Roundup of key events from the past year…

• The public were urged to stock up on carbon monoxide (CO) alarms ahead of the summer season, as it was revealed almost 27 million people in the UK do not possess a CO alarm in their home.
• New data revealed that cases of suspected CO poisoning in children are on the rise across the UK, and the worst affected areas include East Anglia (211% increase), West Midlands (58% increase), London (27% increase), East Midlands (27% increase) and the South East (17% increase).
• A report – “Carbon Monoxide Poisoning: Saving Lives, Advancing Treatment” – released from the All-Party Parliamentary Carbon Monoxide Group revealed that CO poisoning costs £178 million a year in health costs.
• Campaign group Carbon Monoxide Be Alarmed found that one in three renters don’t have a carbon monoxide alarm in their home.
• Gas Safe Register’s “Decade Review” – which went live in December – revealed that the number of registered gas businesses has increased from 54,000 in 2009 to 74,000 in 2017.
• The most common type of work gas businesses conduct is on domestic heating and hot water systems (84%).

Last year, CORGI Services welcomed two new licensees to its group of businesses.

CORGI Fenestration

CORGI Services welcomed CORGI Fenestration Limited to its portfolio of building services in February 2017.

Working with industry qualification writing and awarding body GQA, CORGI Fenestration promotes a structured approach to certification for tradespeople in the fenestration industry. This is to ensure consumers buying products from the supply chain have the same confidence that they would expect from any CORGI registered company.

To find out more about CORGI Fenestration, visit: www.corgifenestration.co.uk

CORGI HomeHeat

CORGI HomeHeat brings together energy efficiency, quality boilers and high standards of customer service, and joined CORGI Services licensed businesses in November 2017.

Its team makes the process of buying a boiler simple for consumers by offering an online survey that can be completed in two minutes, resulting in a fixed price for the boiler and installation.

Each of its boilers are available to select online and installed by a trusted CORGI engineer.

To find out more about CORGI HomeHeat, visit: www.corgihomeheat.co.uk

The Gas Safety Trust (GST) was established in 2005 as a registered charity, and has become the UK’s leading gas safety research provider.

It operates to improve gas/fossil fuel safety for the public and industry and reduce death and serious injury from CO exposure.

All the funds raised by CORGI Services through its licensed businesses are gift aided to the GST to support its research work.

Over the past year, the trust has made significant developments.

This included:

• In September the charity held a workshop that was supported by the British Toxicological Society and attended by clinicians and toxicologists that discussed new ways to detect carbon monoxide poisoning.
• In October it published the “Downstream Incident Data Report” statistics for 2015-16. The report collated data related to accidental CO poisoning incidents in Great Britain and found that older people are more at risk of being affected. It reported 20 incidents due to CO poisoning, five of which were fatalities, and four occured in people that were over the age of 60 and related to piped natural gas where older appliances were used.
• In November, University College London (UCL) released its “Factors Contributing to Low-Level Carbon Monoxide (CO) Exposure in the English Housing Stock” report, which was sponsored by GST. The report found that flats were particularly at risk of CO poisoning, and that retrofitted energy efficiency measures increased the risk of CO poisoning. In addition, the research revealed that the use of an extractor fan during cooking made a significant impact on the reduction of risk of CO poisoning.
• During the same month the GST announced its plans for research that will look at the impact of low CO poisoning in older adults and its impact on cognitive function and mental health. The research will help determine whether CO exposure can be a risk factor in neurological disorders such as dementia.
• And, the GST shared details about new research which was launched in Parliament and found that poor households on the lowest incomes are at risk from CO poisoning. The research was carried out by fuel poverty charity National Energy Action (NEA) and funded by the GST.

Chris Bielby, chairman of the GST, said: “The Gas Safety Trust is committed to supporting and improving the diagnosis and treatment of CO poisoning.

“What is emerging from research we are funding is that incidents are being missed and that people may be poisoned at lower levels for extended periods of time without knowing it.

