What Is Lot 20?
Lot 20 Major Changes for Electric Heating
From 1st January 2018, all local space heaters manufactured for sale in the EU which use electricity, gas or liquid fuels must comply with a minimum efficiency standard.The aim of this legislation is to remove inefficient technologies and reduce the energy used by the products that heat our homes, helping to achieve our overall carbon reduction targets.
Lot 20 will affect:
- Storage heaters
- Direct acting heaters
- Portable heaters
- Radiant heaters
- Electric fires
- Underfloor heating
- Infra-red heaters
Lot 20 will not affect:
- Local space heaters using a vapour compression cycle (heat pumps)
- Local space heaters that are specified for outdoor use only
- Sauna stoves
- Slave heaters
- Tubular heaters
- Towel rails
- Frost protection heaters
- Dimplex Quantum Storage Heater, as these are the most advanced in the Dimplex range.
What is covered?
Lot 20 states that all local space heaters manufactured for sale in the EU after 1st January 2018 which use electricity, gaseous or liquid fuels, must comply with a minimum efficiency standard.
This includes electric radiators, electric underfloor heating and electric and gas fires. A second regulation (2015/1185) sets out the same requirement for space heaters which use solid fuels, such as stoves and fireplaces, from 1st January 2022.
How do you define a space heater?
Local room (or space) heating products are defined as appliances that provide heat to indoor spaces by generating heat in the location within which they are situated.
Like other product categories, the aim is to rule out inefficient technologies and reduce the energy used in our homes, helping to achieve our overall carbon reduction targets.
How exactly do timers and controls help efficiency?
With the recent advancements in the Internet of Things and smart technologies, there is a real opportunity for electric space heaters, in particular, to drive efficiency through intelligent, adaptive controls.
The latest products can include temperature control with presence detection or open window detection, distance control via an app, and even adaptive start control to suit the requirements of the user.
Dimplex’s Q-Rad electric radiator, for example, a heater which is already Lot 20 compliant includes ‘Eco-Start’, a delayed-start anticipatory control – the heater, rather than the user, decides when to turn on to ensure target temperature is achieved at exactly the right user-selected time.
Chris Stammers, head of insight for Glen Dimplex Heating & Ventilation
“The aim of Lot 20 is to rule out inefficient technologies and reduce the energy used in our homes, helping to achieve our overall carbon reduction targets. In simple terms, all electric fires will have to meet a specified energy efficiency level. As with any electric heating appliance, the key to driving efficiency lies in regulating their use through intelligent timers and controls."“There are of course a wide range of mechanical and electrical controls available, with day or week timers, many of which have been available for many years and often purchased as add-ons."
“In order to meet legislation these controls will now be integral to new devices, even entry level products, which means housing providers will be able to offer more efficient and more sophisticated fires for their tenants. And with reduced running costs as a result, tenants will have greater confidence that their housing provider has their best interests at heart.”
