Heating and Ventilating

The temperature of bath water has been limited to 48°C in new homes in England and Wales effective from April 6, thanks to an amendment to Part G of the Building Regulations.
The amendment will mean bath water is still hot enough for domestic use but the potential for the most serious scald injuries will be removed.

Before use, water is heated to a temperature of 60°C or above in order to kill legionella bacteria. The Building Regulations amendment means water coming out of bath taps will be limited to 48°C by the use of a thermostatic mixing valve (TMV), which blends hot and cold water, or by another type of temperature control device.

Accident figures showed nearly 600 people were being severely scalded by bath water in the UK each year. In 2008, 17 people died in the UK after contact with hot tap-water, of whom 13 (76%) were over the age of 65.

The Building Regulations amendment was brought in by the Department of Communities and Local Government.

Northern Ireland will also adopt the Part G amendment at a later date. A similar change took place in Scotland in 2006.