Did you know that in six months’ time, Scotland will become the first UK nation to legally require every home to have interlinked smoke alarms?
The legislation was introduced in 2019 following the Grenfell disaster but was delayed until 2022 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
It will ensure that everyone in Scotland has the same level of protection whether they own or rent their home.
Who does it affect?
The most rigorous standards currently apply to new-build and private rented housing. But from February next year, the legislation will apply to ALL property owners, including those who own private homes.
The Scottish government is encouraging everyone to install the alarms at the earliest opportunity.
What are the requirements of the new legislation?
Every home must have the following:
- one smoke alarm installed in the room most frequently used for general daytime living purposes
- one smoke alarm in every circulation space on each storey, such as hallways and landings
- one heat alarm installed in every kitchen
All alarms should be ceiling mounted and interlinked. Where there is a carbon-fuelled appliance (such as boilers, fires – including open fires – and heaters) or a flue, a carbon monoxide detector is also required – this does not need to be linked to the fire alarms.
How do the smoke alarms work?
An interlinked smoke alarm communicates to the other smoke detectors in your residence so that in the event of a fire if one of the smoke alarms detects a fire, all the smoke alarms will sound the alarm.
There are 2 ways they can be connected to each other:
- Wired: The alarms are joined together by a wire.
- Wireless: The alarms are connected via radiofrequency.
Scotland is so far the only UK nation to require every home to have interlinked alarms.
Are my current smoke alarms good enough?
Your smoke alarms will NEED to be interlinked so that all people in the house will be alerted immediately in the event of a fire.
Unsure if your smoke alarms are interlinked? We have a blog here to walk you through how to check if yours are interlinked.
Who is responsible for installing the alarms?
It will be the property owner’s responsibility to pay for and install the alarms.
It is essential that you instruct a qualified tradesperson to install or attend to any maintenance of smoke alarms that are connected to the mains. You can find out more about our smoke detector testing here.
All engineers at NSI are qualified to install and check your smoke alarms and identify any hazards or problems. Ensuring that your smoke alarms are carefully and properly maintained could save lives.
How much will it cost?
Prices start from just £65 + VAT* (*dependent upon location).
NSI currently service the following areas: Leeds, Bradford, Manchester, Liverpool, Newcastle, Nottingham, Derby, Leicester, Sheffield, Birmingham, Reading, Oxford, Crawley, Croydon, Swindon, & Huddersfield.
Our NSI electricians offer the most efficient and professional service. Just look at our 900+ 4.9-star reviews!
If you would like to find out more about our SAFE Certified package, which combines three amazing services in just one appointment (including Smoke Detector Testing), with savings of over £100 per property, click here.