‘PAS2030, an accreditation scheme that all gas engineers must have prior to being allowed to undertake work on the Governments Green Deal scheme does not imply a quality installation will be carried out’ says Director of the Heating and Hotwater Industry Council, Roger Webb.
His comments follow remarks made by DECC that ‘any trade assurance or guarantee scheme other than that for Green Deal Installers does not ensure that installations are up to standard’.
He continued,
‘For the heating industry which is already heavily regulated, the PAS2030 scheme is bureaucratic and expensive and currently only a handful of the UK’s 122,000 registered gas engineers are accredited. Currently gas engineers are required to have the necessary skill and competency qualifications and be registered with Gas Safe Register. Installers also use Benchmark, a scheme that operates with the support of boiler manufacturers and also provides a checklist for a safe and reliable installation.
The Government purports to be a champion of the small business and promises to tackle the unnecessary red tape faced by many and yet it makes the situation worse for small firms working in the sector.
Suggesting that well established and highly regarded industry led quality schemes are not up to standard could be professionally damaging to the industry and individual installers. HHIC will work with DECC to investigate a way to incorporate industry standards into the Government’s scheme requirements.’
