On 24 October BEAMA hosted an event in Parliament to deliver the results of research, which shows that heating controls can cut household heating bills by up to 40%.
The event was supported by Laura Sandys MP and was well attended by a wide range of key industry figures. Presentations from Salford University and New Experience were followed by a lively discussion on how to ensure that the potential benefits of heating controls are realised in practice.

BEAMA's Colin Timmins said: 'We currently estimate that there are around 11 million homes without suitable heating controls. This new research shows clearly how controls provide a cost effective solution to those people struggling to stay comfortably warm, without incurring excessive fuel bills.'

To coincide with the event, BEAMA has published a white paper explaining how government policy could be tweaked to avoid existing missed opportunities to support the greater uptake of controls in UK housing.

The recommendations include:

· Amending Part L of the Building Regulations in 2016 so that the installation of TRVs is mandatory with a boiler replacement while a system is drained down

· Ensuring that controls play a more prominent role in the Green Deal and Energy Company Obligation

· Introducing a specific target in the DECC Heat Strategy to improve controls in homes so that all homes have a minimum standard

· Increasing the saving value ascribed to TRVs in the SAP methodology in light of this new evidence from the Salford University tests

In addition, a user guide has been published to help householders operate their existing controls more effectively to achieve both comfort and efficiency.

These documents, together with further details on the Salford University research are available from: http://bit.ly/1iOCdK0