Environment

All appliances should be serviced and checked for safety annually to make sure they are working safely and efficiently. If you're concerned that an appliance is not operating safely, or that the installation in your house is not in good condition or unsafe then have a safety inspection conducted. Ensure your appliances are correctly installed and serviced annually.

Carbon Monoxide (CO)

Carbon Monoxide (also known as CO) is a colourless, odourless poisonous gas and is a common yet preventable cause of death from poisoning worldwide. Approximately half of the deaths from unintentional CO poisonings result from the inhalation of smoke from fires. Other significant causes are vehicle exhausts and deaths in industrial / commercial settings. On average between 1 and 2 people die each year in Ireland from unintentional CO poisoning in the home in incidents related to domestic heating or other fossil fuel installations in the home (i.e. excluding the inhalation of smoke from fires).

The incomplete combustion of organic fossil fuels such as oil, gas or coal is a common environmental source of CO and is responsible for many cases of non-fatal unintentional CO poisoning.

In normal conditions the combustion process (the addition of oxygen) will result in carbon in the fossil fuel, combining with oxygen, in the air, to produce Carbon Dioxide (CO2), the same substance we exhale when we breathe.

However, if there is a lack of air for the combustion process or the heating appliance is faulty, Carbon Monoxide can be produced.

When CO is inhaled into the body it combines with the blood, preventing it from absorbing oxygen. If a person is exposed to CO over a period, it can cause illness and even death.

Carbon Monoxide has no smell, taste or colour. This is why it is sometimes called the "Silent Killer".

Boiler Passport

From 1st September 2009, Irish Boiler manufacturers will issue a 'Boiler Passport' with every boiler manufactured within the territories of the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. The boiler passport has been prepared in consultation with OFTEC, and is designed to provide a means by which consumers will receive a property installed and commissioned appliance that meets current Building Regulations.

This initiative has been developed to deal with a problem encountered in Northern Ireland and in the Republic of Ireland whereby formal commissioning of a boiler/system does not take to boiler breakdowns - which manufactures fund - are due to incorrect boiler installation or commissioning, or due to lack of servicing. The Boiler Passport is a booklet containing a Commissioning Certificate, a number of Service Report Forms and instructions/ "Golden Rules" about how it is to be used. It will work in a way similar to a car's pre-delivery inspection and service/log book.

The Commissioning Certificate will be completed in triplicate and the top copy is required to be torn off and sent by the commissioning technician to the manufacturer. The second copy can be torn and sent by the commissioning technician to the manufacturer. The second copy can be torn off and retained for the technician's own records, and the bottom copy remains with the Passport. The Service Report forms will be filled in annually and will remain in the Passport. Please note that the Boiler Passport will be physically attached to all the boilers manufactured by the member companies concerned from mid-September 2009, and that it is likely that these boilers will start entering the supply chain in Ireland - i.e. being sold to installers - from Mid-September/October 2009.