“It is sad news that there were five fatalities recorded by the DIDR data collection last year. Once again we are seeing an emerging trend of older people being poisoned. This chimes with other work we are funding elsewhere which is identifying vulnerable older people and those in fuel poverty as particularly at risk.

“We would urge people to make sure that their appliances are serviced by a Gas Safe registered engineer and that an audible CO alarm tested to the standard EN 50291 is installed as a second line of defence.”

To find out more about the Gas Safety Trust and its work, visit: www.gassafetytrust.org

CORGI Fenestration, an organisation that was formed to create a scheme that recognises quality and best practice across fenestration manufacturing, has achieved many successes since joining CORGI Services last year.

Successes include:

• Working with the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) and the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) on a number of initiatives including “Each Home Counts” and the development of improved qualifications.
• Launching the CORGI Fenestration Scheme that is applicable to both domestic and trade environments, and ensures that all involved in a supply chain:
  • Are responsible for the design of the systems for fenestration products in buildings.
  • Undertake product design and/or produce component parts for designs.
  • Fabricate fenestration products.
  • Conduct site surveys and undertake the installation of fenestration products in buildings.

In addition, the organisation has received a lot of positive feedback from businesses that have signed up to the scheme, including:

The Vocational College: “We are delighted to be partnering with CORGI Fenestration and excited by the opportunity that it presents for both us and our clients”.

Edgetech UK: “We were intrigued when we heard about the new CORGI Fenestration scheme and the more we found out about it, the more we could see the value of being involved”.

Liniar: “We’re delighted that Liniar is the first PVC system house to join the CORGI Fenestration scheme. CORGI is a name that’s synonymous with trust and quality, values that we also hold dear at Liniar”.

To find out more about CORGI Fenestration, visit: www.corgifenestration.co.uk

CORGI HomePlan, a provider of expert assistance in central heating, breakdowns, scheduled servicing and general home emergencies, hit the headlines in May when it was purchased by OVO Energy, a UK energy provider.

The organisation prides itself on its commitment to keeping customers safe and warm, and this was reaffirmed in October when CORGI HomePlan’s research into different genders temperature preferences gained national widespread coverage, appearing in The Daily Mail, >The Guardian and on BBC Radio 2’s Chris Evans show.

The research revealed that while male and female body temperatures are similar, due to subtle biological differences, women are more likely to turn the heating up when compared to men.

It also found that one third of couples dispute this issue and four in ten women turn it up behind their partner’s back.

In addition to its publicity success, CORGI HomePlan challenged the nation’s children to create home safety messages in the form of posters in a competition that was judged by award-winning children’s book illustrator, Nick East. This led to the organisation receiving hundreds of entries and recognition in local and regional press outlets.

Two siblings – Imogen and Jacob Smith – from Tamworth, West Midlands, were crowned as the winners.

Alongside this activity, CORGI HomePlan’s corgi mascot was able to travel the world. It appeared at the Invictus Games in September in Canada to support athlete Michael Mellon, brother of CORGI HomePlan employee, Deborah Stephenson, as he competed in the shot putt and wheelchair volleyball.

To find out more about CORGI HomePlan, visit its website here www.corgihomeplan.co.uk

CORGI Fenestration shares a roundup of the last year, and details about its plans for 2018.

2017 overview:

• The Autumn Budget in 2017 announced plans for new house building, which suggests increased demand for high quality windows.
• “Budget Boost Heralds Council Building Boom” published in Glass and Glazing Products on 28 November 2017, spoke about a change of direction by the government to support new house building.
• A survey by Leads2trade asked consumers about their plans to spend on home improvements, and 55% said they were planning on spending money on their homes, and 64% took a positive view on the reputation of the glass and glazing industry.

