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heating care homes

Is Your Care Home Meeting UK Boiler Installation Regulations?

Everyone benefits from living in a warm home, but it’s especially important for older people. Older people often have slower metabolisms and reduced blood circulation, which makes them highly vulnerable to cold weather, hypothermia, and frostbite. For this reason, it’s essential your care home provides residents with proper heating during the colder months of the year.

On top of keeping residents comfortable, maintaining a warm home also helps you stay in line with government care home regulations. This will keep your home law-compliant and safe to inhabit.

At Asbury Heating, we have years of experience working on boilers in care homes, nursing facilities, and similar settings. Below, we outline the regulations that apply to boilers and the steps you can take to comply with them.

What Do Care Home Regulations Say About Boiler Installations?

Boiler installations, maintenance, and repairs fall under the scope of Regulation 12 in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014:

“Providers must make sure that equipment is suitable for its purpose, properly maintained, and used correctly and safely. This includes making sure that staff using the equipment have the training, competency, and skills needed.”

In short, your boiler must be able to maintain a comfortable temperature throughout the home with minimal risk of hazards or breakdowns.

care home residents
care home

What Do You Need to Do to Comply with Boiler Regulations?

Choosing and Installing Your Boiler

Compliance with regulations starts with selecting the right boiler. You’ll need to choose a model with the capacity to efficiently warm every room in your care home, without taking too long to heat up.

If your current boiler is over 15 years old or struggling to heat your property, it’s time to consider an upgrade. Not only are newer boilers more powerful, but they’re also more energy-efficient – they’ll help reduce your energy bills and shrink your carbon footprint, improving your home’s green credentials.

Once you’ve chosen the right boiler, you must have it carefully and precisely installed into your existing heating system, with special attention paid to minimising safety hazards. Finally, it should be thoroughly tested to make sure it’s performing as expected.

Servicing and Repairs

To keep your boiler performing well all year round, make sure to arrange for regular boiler inspections and servicing. This includes routine maintenance, such as cleaning, lubricating, and adjusting the components, as well as scheduled testing of safety devices and pressure relief valves. During this testing, engineers will inspect and repair any small issues before they become more serious, preventing future breakdowns.

Don’t forget to maintain detailed records of inspections, maintenance activities, and repairs. Proper documentation is often a regulatory requirement and can help demonstrate compliance.

You should also check that your care home has carbon monoxide alarms and test them regularly to guarantee they’re working properly.

Talk to the Experts in Heating Care Homes

Looking to upgrade your care home’s heating system? You’re in the right place.

At Asbury Heating, we specialise in designing and installing reliable, energy-efficient boiler systems for care homes in the South. Our systems are quick to install, easy on the pocket, and will maintain a comfortable environment throughout your facility all year round. For your peace of mind, we also offer regular maintenance checks to keep your boiler running smoothly year-round.

Our experienced, Gas Safe-registered engineers are here for you 24/7, whether you need a service call or just some quick advice. If you’re ready to get started, you can get a quote online today!