Watch the presentation here
For background information please see the article below from Group Chair Phil Cleaver
The first meeting of the Domestic Solid Fuel Heating Installer and Chimney Sweeping group, part of Engineering Services: Service and Maintenance (SLG 10.2), was held on 9 January 2026. The group brings together representatives from across the sector, including major sweep associations, competent person schemes, BFCMA, SIA and CITB, to develop competency frameworks for chimney sweeping and installation. The work is intended to align with the Building Safety Act 2022, the Competence Steering Group’s Setting the Bar report and BS 8670-1:2024.
For the trade, the timing matters. Building safety reform is putting far greater emphasis on competence, accountability and organisational capability across the built environment. That means installers, sweeps and service businesses can expect growing pressure to show not just technical knowledge, but clear evidence of the skills, experience and behaviours needed to work safely and within defined limits of competence.
The group’s first job was to review the standards and training routes already in use. That early work highlighted a familiar problem for the sector: inconsistent training quality and no single, shared definition of competence across the different trades and routes into work. Before writing a new framework, the group agreed it first needed to define what competence should look like in practice — and where the boundaries of each role should sit.
One of the clearest outcomes from the discussion was that the new standards will focus primarily on the dry side of appliances, while drawing a firm line around wet-side activity. Some limited wet-system work could still be included, but only where there are clear prerequisites and evidenced competence. In scope will be servicing and maintenance of flues connected to wet appliances, the dry side of appliances, and the installation of flue systems and their connection to wet appliances. Final testing, commissioning and sign-off on the wet side will remain outside scope.
The group also agreed that, despite restrictions on new installations, open fires still need to be reflected in the standards, particularly where servicing and notification are concerned.
Condensing flues and hybrid appliances were another key talking point. The group explored the practical differences between condensing and dry flues, including the role of seals and designation coding when checking suitability. It also discussed positive-pressure systems and confirmed that the 45 kW domestic threshold will be used as the cut-off point for excluding higher-pressure commercial systems.
Another major issue is crossover with other fuels. The group considered how far installer and sweep competencies should extend into work involving gas and liquid fuel systems, and how that should align with other SLG groups, competent person schemes and legal responsibilities.
That matters because crossover already happens on site. Chimney sweeps may test, clear and maintain flues serving gas and liquid fuel appliances, while Gas Safe or OFTEC registrants remain responsible for appliance installation, servicing and sign-off. Installers may also notify certain flue-related work across fuel types, such as fitting a liner or flue system. The new framework will therefore need to separate chimney and flue work from appliance work and spell out where responsibilities start and stop.
Looking ahead, the framework will need to cover a wide range of appliance, flue and fuel types, while also reflecting manufacturer instructions, building regulations and notification requirements. Just as importantly, it will need to define the limits of competence for both installers and sweeps and connect those limits to meaningful assessment of skills, knowledge, experience and behaviours.
The group has also agreed that the standards must clearly distinguish between pre-installation inspections and inspections carried out as part of maintenance and sweeping, helping avoid confusion over what each activity is meant to achieve.
For now, the group has chosen to use the existing National Occupational Standards as its starting point rather than waiting for the newer Minimum Technical Competencies. In practical terms, that gives the work a stronger foundation because the NOS combine knowledge with performance, experience and behavioural expectations, whereas the emerging MTCs are not yet published and appear more narrowly focused.
The group’s work continues with the review of the first draft standards. For the sector, this will be a closely watched process: the final framework is likely to shape future training, assessment and day-to-day expectations for both chimney sweeps and solid fuel installers.
