Heta Stoves from Cyril Johnston, Belfast
HETAS the solid fuel industry’s official body for approving heating appliances, fuels and services – is to launch its new and improved 2016 Official HETAS Guide to Approved Products & Services, at EcoBuild next week (8th March).
The Guide, which is updated annually, contains listings of approved appliances, ancillary equipment and products for use with biomass, wood and solid mineral fuels. An important resource for appliance designers, retailers, installers, maintainers and users, it includes efficiency figures which help to determine whether a particular appliance is suited to a property, and can be installed in accordance with Building Regulations. The Guide also states when an appliance is DEFRA exempt, or MCS certified.
The 2016 Guide also contains details of chimney sweeps whose operatives have been trained and assessed in safety and good practice.
HETAS has ensured this year’s Guide is more user-friendly than previous editions, in line with installer feedback following a survey. The body has also been working closely with manufacturers to identify common descriptors and create icons which represent different features of the products, making it much easier to use.
Speaking about the new Guide, Bruce Allen, CEO of HETAS, says, “We are committed to achieving industry best practice for our registrants, and equally importantly, their customers. We have already received a lot of positive feedback from our installers and retailers about the benefits of using the Guide and have taken on board their recommendations for improvement.
“The Guide’s new format is more accessible, allowing readers to understand the most important product features at a glance. And even though this year we have more manufacturers and products than ever, we’ve produced a slimmer volume in line with comments that previous Guides have been a bit bulky to carry around. Ultimately, this will be better for the environment and give better value to our registrants.”
While the 2016 edition boasts a fresh look and feel, many of the Guide’s familiar features, such as the Ministerial Introduction, remain. This year’s foreword comes from Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State.
Ten thousand copies of the 2016 Guide are to be printed and sent to HETAS registered businesses, local authorities, fire services and distributed at shows such as EcoBuild.
