In September this year, the next phase of the EU’s Energy-related Products Directive (ErP) will come into effect.
New legislation will set maximum nitrogen oxides (NOx) emission levels that space heaters will need to meet, reducing the overall NOx emissions produced from heating. For oil-fired boilers, the NOx emissions target will be a maximum of 120mg/kWh so all oil boilers placed on the market on or after 26th September will need to be compliant.
The stricter regulations will affect space heaters which are up to 400kW in size, including oil-fired boilers, gas boilers and LPG boilers. The 2018 legislation follows on from the ErP Directive regulations which were enforced in September 2015 when a number of initiatives, including energy labelling, were introduced to improve the energy efficiency of products on the market. While the 2015 regulations sought to reduce the number of inefficient space heaters available, the legislation which is effective later this year strives to reduce emissions.
One of the overarching objectives of the new legislation is to help improve the air quality by reducing pollution. In response to both Government regulations and a growing demand from homeowners, manufacturers are continuously looking at ways to make their products more efficient and sustainable. Technological advances have pathed the way for innovative design changes which have resulted in greener heating solutions. For space heaters, this has included the development of low NOx burners including yellow flame and blue flame variants.
To read more about how Grant’s oil-fired boilers are compliant with this new legislation, please click here.