PHAM NEWS | OCTOBER 2026 4 News Review


HSE reveals number of gas work prosecutions


Boiler breakdown survey points to delayed response


Four in five UK homeowners surveyed say they worry about their boiler breaking down, while almost half say a failure tomorrow would be a serious financial crisis or very difficult to manage. This is according to Boiler


Installer Pro, which commissioned a survey of 350 UK homeowners aged 35 to 64 about boiler reliability, unexpected break- downs, replacement decisions and financial preparedness. The findings point to a recurring


pattern: homeowners worry about breakdowns, but the cost of boiler replacement can lead them to delay action. At the same time, relatively few have emergency savings or boiler cover in place. Of the 350 homeowners


surveyed, 103 (29%) said a boiler breakdown is something they think about regularly. A further 176 (50%) worry sometimes, although they said it does not keep them up at night. Together, these groups represent 80% of respondents. More than half of those surveyed had experienced an


(57%)


unexpected breakdown. Of the 200 homeowners who had experienced one, 30% said they had been left without heating or hot water for days, while 62% said the problem


was resolved within a day or two but had been very stressful. The cost of replacement was a significant factor for homeowners


who delayed taking action. Some 45% said they had put off replacing their boiler despite knowing it needed replacing. Of those, 71% said they could not afford it at the time.


Payment problems The survey also suggests many homeowners would struggle to deal with an unexpected bill. Almost half (49%) said a boiler breakdown the following day would either cause a serious financial crisis or be very difficult to manage. A further 30% said they could cover the cost but it would hurt financially. Only 15% said they had savings


set aside for emergencies such as a boiler failure, while 5% had boiler cover. Overall, 21% selected one of those options as a means of financial preparation. A third of respondents had


boilers more than 10 years old, including 11% with boilers more than 15 years old. The report says these figures do not establish whether any individual boiler needs replacing.


As part of last month’s Gas Safety Week (14 to 20 September 2026), the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has revealed that since the beginning of 2025, 17 people have been convicted for carrying out gas work illegally. By comparison, there were three convictions in the year 2022/23 and four in 2023/24. Over the past five years, HSE has successfully investigated and prosecuted dozens of defendants for breaching gas safety laws by working on gas appliances without being registered with Gas Safe Register.


The HSE is advising the public


that it takes just seconds to verify an engineer’s credentials at www. gassaferegister.co.uk or by calling 0800 408 5500, or they can ask to see a gas engineer’s Gas Safe ID card.


HSE’s principal inspector of gas


safety, Steve Critchlow, says: “Gas Safety Week is the right time to remind people just how serious the risks of illegal gas work can be – and the rising number of convictions of rogue traders carrying out unregistered gas work should be a warning to everyone. “Temperatures are going down


and bills are going up, but cutting corners when it comes to getting your gas appliances properly serviced by a registered professional could be a fatal


mistake. Uncontrolled gas leaks can cause fires, explosions, and carbon monoxide poisoning, and even though the gas industry has an excellent safety record, every tragic incident is one too many. “As people start thinking about


their heating ahead of winter, it’s exactly the right time to say: check your engineer is on the Gas Safe Register before you let them anywhere near your gas appliances. If they’re not on the register, don’t let them through the door.”


Heat pump planning application costs


An analysis of UK planning permission applications and outcomes by the research and innovation foundation Nesta suggests that from 2015 to 2026, households across Great Britain have spent up to £8m on heat pump planning permission applications, despite the great majority being approved.


Roughly a third of households installing a heat pump are affected by planning rules, which usually delay the process by weeks and occasionally months. The data suggests that roughly


£3-4m has been spent on residential planning applications for heat pumps, with a further £2-4m spent on specialist sound assessments over the last ten years.


But the overwhelming majority of these


applications are approved


(over 80%), including for listed buildings or those in protected areas, which do not automatically qualify for permitted development rights (PDR).


Sound reasons For the


residential planning


applications where the heat pump was a factor in the decision of the


planning application being


rejected, sound was the most common reason (43%), followed by a lack of design information (36%) and appearance (36%). Nesta suggests that extending


permitted development rights to Grade II listed buildings would help thousands of applications clear


Concerns about two-tier consumer protection


The government has been urged to ensure any new consumer protection for home heating work apply equally to every household, regardless of the technology or how the work is funded, to avoid creating a two-tier system. The comments form part of OFTEC’s response to the government’s consultation on Reforming Consumer Protection for Home Upgrade Schemes.


As part of the consultation, the


government has proposed a new consumer protection service


for


households having work carried out under government-backed schemes, such as the Boiler Upgrade Scheme (BUS). However, this would only apply to government-funded work, leaving households who pay for their own heating upgrades


without the same level of support if something goes wrong. OFTEC argues this risks creating a two- tier system and different levels of protections for consumers. In their response, OFTEC also highlights concerns with


the Because


existing system in place. registration with a


competent person scheme is not mandatory, compliance


with


Building Regulations can easily be compromised and this, combined with the cost and bureaucracy


involved in holding renewable registration, has led to an increase in installations that are notified through umbrella schemes. This is where a third party submits the paperwork on behalf of an installer who may not hold the relevant registration themselves. In some cases, the umbrella scheme provider never inspects the


installation


in person, relying instead on photographs or video sent by the installer as evidence that the work meets the required standard. The oil-fired heating body has


also outlined how the design of funding schemes themselves can affect installation quality. Government-backed schemes, such as BUS, can involve significant administration and cost to join. OFTEC argues this


through the system more quickly and at a lower cost. In addition, developing a cheaper alternative to the expensive BS4142 sound tests could be a way to lower costs for heat pump applicants. Katy King, director of Nesta’s sustainable future mission, says: “A significant proportion of people who want to get a heat pump are being forced to spend their valuable money and time on lengthy planning processes. Most applications are approved, so this raises questions about whether some people


have wasted time


and money having to go through the process and whether it can be streamlined to only require applications where they are absolutely necessary.”


falls hardest on the small, often family-run, businesses that make up most of the heating installation sector and discourage them from taking part directly. Malcolm Farrow, director of


marketing and external affairs at OFTEC, comments: “We welcome that the government has recognised the need to put in place stronger protections for consumers. However, every household having heating work carried out in their home should have the same standard of protection, whether that work is funded by the government or paid for by themselves. “We


also need to address


loopholes in the current system which can allow installations to be signed off without anyone who is properly qualified ever inspecting the finished work in person.”


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