Ideal controls and Boiler Plus: which route each control takes

What does Boiler Plus actually require?

A 92 percent ErP boiler, time and temperature controls, and on a gas combi one extra energy efficiency measure. The government's own factsheet sets the minimum performance standard for domestic gas boilers in English homes at 92 percent ErP, makes timers and room thermostats an explicit requirement for all gas and oil systems, and lists four technologies that can be used to comply on a combi: flue gas heat recovery systems, weather compensation, load compensation, and smart controls featuring automation and optimisation functions. The standards were published as an amendment to the Domestic Building Services Compliance Guide and apply whenever a boiler is installed in an existing heating system anywhere in England. There is no retrofit requirement.

Does the 92 percent apply to the boiler or the whole system?

The boiler, on its own, as a product. This is the first thing that catches people out. The factsheet is explicit that the requirement applies to the boiler as an individual product, that the boiler itself must have a product label of 92 percent irrespective of the overall system label, and that a boiler below 92 percent does not comply even if the system label is brought up to 92 percent by other components. Adding a weather compensator to a 90 percent appliance does not fix it.

Which Ideal controls carry a Boiler Plus claim?

Three of them, taking three different routes. The Halo Combi RF lists, in its own feature set, that load compensation provides easy Boiler Plus compliance, and it is the only Halo product page that uses the phrase. The RF Electronic Thermostat is listed as Boiler Plus Compliant and offers seven day timed control of central heating by OpenTherm, and Ideal says it is designed to be compatible with its Logic and Vogue models. The Weather Compensation Kit is also listed as Boiler Plus Compliant, and Ideal describes it as letting the boiler measure the temperature outside and reduce the boiler water flow to suit. Between them they cover the load compensation and weather compensation routes.

Where does OpenTherm fit in?

It is the language the compensation happens in. Ideal describes OpenTherm as a system of communication between modulating heating appliances and room thermostats which is not manufacturer dependent, and it is a member of the OpenTherm Association. Its guidance says Ideal Logic boilers have OpenTherm wiring connections, so operation is optimised when an OpenTherm room thermostat or programmable room thermostat is connected, and that using one with all current Ideal domestic boilers gives easy compliance with Boiler Plus because enhanced load compensation is achieved. An OpenTherm weather compensation device is the alternative. That guidance is dated October 2019 and names a Halo Lite OpenTherm Wired Combi that does not appear on the current Halo Lite RF page, so confirm the part against today's spec sheet.

Do the Halo Wi-Fi controls count as the smart route?

Ideal does not say so on the product pages, so do not assume it. The Halo Combi Wi-Fi page sells geolocation for lifestyle based heating, control through Amazon Alexa or Google Home, and a direct connection from the Smart Interface to the home Wi-Fi with no additional gateway. What it does not carry anywhere is the phrase Boiler Plus, or any mention of load or weather compensation. The Halo Lite RF, a single zone combi programmable room thermostat aimed at landlords and tenants, is the same. Connectivity on its own was never the test: the government's position is that the smart route needs automation combined with optimisation, and that more basic smart controls remain unproven. If you want the route in writing, take load compensation on the Halo Combi RF.

Does a TPI control satisfy the load compensation route?

No, and the government answered this one directly. The Boiler Plus factsheet states that the description given for load compensation should not be misinterpreted as including TPI controls, that the Domestic Building Services Compliance Guide identifies the technologies in scope using SAP definitions, and that TPI controls are not among them. A TPI thermostat is still a good control, and nothing stops a customer having one where this part of Boiler Plus does not apply. It just will not be the extra measure on a combi swap.

What about a system or heat only replacement?

In England the extra measure is a combi requirement only. The factsheet explains the reasoning: many system boilers and most regular boilers need additional work to make them compatible with the energy saving devices in Boiler Plus, that work carries a Legionella risk, and the decision was to apply the standards first where there is no risk. The 92 percent ErP boiler and the time and temperature controls still apply. Ideal's Halo Heat and System RF and Wi-Fi are sold on their Smart Wiring Centre and their heating and hot water control, and neither page mentions Boiler Plus. Building standards are devolved, so confirm the rule for the nation you are working in.

What to check before you quote a control

• The boiler's own ErP figure, as a product. A package label brought up to 92 percent by the controls does not count.
• Which route the control claims, in Ideal's own words, on the current product page or spec sheet rather than on a wholesaler listing.
• Whether the appliance is a combi. A heat only or system replacement in England does not need the extra measure, but still needs the efficiency and the controls.
• The OpenTherm connection on the boiler, if enhanced load compensation is the route you are relying on.
• Registration. Ideal states its Halo controls carry a two year warranty when registered within 30 days of installation and serviced annually, and the RF Electronic Thermostat a five year parts and labour warranty on the same conditions.
• The nation you are working in, because the four measure rule was written for England.

Whatever control goes on the wall, the paperwork afterwards is the same job every time. Manifold builds the CP12 and the service record from the check on your phone, reads the make, model and GC number off the data plate with PlateScan, and keeps the appliance history against the property, so the next visit starts with what is actually fitted.