This month has kept everyone here at HETAS busy – both in our usual ways of keeping you technically informed and assisting with any registration queries, as well as on the road, with three busy days at this year’s InstallerSHOW in Birmingham. This month’s newsletter has some important updates on communications you may have received and on air quality progress in Scotland – as well as more information on a recent safety notice we shared following a house fire.

Following a dangerous fire at a household after a non-compliant installation featured a chimney system installed too close to combustibles, the HETAS Technical Team have put together a safety notice, serving as guidance of how to maintain a compliant and safe GXX distance, ensuring the safety of both residents and the building fabric. This safety notice, along with Technical Bulletins and guidance documents, can be found on the HETAS Technical Hub and is exclusively available to HETAS registrants.

Many members from the organisation were in attendance at our stand at InstallerSHOW 2025 earlier this month. I have heard some fantastic feedback and it is excellent that so many stakeholders from across the industry could make it. The team were joined by Martin Freeman from Specflue on Tuesday, and Simon and Andrea Robinson from Robinsons UK on Thursday, I’d like to thank them for their support during the event. I hope many of you were able to chat to the team at our stand this year. It is an excellent opportunity for us to chat face-to-face with registrants, prospective registrants, and wider industry partners.

A1 Flues are one of the latest manufacturers to have products HETAS Approved and we have featured them in a Spotlight article this month. With over five decades of expertise, UK-based manufacturing and design, and impressive portfolio of high-profile projects, they have become a trusted name in industry – whether it is commercial or domestic. Find out more about the history of A1 Flues in their Spotlight article and discover their HETAS Approved Products on our product search site.

We’ve been made aware by a number of registrants of some positive feedback on how we undertake our inspections, which is great news. Some of our registrants may not be fully aware of how we ensure the highest standards are upheld, how we ensure this, and how we always focus on working with you to make our inspections demonstrate the highest level of competence. For more information on our inspection procedure and the robust system we follow, read the explanatory article.

As we await the imminent release of government’s Environmental Improvement Plan review – due to be released this year – we have a progress report aimed at cleaner air from Scottish Government to examine. With this being the final report from Scottish Government under the current phase of their clean air strategy, it is important to assess how much progress has occurred over the past year, and how it compares to previous year. Read our examination article for a brief overview and look into how domestic combustion fits into this year’s progress, and what more needs to be done.

As always, we will be continuing our work across important working groups, government departments, and other stakeholders to drive industry towards a cleaner, safer, and more sustainable future. This work is underpinned by our registrants and your high-quality work –please don’t hesitate to get in touch if you have any queries.