For those working directly with gas the switch from Corgi has also been straightforward and almost universal. The Register now holds registrations for over 60,000 businesses and will continue to grow in 2010 when businesses from Guernsey and Northern Ireland also come aboard.

Those working with gas may be familiar with the rules and their responsibilities but what about those in the broader construction trades who may be working alongside them?

Under Regulation 8 of the Gas Safety (Installation & Use) Regulations 1998, those working in trades other than gas also have a legal duty not to compromise the safety of gas installations in the course of their work.

Jamie Cooper, Technical Support Manager for Gas Safe Register said:

"We all recognise that health and safety should always come first as part of any building project. But where gas installations are concerned, like gas engineers, all trades have a legal duty to make sure that the work carried out doesn’t make an installation unsafe."

"For example, roofers must check that they are not adversely affecting a flue system; kitchen fitters must take care not to build a cupboard too close to a cooker; and double glazing fitters must not block essential ventilation when putting up new windows. It is also essential that any gas work undertaken on a building project is carried out by a Gas Safe registered engineer. Remember it is not permissible to have gas work undertaken by someone else signed-off by a registered engineer."

"An awareness of the risks is a key first step. In some cases other trades may not even have considered that their work could impact upon the safe operation of gas appliances."

Unfortunately there is no ‘one size fits all’ guidance with regards to ultimate legal responsibility:

"The Health & Safety at Work Act is the ‘umbrella’ legislation in this context and any work carried out must meet its requirements. In cases where responsibility is disputed it can ultimately come down to a court to decide."

If you are carrying out any work which you think may fall within the scope of ‘gas work’, including flues, ventilation or suitable clearances around gas appliances you can obtain gas safety advice from the Gas Safe Register technical team on 0800 408 5500 and press Option 2.

The research further identifies that a quarter of a million gas jobs are carried out each year by at least 7,500 hard core illegal gas fitters. They are potentially the most dangerous type of illegal gas workers in the country. As well as carrying out gas work, many may also undertake plumbing jobs, bathroom fitting, kitchen fitting, general building and electrical work.

Commenting on the research, Phill Brewster, Gas Safe Register’s national investigations manager said:

"For a consumer there’s an awful lot to think about when they’re doing any improvements to their home, particularly in kitchens and bathrooms. So, it’s not surprising that for some, it can slip their mind that certain jobs have to be done by skilled tradesmen."

Gas Safe Register’s investigation team are searching out illegal gas fitters around the country who are not registered. They also investigate registered engineers that carry out work they are not qualified to do, as Phill Brewster explains:

"We want consumers to understand that different types of gas work require different qualifications. Just because someone is qualified and registered to work on one gas appliance, for example gas boilers, does not mean that they are automatically qualified to put in a gas fire. If they do this, the work is illegal and potentially life threatening. The work that engineers can legally do is listed on the back of their Gas Safe Register ID card – so before a consumer has any gas work done in their home we want them to make sure they check the card."

Anyone encountering illegal gas work can report it anonymously to Gas Safe Register via the website: www.GasSafeRegister.co.uk

Source: Article provided by Gas Safe Register

The mayor announced at the London Congress that the ten chosen boroughs – which include Lewisham, Westminster and Islington – will each receive a minimum of £200,000 to put towards improving energy efficiency and reducing carbon emissions in the area.

And the aim of the project is to reduce carbon emissions by 20.12 per cent by 2012, while also creating more green jobs.

Both domestic and commercial properties will be the focus of the funds.

Commenting on the news, Sally Prentice, cabinet member for environment on Lambeth Council, said: "Cutting people’s fuel consumption by making their homes more energy efficient saves them money, which is vital for families on low incomes."

The Energy Saving Trust offers homeowners a number of tips on how they can reduce their utility bills through improved energy efficiency – including by investing in a condensing boiler.”

Source: BHL, September 2009

In an update about its Strategy for Sustainable Construction, the Department for Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform stated that the country is on target to reduce emissions by 34 per cent under the UK Low Carbon Transition Plan.

Construction minister Ian Lucas, said: "I am pleased to see we are making steps towards reaching these targets, but there is further work to be done to build on these achievements and reach the overarching goals of the strategy."

Ian Pearson, economic secretary to the Treasury, added that the challenge will now be ensuring that the Climate Change Act targets for 2020 and 2050 are met.

Recently, the UK Green Building Council revealed that it is to start a new Sustainability Training and Education programme.

Speaking to BD Live, Paul King, chief executive of the body, claimed that the scheme was designed to address an "unmet need" in the sector.”

Source: ECA, September 2009

Brian Berry, director of external affairs at the Federation of Master Builders, explained that there will be increased demand for green construction services in the near future.

This means that those who have the expertise to meet the need for such work should be well placed going forwards, he stated.

Mr Berry said: "Construction [firms] are looking ahead and looking to the future, thinking of ways in terms of their skill sets and the technology they are using. They will be one step ahead as we come out of the recession."

However, the government could do more to boost demand for low-carbon projects by launching projects like a national retro-fitting scheme, Mr Berry added.

Last week, the government launched a review of the construction industry and its ability to meet the demands that will be placed on it by a low-carbon economy.”

Source: ECA, September 2009

Although Britain’s young talent did not get gold, silver or bronze in this category, the self-employed plumber from Bishop Auckland did walk away with an award for scoring at least 500 points, which is deemed the world class standard.

Britain did win gold in electrical installations thanks to the talented Richard Sager (aged 22) from Langholm who works for Eden Electrics. Sager was one of 900 skilled people from around the globe competing in the biennial WorldSkills competition in Calgary over four days.

