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Do I have to pay a fee to have my boiler registered?

Our energy expert says...

The only “registration” I’m aware of is a requirement under Building Regulations to notify the boiler installation to your Local Authority.

This however is normally done by the installer through a Competent Persons Scheme, and although the fee will vary from scheme to scheme it should be of the order of around £5.

On the other hand if the installer has decided not to join a Competent Persons Scheme then he is required to notify the Local Authority directly and this could cost considerably more.

Competent Person Schemes

According to John Beer, technical manager at the Heating and Hotwater Industry Council (HHIC), if the boiler is installed by someone who is a member of a relevant Competent Persons Scheme, they can “self-certify” the installation for a nominal cost.

Competent person schemes were introduced by the government to allow individuals and enterprises to self-certify that their work complies with the Building Regulations as an alternative to submitting a building notice or using an approved inspector.

Under these rules, people who are competent in their field have the ability to self-certify that their work complies with the Building Regulations without the need to submit a building notice and thus incurring local authority inspections or fees.

CORGI offered this facility and now Gas Safe Register does the same.

It is also possible via other bodies -for example Chartered Institute of Plumbing and Heating Engineering (CIPHE).

But, if the self certification route is not used, the installation comes within normal Local Building Control procedures. Mr Beer said: “In this case a fee of £150 is quite possible”.

Registered Installer

Installation of a gas boiler must be carried out by an installer registered with Gas Safe. Installation of oil or biomass boilers or heat pumps must be carried out by an installer registered with a competent person's scheme (such as Oil Firing and Technical Assocation (OFTEC), or the solid fuel heating installation body HETAS.

To check if a gas engineer or business is registered, enter their ID number in the “Check an engineer” service in the panel on the Gas Safe Register website.

If the engineer is registered you will be provided with a list of details including:

• A picture of the engineer (if the business has opted in to this service)
• Contact details of the Gas Safe registered business
• What gas work they are qualified to carry out

If a business is registered you will be provided with a list of details including:

• Contact details of the Gas Safe registered business
• What gas work they are qualified to carry out
• Services the company provide (domestic and non-domestic)
• Types of gas they can offer to work with (LPG and natural gas)
• Areas of work they offer
• You will also be provided with a link to a list of all gas engineers registered with the business.

In short, make sure the person fitting your boiler is on the Gas Safe Register – not only will you be certain that he or she is not a cowboy, but the amount you’ll pay to register the boiler will drop considerably if they belong to a Competent Persons Scheme.

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