Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 8 April 2014
379. Deputy Patrick O'Donovan asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government his plans to make changes to the building regulations to ensure carbon monoxide alarms are put in all new buildings; if such a change could be made; and if same would require a statutory instrument or a Bill. [16305/14]
View answerPart J of the Building Regulations 1997 and the associated Technical Guidance Document J – Heat Producing Appliances (1997) set out the current legal requirements for the use and installation of heat producing appliances in buildings and the disposal of the products of combustion in a manner that protects the health and safety of the occupants and reduces to a reasonable level the risk of buildings catching fire in consequence of their use.
In recent years, my Department has signalled its commitment to considering whether, and in what circumstances, mandatory provision for carbon monoxide detectors might be appropriately included in Part J/Technical Guidance Document (TGD) J. With this in mind and having regard to the latest developments in the applicable standards since 1997, a broadly representative working group was established by my Department in mid-2011 to undertake a comprehensive review of Part J/TGDJ . Over the course of the review, my Department, in conjunction with other relevant public bodies, were satisfied that concerns previously held over sensor reliability and the lack of any end-of-life indicators in carbon monoxide detectors had been addressed by recent developments within the industry.
From the evidence of carbon monoxide incidents in the UK and abroad, the majority appear to occur with solid fuel appliances, with gas and oil being the safest. Open flue or flueless appliances, because they take the combustion air from a room, have a potentially greater risk than a balanced flue scenario. In addition, Part L of my Department’s Building Regulations 1997, which deals with the c onservation of fuel and energy, has required all new and replacement boilers in dwellings to have an efficiency of 86% since 31 March 2008 and an efficiency of 90% since 1 December 2011. This promotes the installation of room sealed boilers, which have a lower risk of the escape of carbon monoxide due to balanced flues.
Against this background, I have recently signed the Building Regulations (Part J Amendment) Regulations 2014 and the accompanying Technical Guidance Document J – Heat Producing Appliances (2014) which include new requirements in relation to the detection and warning of carbon monoxide in new dwellings , and in existing dwellings where the replacement of certain heat producing appliances is proposed. These regulations come into force on 1 September 2014.
Under the new regulations, provision is made for the installation of carbon monoxide detectors in -
- new dwellings where open flue or flueless combustion appliances are being installed,
- existing dwellings where replacement open flue or flueless combustion appliances are being installed,
- habitable rooms where a system chimney attached to a heat producing appliance passes within or over such rooms.
While the new regulations will give added protection to new dwelling owners, and to the owners of existing dwellings when heat producing appliances are being replaced, it is important to note that the key actions required to prevent carbon monoxide incidences are and continue to be: -
(1) the proper installation and commissioning of heat producing appliances and flues/chimneys,
(2) ensuring proper air supply is maintained to combustion devices, and
(3) the proper maintenance and inspection of combustion appliances on a regular basis.
Notwithstanding the new regulations, the regular and continued provision of information to raise awareness of the potential dangers of carbon monoxide in homes will need to be maintained by the relevant authorities.
