Following Brexit, Members of the Manufacturers Association of Radiators and Convectors (MARC) have united to challenge the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on the ruling not to allow transfer of current CE Mark test certificates.
Isaac Occhipinti, head of external affairs, MARC said: “Since the changes to CE marking were announced, the radiator industry has been working with the understanding that for existing products, a transfer of test certificates would be possible.
“We have since been informed that this is not the case, even though the European standard tests are identical to the UK standard EN 442. As it stands, for products to start using the new UKCA mark, they will need to be completely retested using a UK test lab.”
He continued: “There are currently thousands of radiator products on sale in the UK with a valid CE mark. But there is only one test laboratory in the UK which has a limited capacity for testing. Even with a heroic effort, they will only ever be able to test a very small percentage of radiators currently legally on sale in the UK.
“It will be impossible for all products to be tested by the 2022 deadline. The industry now faces the reality that most radiators on sale in the UK will be without a ‘valid’ test certificate, in a few months’ time, and therefore unable to be sold legally.
“This ruling does nothing to improve standards as the European and UK criteria are the same. It merely places impractical and costly barriers for the industry. MARC and its members urge the Secretary of State to reconsider this ruling and allow European test certificates to be valid for products already on sale.”