The Association of Plumbing & Heating Contractors has issued a new set of consumer guides, covering topics such as how to protect your heating system from the winter cold and the differing types of domestic central heating systems available.

The guides aim to give an impartial and unbiased view to consumers, allowing them to make informed decisions about what products and services they require from their plumber or heating engineer. In many cases, the guides also explain the procedures that plumbing and heating engineers must carry out to comply with Building Regulations and current safety legislation.

John Thompson, chief executive of the APHC, explained the reason behind the new guidance. “The Association has received a growing number of queries from consumers about several topics, including boiler maintenance, service pricing and poor workmanship,” he said. “We have pulled these impartial documents together with the aim of giving the public the most up-to-date and accurate information available. We wanted to draw on our members’ expertise to counteract a growing number of inaccurate reports and articles that have appeared about plumbing services and central heating maintenance. We intend the number of guides to grow over the coming months to create a mini consumer library, to provide an online consumer resource.”

The consumer guides are now available to download. While the guides assist in selecting the right installer, the APHC strongly advises consumers to always use a qualified engineer to carry out plumbing and heating works