Low or zero carbon technologies

8.2.1Compliance

LZC technologies shall comply with the Technical Requirements. Issues to be taken into account include:

  1. relevant standards
  2. product certification
  3. operative competency.

LZC technologies that comply with the guidance in this chapter will generally be acceptable.

Relevant standards

LZC should comply with relevant standards including where applicable:

BS EN 12975-1‘Thermal solar systems and components. Solar collectors’.
BS EN 12976-1‘Thermal solar systems and components. Factory made systems’.
BS EN 61215‘Crystalline silicon terrestrial photovoltaic (PV) modules’.
BS EN 61646‘Thin film terrestrial photovoltaic (PV) modules’.
EN 14511Parts 1-4 ‘Air conditioners, liquid chilling packages and heat pumps with electrically driven compressors for space heating and cooling’.
BS EN 61400-1‘Wind turbines’.
BS EN 61400-2‘Wind turbines. Small wind turbines’.
BS EN 14785‘Residential space heating appliances fired by wood pellets’.
BS EN 12809‘Residential independent boilers fired by solid fuel’.
BS EN 303-5‘Heating boilers for solid fuels, hand and automatically fired, nominal heat output of up to 300kW.
Terminology, requirements, testing and marking’.

Product certification

LZC technologies should have current certification confirming satisfactory assessment by an appropriate independent authority acceptable to NHBC.

Systems, products and installations that are assessed through the Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) will generally be acceptable to NHBC. Certification and test documentation should be made available to NHBC upon request.

Other certification bodies or test documentation may be acceptable where they are considered by NHBC to be a suitable alternative.

Operative competency

LZC systems should be installed by operatives:

  • competent and familiar with the system being installed, and
  • certified to a standard acceptable to NHBC.

Installers who have been trained in accordance with the MCS installer standards will generally be acceptable to NHBC.