10 September 2024
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Image shows: Rob Nezard, MD, UKRadiators.com
A Government department is to review documentary claims that millions of radiators in the UK are being mislabelled and sold with inflated efficiency ratings.
The assertions come from an independent film, titled ‘The Lies Costing the UK Billions’ made by UKRadiators.com Managing Director Rob Nezard, earlier this year.
In it, Mr Nezard purchases five radiators from five different well-known UK websites and has them independently tested at the Building Services Research and Information Association (BSRIA) in Bracknell.
The testing revealed that the heat outputs of these radiators were overstated on the retailer websites by 25% to 38%, in breach of the British Standard required to be legally sold.
Mr Nezard took his findings to an industry body: Manufacturers Association of Radiators and Convectors (MARC) who in turn took them to the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS), part of the Department for Business and Trade.
Now officials at the OPSS, have requested the data from the tests to be reviewed by their ‘Incident Management’ and ‘Construction Products’ teams.
Mr Nezard said: “The unfortunate truth is that there are millions of radiators sold every year that have not been tested, and the heat outputs being advertised are overstated – this is a systemic issue in the industry.
“We have passed all our test result data over to the OPSS, as requested and must now wait to learn what action they decide to take.”
The OPSS has a range of powers including enforcement of behaviour change in businesses and imposition of fines.
The original documentary and an updated version detailing the OPSS and MARC involvement can be seen here: https://ukradiators.com/blogs/buying-guides/exposing-the-scam-that-is-costing-the-uk-billions
Mr Nezard added: “Given the size of the retailers in question, the number of radiators sold per year and the lifetime of each radiator spanning over a decade, the unnecessary costs being put onto the heating bills of the British public can be estimated in the billions.
“This situation highlights a critical failure in regulatory enforcement, allowing suppliers to operate without accountability. It's not just about financial loss; it's about consumer trust and industry integrity.
"As an industry leader, it's our responsibility to advocate for transparency and consumer protection. We cannot allow these practices to continue unchecked.
“Originally the documentary video was to raise awareness of this issue and gain support for a petition calling for enforcement of the regulations that are already in place.”
Radiators in the UK MUST be UKCA (formerly CE) marked to be sold legally, and to affix a UKCA label, the product must confirm to BS EN 442.
In order to do this radiators' heat outputs must be verified by a notified body, and the advertised heat outputs (at point of purchase on the consumer facing website) should match the test results.
However, Mr Nezard’s investigation, conducted at independent testing specialists at BSRIA (Building Services Research and Information Association) in Bracknell, highlighted that this doesn’t appear to be happening.
The testing revealed that the heat outputs of these radiators were overstated by 25% to 38%. For instance, a radiator advertised at 953 Watts (3250 BTUs) only delivered 760 Watts (2592 BTUs), a 25% discrepancy.
Mr Nezard added: “This issue goes beyond individual cases, as it impacts the broader goals of energy efficiency and the UK's Net Zero targets. The cost of these inefficiencies to the British public is estimated to be in the billions, underscoring the urgent need for government intervention.
“The investigation's findings serve as a wake-up call for the government to actively enforce existing regulations to protect consumers. This situation can be likened to a football match without effective refereeing, where the rules are in place but are not being enforced.
“In response to these alarming revelations, a petition has been launched to urge the government to take immediate action. The public is encouraged to share this information widely and support the call for regulatory enforcement to end this scandalous practice in the radiator industry.”
For more info and to sign the petition: https://ukradiators.com/blogs/buying-guides/the-lie-costing-britain-billions
