Written question asked by Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Conservative) on Tuesday, 18 March 2008, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 20 March 2008. It was answered by Joan Ruddock (Labour) on Thursday, 3 April 2008 on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Heating: EC Law

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will bring forward proposals for a system of grading heating controls according to their energy efficiency to meet the requirements of the Energy-using Products Directive.

Answer: The Government encourage the use of heating controls and the installation of a minimum set of controls is a requirement of our Building Regulations. Nevertheless, the current consultation paper on improving the energy performance of domestic heating and hot water systems sets out indicative targets for better use of existing heating controls and advance controls.In discussions on the Energy-using Products Directive, the Government have asked the Commission to consider a system whereby heating installers would be provided with information on the performance of individual system components, including controls, together with an indication of the performance of these components in a system.

Secondary information