Warning over 100,000 illegally installed gas boilers

Almost 100,000 illegal gas boilers were installed over the last five years due to lax energy regulations, according to a group of heating industry stakeholders.

Speaking to an Oireachtas committee on Wednesday, members of the Association of Plumbing and Heating Contractors Ireland (APHCI) said a lack of prosecutions and legal enforcement have led to the installation of 18,000 illegal boilers each year.

This has contributed to the formation of a thriving black market producing uncertified installations which pose a risk to public health and safety, according to group chairman Sean Giffney.

“Our members have been concerned for some time about the regulator’s passive approach to tackling the ongoing safety issues and illegal activity in the industry, and today we are taking a stand and saying enough is enough,” he said.

“Thousands of lives are at risk because of an ineffectual system and some 100,000 families and businesses have had boilers installed without the necessary safety certification since the current regulatory system began in 2009.

“We are meeting with the committee today because we are worried about poor installation standards and the real risk posed to public safety, and because we want this problem solved once and for all,” he added.

APHCI representatives told the Joint Oireachtas Committee for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources that 45 contractors have been prosecuted since 2009, adding that about 60 per cent of the 30,000 boilers installed each year do not receive official certification.

Committee members from various parties expressed their concerns with the current system in place, with Fine Gael TD Patrick O'Donovan saying he was "stunned" by the inordinate reliance on the public to identify illegal contractors.

The Commission for Energy Regulation is charged with monitoring safety standards within the sector, and set up the Registered Gas Installers organisation in 2009 as part of its regulatory obligations.