It is estimated that nearly two-thirds of people over the age of 65 avoid turning up their heating in winter due to costs. Francine Wickham – Marketing Director at Fernox – explain why installers are ideally placed to educate homeowners in the fight against cold homes and fuel poverty.

More than five million British households currently live in fuel poverty, with only homeowners in Estonia spending more of their income on energy bills inside the EU. Furthermore, it really is a troubling statistic that, according to the Association for the Conservation of Energy (ACE), an estimated 14,780 people in the UK lost their lives last winter due to living in cold homes. Sadly, without appropriate action, this figure is expected to increase as existing housing stock deteriorates and UK winters become harsher and longer.

Need for change

The European Commission recognises the need for change, with initiatives such as the EU Strategy on Heating and Cooling being launched to help mitigate energy wastage in domestic as well as commercial environments. There is also a clear UK focus on maximising the energy efficiency of our buildings. For example, the recently introduced London Boiler Cashback Scheme entitles homeowners within the capital to receive £400 cashback for boilers running at 70% or less efficiency.

Initiatives such as these are positive news because, as installers will know, a boiler can account for more than 50% of a household’s energy costs. This means ensuring the boiler can work as it was intended and maximising its performance is absolutely critical.

Detrimental contaminants

Any formation of sludge or scale can have a detrimental effect on the system’s ability to heat rooms – forcing the boiler to work harder to reach the desired temperature. It is, then, important to effectively clean, treat and protect central heating systems and reduce energy wastage.

Power flushing remains the best-practice approach to ensure a thorough and effective clean of the system. However, as installers will well know, there are occasions when this may prove impractical or difficult to undertake due to the age or design of the system, as well as low flow rates with corrosion debris being lodged in dead leg areas of pipework.

Additionally, there are systems that have previously been power-flushed but where inhibitor levels have not been maintained – since resulting in further corrosion taking place.

Alternatives to flushing

Thanks to technological advancements in chemical water treatment products, installers can look to alternative best-practice processes to maximise productivity on site, improve overall cleaning performance, increase long-term effectiveness of a system filter and provide future protection from scale and corrosion.

A 360° approach to system cleaning is recommended and should begin with water testing. Educating homeowners about the need for chemical water treatment can often be problematic as sludge and scale is essentially an unseen problem. Therefore using equipment that visibly shows homeowners how

contaminated a system is can be a useful approach. For example, the Fernox System Water Test provides immediate results on site when it comes to checking system water quality, and it helps to establish what course of action is required. If the water is black, then a reliable cleaner should be added.

The system should then be completely drained, flushed clear and then refilled.

Capture and contain

With the majority of boiler manufacturers now advising the use of filtration technology, it is also important to opt for a device that utilises both hydrocyclonic and magnetic action. This is to ensure both magnetic and non-magnetic contaminants, which could be detrimental to efficiency or cause damage to the boiler’s components, are captured and contained.

Additionally, filters such that can be installed either horizontally or vertically onto pipework provide extra flexibility on site.

If the property is in a hard water area, then either an electrolytic or magnetic scale reducer should also be installed.

Following this, the system should be dosed with Fernox Filter Fluid+ Protector. This combines the trusted formula of Protector F1 with a dispersant package to detect and lift circulating system debris and deliver it to a filter for collection and removal. Designed to be left in the system, the product continuously works to maximise the effectiveness of the filter as well as providing protection against further corrosion or scale formation. Furthermore, when used in conjunction with Cleaner F3, the formula can increase productivity on-site, with customer trials indicating as much as a 50% time-saving during the cleaning process.

Finally, to bring the cleaning process full circle, it is advisable to re-check the water quality of the system after treatment.

This 360° approach to system cleaning offers installers an effective and practical cleaning process – ensuring contaminated and inefficient systems are cleaned and treated effectively.

Tackling fuel poverty

Plumbing and heating manufacturers have an important role to play in tackling cold homes and fuel poverty in the UK. It is a manufacturer’s responsibility to arm installers with innovative products as well as provide best practice options applicable for each application.

By following a 360° approach to system cleaning, installers can help homeowners to understand the benefits of chemical water treatment and ensure that when winter comes, they can afford to heat their homes as they have an efficient and well protected system in place.