Dan Boyle (Cork South Central, Green Party)
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Question 92: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government his views on the disparity between the energy performance criteria for domestic heating installations in the UK, which now require in most cases that high performance condensing boilers are used, and the situation in this country in which lower energy performance criteria still appear to apply; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11167/05]

Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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I understand that Part L of the Building Regulations for England and Wales requires the installation of condensing boilers in new dwellings with gas fired heating systems from 1 April 2005, and with oil fired systems from 1 April 2007. When replacing a boiler in an existing house, the decision on whether to install a condensing or non-condensing boiler will depend on the outcome of a mandatory boiler assessment procedure.

In Ireland, the European Communities (Efficiency Requirements for New Hot Water Boilers Fired with Liquid or Gaseous Fuels) Regulations 1994 require that domestic boilers installed on or after 1 August 1994 meet minimum efficiency requirements laid down by EU Council Directive 92/42/EC of 21 May 1992.

The option of encouraging or requiring the installation of boilers to meet the equivalent UK standard is one of the issues being considered in the context of implementation of EU Directive 2002/91/EC of 16 December 2002 on the energy performance of buildings.