A new EU standard that limits Nitrogen Oxide (NOx) emission levels from boilers has been issued, following lobbying from the Oil-Firing Technical Association (OFTEC) and other industry bodies.
The revised standard, outlined in the Ecodesign Directive, gives UK boiler manufacturers until 2022 to develop a new generation of oil boiler that will meet the more stringent requirements.
Throughout the drafting of the Ecodesign legislation, which included a consultation period with industry, the UK and other Member States assumed NOx levels would be measured using the latest standard EN 267:2009 +A1:2011.
However, in May 2014, when the calculation methods were published, an earlier version of the standard (EN 267:2009) had been referenced. The difference between the two standards influences results by approximately 28mg/kWh and so testing against the withdrawn EN 267:2009 standard would have meant that manufacturers were forced to develop appliances with a lower NOx limit (92mg/kWh) in order to comply.
NOx emissions as low as 92mg/kWh can only be achieved with a blue flame burner, rather than the yellow flame burners currently in use, therefore oil boilers would need to be redesigned and technicians retrained to maintain these new products.
The Oil-Firing Technical Association (OFTEC), the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, and later the Department of Energy & Climate Change, successfully lobbied to reverse this decision and as a result, the final version of the calculation methods states that NOx levels from kerosene burning appliances will be measured using the latest standard EN 267:2009 +A1:2011.
OFTEC technical director Paul Rose (pictured) said:
“The EU’s decision is a major win for the oil heating industry, which will now preserve the use of yellow flame burners, subject to meeting other Ecodesign requirements, for at least another eight years. This should provide sufficient time for oil boiler manufacturers to develop appliances which emit lower NOx levels for future use and for technicians to acquire the necessary skills to maintain these.”