Total Guide to Care Home Heating
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Care Home Heating Experts
Asbury’s guide to care home heating contains all the information you need to ensure the heating in your care home is installed, operated and maintained in accordance with the latest legislation, set out by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and other industry bodies.
Our guide details the best heating systems to use in care homes, guidance on safety considerations, communal and individual room requirements and maintenance advice.
Ensuring proper heating is a key factor in providing high-quality care to service users.
At Asbury, we’ve been specialising in commercial heating installation, maintenance and repair for over 60 years. We serve a broad area, covering Dorset, Hampshire and Wiltshire with a reliable team of skilled engineers. This guide details everything you need to know about care home heating.
Care Home Heating Laws and Regulations
There are several laws and regulating bodies that focus on care home heating. The four key regulating factors are:
- The Care Quality Commission (CQC) – The CQC is the independent regulator of health and social care services in England. They set standards for care homes, ensuring that the premises are safe and suitable for residents. According to the CQC “Care providers have a legal duty to take all reasonable steps to protect people in their care from risks to their health and wellbeing,” which includes having appropriate heating and ventilation.
- Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 – These regulations require gas appliances and installations in care homes to be installed and maintained by a Gas Safe registered engineer.
- Building Regulations Part L – This regulation requires new buildings, including care homes, to comply with minimum energy efficiency standards. This includes having appropriate insulation and heating systems.
- Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 – This act places a general duty on employers to ensure the health, safety, and welfare of their employees and anyone who may be affected by their work activities. This includes ensuring that care home heating systems are safe and do not pose a risk to residents or staff.
Additionally, although not linked to a specific law, Age UK advise that living room temperatures should be kept at a minimum of 21°C and bedrooms at a minimum of 18°C for elderly people.
Will a Care Home Have to Close if There are Heating Problems?
If the heating system in a care home breaks, the decision to close the home would depend on several factors, including the severity of the issue, the time of year, and the specific circumstances of the care home and its residents.
Care homes should have contingency plans in place to deal with heating failures and other emergencies. These plans may include providing temporary heating solutions such as portable heaters or arranging for repairs to be made as quickly as possible.
If the heating failure poses a serious risk to the health and safety of the residents, such as during extreme cold weather conditions, then it may be necessary to evacuate the home and temporarily relocate residents to other suitable accommodation until the issue is resolved.
At Asbury Heating, our team of engineers are on hand 24/7 with our emergency boiler repair service for care homes. We aim to fix your boiler problems as soon as possible and prevent unnecessary disruption to your premises.
Care Home Heating Installation Advice
Underfloor heating and radiators are the best choices for care homes.
Radiators from gas central heating are a popular choice as they are efficient, relatively low-cost and provide consistent warmth throughout the building. Gas central heating systems can also be easily controlled to ensure that the temperature in each room is set to the desired level.
In particular, low-surface temperature radiators are a good choice in care homes to protect service users.
Underfloor heating works at a low flow temperature and has no exposed hot surfaces. This makes it a good choice for care homes, reducing the risk of scalding.
Get in touch to find out what type of heating installation would best suit your care home facility.
Safety Considerations for Care Home Heating
When it comes to care home heating, it’s important that nothing in the system can cause harm or pose a risk to service users.
The Health and Safety Executive have outlined in their HSG220 guidance that no surfaces in care homes should be above 43°C in order to protect service users.
This means it’s necessary to plan and take precautions to ensure that no heating appliance exposes service users to temperatures over 43°C. This may involve using radiator covers, low-surface temperature radiators and radiator guards.
Care Home Heating Maintenance Advice
Care home heating systems need to be regularly maintained to make sure they are working safely and efficiently.
Budgets are already stretched thinly across the care sector, and the good news is that regular boiler and heater maintenance can help avoid costly emergency repairs and replacements.
At Asbury, we offer comprehensive maintenance contracts that will ensure your care home’s boiler and heating is safely taken care of, at a time that will have minimal disruption on your premises’ schedule.
Our engineers are qualified to handle gas, LPG, and oil-fired boilers and pumps.
Get in touch to discuss our maintenance contracts.
Regular Maintenance Can Save Your Care Home Money
By identifying and addressing small issues before they turn into major problems, regular maintenance can prevent costly breakdowns and repairs. On top of this, a well-maintained boiler and heating system will operate more efficiently, reducing energy bills and ultimately saving money in the long term.
Finally, regular maintenance can extend the lifespan of the boiler and heating system, delaying the need for costly replacements.
Care Home Heating by Asbury
Given the various factors to consider, such as regulations, efficiency and safety, sorting out care home heating comes with its own unique set of challenges. At Asbury, we bring our years of experience to the field, helping to advise care homes on the best choice for their particularly facility.
Let us give you a comprehensive consultation and help your care home invest in the right heating system. We provide the system, take care of installation, offer maintenance and supply a 24-hour repair service to ensure an efficient and exceptionally reliable heating system for the care home.
Get in touch today
For care home heating in Dorset, Hampshire or Wiltshire, please get in touch with Asbury Heating by completing our contact form or calling 01202 745189.
