The Association of Plumbing and Heating Contractors (APHC) has welcomed news that the government is dropping plans to introduce consequential improvement requirements to Building Regulations, stating that the move will help promote business in the industry.
The government had been planning to introduce measures to require homeowners to carry out energy efficiency work on their properties if they needed to have ordinary home improvements or fixes done.
For example, if loft conversion was being carried out or a replacement boiler installed, the homeowner would likely have had to have more loft insulation fitted or an additional renewable heating system installed.
The APHC has said that if the plans had gone ahead, then more people would have been deterred from carrying out such work on their homes, and the demand for building professionals – including plumbers, plasterers and heating engineers – would have been adversely affected.
APHC chief executive, John Thompson, stated, “The implementation of these proposals would have severely inhibited the plumbing and heating refurbishment market in already difficult trading conditions. I now hope the government will concentrate on supporting the industry by raising the profile of the Green Deal to the consumer market and ensuring a good take up in 2013.”