CORGI Fenestration plans for 2018:

• CORGI Fenestration started 2018 with a bang by launching its unique “Installer Scheme.” This allows glazing sector installers to notify and self-certify installation jobs and use the CORGI Fenestration “RateYourInstallation” service – which acts like a rating service for the glazing industry.
• The company will continue its marketing activity to recruit more businesses along the supply chain – from system houses, fabricators, component and Insulating Glass Units (IGU) manufacturers, to installers, repair and maintenance services and locksmiths.
• Towards the end of 2018, CORGI Fenestration will launch a consumer marketing campaign to increase awareness of its services to householders.

To find out more about CORGI Fenestration, visit: www.corgifenestration.co.uk

CORGI HomePlan’s plans for 2018:

• As well as the launch of CORGI HomeHeat providing boiler installation to householders, CORGI HomePlan’s expert call centre staff and 5,000 strong engineer network will keep up their mission to protect the nation’s boilers and heating.
• In addition, CORGI HomePlan is looking forward to being on the cutting edge of developments in energy. This includes being involved with smart meters, electric vehicle charging and cleaner energy propositions including a new wave of storage heaters and lower tariffs, due to it being part of the OVO Energy family.

To find out more about CORGI HomePlan, visit: www.corgihomeplan.co.uk

CORGI Insurance shares its GDPR advice

GDPR will take effect on 25th May 2018 – are you ready? And do you know how to ensure you’re compliant?

CORGI Insurance share its top tips to help installers ensure data is managed correctly.

What is the GDPR?

The Government Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is being introduced to strengthen the rights of the public when it comes to information that is collected, processed and stored online, as sometimes, data is stored without the holder’s permission.

In May last year, approximately 12 months before “G day”, a YouGov survey of more than 2,000 UK businesses revealed that firms didn’t feel prepared for the regulation.

There are many misconceptions surrounding GDPR and what is highlighted in the regulatory change, combined with a lack of understanding about the new fines.

If you run a plumbing/heating SME business, you may have some questions about what’s to come. To help, we’ve compiled a list of frequently asked questions.

What is going to change?

There are two parts to the GDPR:

1. It introduces new responsibilities for companies about storing customer information through its Accountability Principle.
2. It significantly increases sanctions if companies don’t comply (e.g. it demands fines and will create data transfer suspensions).

What does this mean in legal terms?

The GDPR will officially kick in, legally, on Friday 25th May 2018 for all European Union member states.

How will Brexit affect GDPR?

It won’t. The GDPR will be included in UK law through the EU Withdrawal Bill, which means that the standards will continue to apply in the UK post-Brexit.

What can I do to prepare?

There’s plenty you can do, but we’d recommend focusing on the sensitive personal information you have for current/former/potential customers (names, addresses, IP addresses and GPS data etc).

You must ensure that the information you have is up to date, and if you use the data for marketing purposes, you need the individual’s consent to get in touch with them.

If you’re not sure if you have customer consent (for example, if you use pre-ticked opt-in boxes), consider running an opt-in email marketing campaign to get consent.

In addition, customers need to be able to “opt-out”. To offer this you can include an unsubscribe link in your marketing emails.

Also, consider deleting any out dated, irrelevant or unnecessary information you have, as a big part of GDPR is transparency, so customers always know what information you have on them, and how you plan on using it. To help with this process you can check your privacy notice to ensure that customers know how you’ll be using their information.

And, it’s useful to create a plan for when a customer requests access to the information you have for them.

Where can I find out more?

There is a lot of useful information that has been designed to educate businesses on the GDPR.

We’d recommend turning to:

• The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) SME toolkit
• The ICO’s readiness assessment tool
• The ICO’s 12-step guide on how to prepare for the GDPR
• The Association of British Insurers guide to buying cyber insurance for SMEs

For more information about CORGI Insurance, visit: www.tradedirectinsurance.co.uk

CORGI Services, has shared the following information for the year to come…

Boiler Plus

New building regulations will be coming into force in April which will raise efficiency standards for boilers.

They will be called “Boiler Plus” regulations, and will be part of a wider “Clean Growth Strategy” which will aim to introduce more measures to encourage homeowners to improve the fabrics and services of their properties.

For more information, click here, or here.

