HPM
NEWS
DESK
Rebecca Thurlow has been appointed as the new business
development manager for Wirquin supporting customers
in the North of England.
OFTEC AND FPS HIT BACK
OVER MISLEADING CLAIMS
CAPITA TO MANAGE THE GAS SAFE
REGISTER FOR THE NEXT FIVE YEARS
SCHOOLS, BUSINESSES AND
CAPITA HAS BEEN RE-SELECTED by the Health and
OTHER ORGANISATIONS
Safety Executive to continue to manage the Gas Safe
in rural, off gas grid areas
Register.
are being advised to ignore
The renewed contract is worth £93 million over a
misleading marketing claims
five-year term and will start on April 1, 2019.
stating that ‘oil heating will
The Gas Safe Register is the official list of gas
be outlawed by 2030’.
businesses who are registered to work safely and
The move follows reports
legally on boilers, cookers, fires and all other gas
that a number have been
appliances.
targeted by renewable
Capita is also responsible for checking the
heating solution providers,
competence of engineers through a team of gas
encouraging them to switch
safety inspectors; promoting awareness of the
to alternative systems ahead
register, and general gas safety awareness to
of the false ‘deadline’.
consumers across the UK.
OFTEC and the Federation
Misleading claims have been made about schools, businesses and other
organisations in rural, off gas grid areas
Capita has been delivering this service since
of Petroleum Suppliers
2009 and, in this time, approximately 40% more
(FPS) have been contacted
the matter to the Advertising
changes.
businesses are now registered.
by several educational
Standards Agency.
“We are concerned the
The Gas Safe Register is fully funded by
establishments concerned
OFTEC CEO, Paul Rose,
misinformation may have
registration fees (it has around 132,000 registered
about their future options
said: “Naturally the schools
been sent to many other
engineers and 75,000 registered businesses) and
for heating after reading the
were worried about these
organisations and hope that,
fees for building regulation notifications.
claims made in promotional
false claims which led them
with greater awareness, the
brochures and online.
to believe they would need
myths can be dispelled.”
2018 UK PLUMBER OF THE YEAR NAMED
Although the government’s
to switch to other forms of
FPS CEO, Guy Pulham,
STEVE BARTIN HAS BEEN CROWNED the 2018 UK
Clean Growth Strategy,
heating in the near future.
added: “For rural businesses
Plumber of the Year, in a nationwide competition
published by the Department
This information is simply
to make informed investment
run by JT, Bristan and Wolseley UK.
of Business, Energy and
untrue.
plans, they need clear,
The contest saw hundreds of plumbers enter
Industrial Strategy in
“Perhaps unsurprisingly,
accurate guidance.
from all over the country, receiving a record
October 2017, includes a
the misleading marketing
“It’s essential that the
number of applications, with Steve taking the crown
broad ambition to end the
material also fails to mention
government sets out clear
and his part of a £10,000 prize pot.
installation of new, high
that our industry is currently
decarbonisation policies and
Plug and Chain, Steve’s Taunton-based business,
carbon fossil fuel heating,
working to develop low
takes action to prevent the
specialises in the design, supply and installation
no specific policy proposals
carbon liquid biofuels.
kind of false claims we’ve
of bathrooms; from changing a tap washer, to
have been developed in this
“These would directly
highlighted in this case.
plumbing a full heating system.
area. There are also no plans
replace kerosene and enable
“It’s also vital that
Along with his title as UK Plumber of the Year
to ban the use of existing
oil heating customers to
consumers and rural
for 2018, Steve wins his share of the huge prize
high carbon fossil fuel
significantly reduce carbon
businesses are consulted
pot which includes JT, Bristan and Wolseley
heating systems.
emissions without the need
as part of debate about the
UK products, plus prizes from Proper Job Beer,
As a result, both
for expensive – and often
best ways to reduce our
Rothenberger, Job Man Workwear, Big Wipes and
organisations have referred
impractical – appliance
greenhouse gas emissions.”
HomeBoost.
LOW
OVER
Get your
FREE
PRICES
15,000
FREE
Catalogue
PRODUCTS
Today!
NEXT DAY
DELIVERY*
QUALITY
PRODUCTS
Order online at bes.co.uk or call 0800 80 10 90
12 Heating & Plumbing Monthly | JANUARY 2018 | www.hpmmag.com C
M
Y
CM
MY
CY
CMY
K
ENQUIRY NUMBER 307
BES_QS.indd 1 07/09/2018 10:29
/bes.co.uk
/www.hpmmag.com