Sager trained hard for 18 months for his golden moment, putting his social lives on hold to perfect his skill.

This year the UK won three gold and six bronze medal wins at the largest skills based competition in the world. In total 46 nations took part. Britain has a good track record at the WorldSkills Competition, and was 11th in the world at the last event, held in Japan in 2007. The UK team are now waiting to find out where they rank for 2009.

In total 26 young people from Britain ( all aged under 25) competed in skills events ranging from painting and decorating to floristry and autobody repair.

Simon Bartley, chief executive of UK Skills, which manages Team UK said "What Team UK has achieved is outstanding. It’s a tremendous result not just for the competitors, but for their employers, trainers and colleges. We hope to build on this success as we move towards the next WorldSkills Competition, which London will be hosting in 2011, where we hope to do even better. We are extremely proud of each and every one of them and can say that they are amongst the best in the world at their chosen skill".

Skills Minister Kevin Brennan, said: "The world class skills this team have demonstrated are vital to the future success of our economy in key industries such as construction, manufacturing and engineering. It’s more important than ever that we continue to support and invest in the skills of our workforce, helping individuals get into and stay on at work as well as helping businesses stay competitive and prepare for the upturn."

Source: Heating & Ventilating, September 2009

Wales Online reports that the Heads of the Valleys regeneration scheme will see the latest renewable energy technologies being integrated into the area, while energy efficiency will also be encouraged among businesses and households.

Furthermore, over the course of the coming 15 years, the campaign will assess some 65,000 homes for how energy efficient they are, while 40,000 properties will receive help in improving their efficiency.

Deputy minister for regeneration Leighton Andrews said: "The investment in Aberdare will help spearhead the development of the region as a low carbon zone where energy efficiency measures will be introduced on a scale that has not been undertaken in the UK to date."

Meanwhile, mayor of London Boris Johnson recently revealed that ten boroughs in the capital were set to become home to new Low Carbon Zones, thanks to a minimum of £200,000 funding each.”

Source: BHL, September 2009

Juliet Davenport, founder and chief executive officer of Good Energy, believes that adopting small-scale generation projects could help the UK solve many of the problems facing it.

She said: "Generating your own power not only helps reduce overall carbon emissions but can help insulate us all from fuel price fluctuations and provide an alternative income in the future."

Patrick Holden, director of the Soil Association, added that microgeneration should be of particular interest to farmers as the country looks to build a more sustainable model of agriculture.

Good Energy is the only British power firm which supplies end users with electricity from 100 per cent renewable sources.

Recently, British Eco Energy claimed that people need to be educated about the potential benefits of microgeneration.

According to the organisation, this will help the government meet its climate targets.”

Source: ECA, September 2009

The scheme petition on the Downing Street website now has 816 signatures and the campaign website features supporting messages from Martin Horwood MP, Liberal Democrat Shadow Environment Minister, who says: "What a brilliant idea. As a green counter-recessionary measure this is far more likely to save significant carbon emissions than a car scrappage scheme.

"We urgently need to tackle emissions at local and household level and this would make a real difference while helping to protect threatened jobs as well."

Mark Lazarowicz, Labour MP for Edinburgh North & Leith is also supporting the campaign: "Rising fuel prices and the need to help families heat their homes affordably are serious issues that I have worked hard to address, as well as pressing for more rapid progress against climate change," he says.

"I’m supporting the Reheat Britain campaign because a boiler scrappage scheme would not only help the plumbing and heating industries through the recession, it would help tackle these urgent problems as well."

Sian Berry, 2008 Green Mayor of London candidate says: "As soon as I saw this petition, I knew I had to sign it straight away. There’s no downside to the boiler scrappage idea – it’ll help small and medium-sized businesses across the country, boost UK manufacturing and help homeowners cut their bills and their carbon."

The petition was set up by plumbers merchant Mick Williams, managing director of Portsmouth-based Williams & Co. He says: "As soon as the car scrappage scheme was announced I thought how much more successful a ‘boiler scrappage’ scheme would be.

"It is estimated that there are still 4.5 million old boilers that are rated at less than 70% efficient. Replacing these with modern condensing gas boilers and controls could save millions of tonnes of carbon dioxide pouring into our atmosphere each year.
"This scheme would also stimulate demand for gas boilers and help manufacturers, plumbers merchants and Gas Safe heating engineers, boosting thousands of small businesses just when the economy needs it."

Industry supporters include Mark Kelly, CEO Baxi Group UK & Ireland, Charlie Mullins, MD of Pimlico Plumbers and Alan Ball, managing director of PTS who was interviewed for the BBC TV programme Working Lunch about the campaign.”

Source: Builders Merchant Journal, September 2009

Adam Vaughn, author of e-books Smartplanet and the Greenguy, noted that the amount of information available about renewable energy projects in the public domain can be confusing. "One of the key things that people want to know when it comes to saving energy in the home is what the priorities are," Mr Vaughn claimed.  

He recommended that homeowners carry out easy tasks, including installing energy-saving lightbulbs and altering heating control settings, before tackling larger projects such as fitting solar water heating and new boilers.

According to research by Worcester Bosch Group, 66 per cent of respondents believe that the home is the best place to become more environmentally friendly, with 18 per cent installing a high-efficiency condensing boiler. The Energy Saving Trust claims a modern condensing boiler can reduce a home’s carbon emissions by up to 875 kilograms a year and save the user £110.”  

Source: Heat & Plumb, May 2009