Gas Safe Register

The gas safety registration for installers, the Gas Safe Register, is to be retendered for in 2019 following its 10 year operation by Capita. The HSE has stated that a process of bidding for this scheme and a decision is to be expected in 2018.

The Gas Safe Register brand will remain, and whoever wins the bid, will continue with it, to ensure consumer recognition of gas safety.

For more information on the tender, click here.

Apprenticeships

Apprenticeships are always high on the agenda in our industry.

The Government’s Apprenticeship Levy was introduced in April 2017, however it has been reported that there has been a significant drop in apprenticeship starts, as reported by the Daily Telegraph.

Whilst we need to wait and see whether this trend continues, the Government may need to continue to encourage more young people to discover the benefit of the apprentice career path.

• Boilers are one of the most expensive items in the home to replace or repair.
• A broken down boiler costs an average of £344 to fix.
• A new boiler can cost upwards of £2,000 including labour.
• Many homeowners don’t give their boiler a second’s thought until it lets them down.

Source: http://www.gocompare.com/press-office/2016/boiler-breakdown/

Central heating provides warmth to the whole interior of a building from one point to multiple rooms.

But how was it developed into what it is today?

The ancient Greeks were said to develop central heating for the temple of Ephesus, which was heated by flues planted in the ground that circulated heat generated by fire.

Then, in the 13th century, the Cistercian monks revived central heating in Europe using river diversions combined with indoor wood-fired furnaces.

The three main methods of modern central heating were developed in the 18th-19th centuries.

They included:

1. Hot air – Stove heated air brought from the outside by an underground passage that was ventilated through buildings by large central ducts.
2. Steam – A system of pipes carried high-pressure steam around a building from a central boiler through a system of pipes.
3. Hot water – A distribution of low-pressure water was pushed through small pipes at high pressure, which led to the creation of radiators.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_heating

Trust is everything in the HVAC industry and you can share your expert advice to build it amongst consumers.

We’d recommend sharing this advice with homeowners:

Avoid boiler breakdown

• Check heating is working regularly.
• Check your boiler is on and if your gas and electricity supply is working. Is your boiler’s pilot light on?
• Review your boiler instructions.
• Check your pressure.
• Bleed your radiators.
• Insulate your condensate pipe if you have one.
• Thaw your condensate pipe.
• Get your boiler serviced.

Reduce energy costs

• Insulate your attic to retain heat.
• Seal cracks around windows, on perimeter walls and at electric outlets on exterior walls.
• Consider insulated glass windows.
• Turn off the lights.
• Use lighting controls.
• Unplug electronics.
• Use power strips.
• Close curtains and blinds at night to protect against drafts.

In addition to keeping the warmth in for homeowners, it’s important to keep the water out.

Help consumers steer clear of frozen pipework or clogged up drains by sharing this advice:

Protect your pipes

• Prevent pipes from freezing by insulating them.
• Heat pipes by wrapping them with approved heat tape.
• Prevent pipes from bursting with pipe lagging.
• Allow the faucet to drip slightly to relieve pressure in systems.
• Keep pipe cabinet doors closed to retain warmth.
• Keep up the average temperature of your pipes.
• Check the water stop tap.
• Drain the central heating and water pipes if you’re going to be away from the building.

Fend off floods

• If you live in a flood-risk area prepare, prepare, prepare.
• Fill bin liners with soil and pack them in front of external doors.
• Invest in non-return valves for toilets.
• Consider purchasing airbrick covers.
• Clear your gutters.
• Check the gutters that service your drainpipes.
• Clear drains of leaves, moss and other blockages.
• Be careful about where you pile up snow from cleared paths and driveways.

Whilst your main focus will be on protecting your customers this winter, it’s equally as important to protect yourself against the elements.

Most recently we’ve seen Storm Aileen batter Britain with 75mph winds, causing power cuts and travel chaos.

And as the chill and icy conditions kick in, and if you’re regularly traveling to and from different locations, it’s essential to be aware of winter road safety.

