal Efficiency of Domestic Boilers compares boiler models in relation to how efficiently they utilise fuel.
A couple of scores that may be of interest when comparing various boiler models are the winter efficiency and hot water efficiency ratings.
Heard about the gas boiler ban and wondering what the alternatives to gas boilers are? Read our complete guide to replacing your gas boiler with a heat pump.
Boiler Flue Regulations 2018
In addition to the regulations regarding the boiler itself, the 2018 regulations also state that a boiler flue is required to be installed within a specific location due to the potential danger of hazardous gases produced by the boiler.
The regulations require a standard-sized boiler’s flue to be installed at least 30cm away from an opening like a window or door.
For larger boilers this distance is increased to 60cm, however, if these distances cannot be met then the flue should be positioned at least 2.1 metres high.
These changes ensure that the boiler’s flue position is installed in the safest position in a property to prevent any escaped gasses from causing harm.
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ERP Summary
Homeowners are becoming more aware of their impact on the environment and how being more energy efficient can help reduce their household’s carbon footprint.
The new legislation not only ensures that modern products are energy efficient but can also be compared easily using the letter system.
Small changes can make a big impact including choosing highly energy-efficient devices when replacing older models, turning off devices when not in use and using smart technology.
If you’d like to find out more about the framework, Sedbuck system or which boiler system and fuel type would be most suitable for your property or ensuring that your new installation meets the new regulations, please get in touch with our knowledgeable heating engineers who can provide further assistance.
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