To keep your van in top tip condition CORGI Vans recommends following these steps:

1. Check that your van battery is in good condition – and many garages offer free checks.
2. Ensure you have adequate pressure in your tyres.
3. Check your tyre treads which should ideally be at least 3mm deep to give you maximum grip.
4. Switch to winter tyres if you live and operate in an area that is prone to poor conditions.
5. Ensure you have the appropriate level of engine coolant and antifreeze.
6. Stock up on windscreen washer and consider increasing the concentration to prevent water from freezing.
7. Check your windscreen wipers, as winter brings increased dirt, grit and salt on roads.

And, you’ll need to ensure you have the key winter essentials in your van, too.

CORGI Vans advises carrying these key items:

1. An ice scrapper and de-icer.
2. A shovel.
3. Jump leads.
4. A towrope.
5. An old roll of carpet – to use under van wheels to prevent skidding.
6. A torch with working batteries.
7. A blanket – in case you’re caught outside for longer than expected.
8. Boots / wellies and cold weather clothing – in case you need to walk to get help.
9. A mobile phone and car phone charger.
10. A first aid kit.

Cold and wet weather during the winter is a leading cause of condensation and damp, which if left untreated, can lead to mould.

And, damp and mould can rot timber frames and furniture and spread across curtains and upholstery.

It’s an urban myth that installing new double-glazing will eliminate condensation problems in the home. Unless a few rules are followed, condensation and mould growth can become a serious problem.

So what is condensation and how is it caused?

• Moisture is always in the air, even if you cannot see it.
• When the air gets colder it cannot hold all the moisture so tiny drops of water appear, which is condensation.
• Condensation occurs mainly during cold weather, whether it’s raining or dry.
• It appears in places where there is little movement of air, such as corners, on or near windows, behind wardrobes and cupboards and on north-facing walls.

Advice for homeowners

To help homeowners manage condensation issues, CORGI Fenestration recommends installers share four simple tips.

1. Produce less moisture

Many ordinary daily activities produce a lot of moisture, quickly. To reduce this, homeowners can:

• Cover pans and stop leaving kettles boiling when cooking.
• If you use paraffin and portable flue-less bottled-gas heaters that produce a lot of moisture and condensation, consider using an alternative means of heating.
• Close bathroom doors and ensure extractor fans are on or windows are open when having showers or baths to allow damp air to escape.
• Dry clothes outdoors. If this isn’t possible, ensure doors are closed and windows are open in this room, or alternatively, use a tumble dryer that is vented to the outside.

2. Provide appropriate ventilation

Ventilation is key when it comes to removing access moisture.

To ventilate a property without making draughts, homeowners can:

• Keep small windows ajar or trickle vents open all the time, if possible, especially when rooms are occupied.
• Ensure kitchen and bathroom windows are open or extractor fans and vents to the outside are installed.
• Close kitchen and bathroom doors when the rooms are in use.
• Allow space for air to circulate in and around furniture and leave space between the backs of wardrobes and walls.
• Install dehumidifiers to help dry out damp in newly built houses.

3. Insulate and draught-proof rooms

Insulation in lofts, cavity wall insulation and draught proofing windows and outside doors will help keep homes warm and can lower fuel bills. And, when the whole home is warmer, condensation is less likely to occur.

When installing draught proofing, ensure:

• Permanent ventilators are not blocked.
• Chimneys are not blocked.
• Rooms that have a fuel-burning heater are not draught-proofed.
• Windows in bathrooms and kitchens are not draught-proofed.

4. Heat homes a little more

The best way to minimise the amount of condensation produced in homes is to keep low background heating on all day.

This is particularly important in flats and bungalows where the bedrooms are not above a warm living area.

Key tips to remember:

• Central heating should be set to provide background warmth in all rooms, including unused rooms.
• Thermostatically-controlled heating will help control heating and costs.
• Background ventilation should be provided at the same time as heating.

For more information from CORGI Fenestration, click here.