Cut heating bills and save energy by installing a new efficient boiler and heating controls
Your boiler is the biggest energy user in your house. Running an efficient condensing boiler is one of the main things you can do to save energy, and cut your heating bills. In fact you can save up to £200 a year off your heating bill if your current boiler is an old one. Modern boilers last for around 15 years, so the savings really add up over time.
If your boiler has been around for a while, it is worth having a check-up by a qualified heating advisor to see whether you should install a new efficient model. Plus they can tell you if you qualify for any government grants.
Super-efficient Condensing Boilers
Modern condensing boilers offer a big reduction in fuel costs over standard boilers. This is because they convert more of the fuel they use into useful heat for the central heating system. They have a more effective ‘heat exchanger' that re-uses heat from the exhaust gases, rather than pushing it into the air outside. They are a tried and tested technology which has been successfully used for many years. Since 2005, as part of the government's energy efficiency drive, all new boilers installed in England & Wales must be condensing.
High Efficiency
New condensing boilers achieve efficiency levels of around 90%. This compares to efficiency levels of 75% right down to 55% for older boilers. Generally the older your boiler the less efficient it will be. So a new boiler can increase the efficiency with which you use gas by 15 to 45%. This means the amount of gas you use for heating and hot water can fall substantially. If you live in a larger house the savings can really be big.
Which Condensing Boiler Should You Choose?
There are a bewildering range of boilers to choose from. Your main choices are for the type of boiler, its size, its energy efficiency, and what model and make.
There are 3 main types of condensing boiler: ‘Combi' (otherwise known as Combination) boilers, Regular Boilers and System Boilers. You can get more information on each of these by clicking on the underlined words.
Which type of boiler to choose depends on your home and living circumstances. For example:
| Circumstances | Type of Boiler You Should Consider |
| You have limited or no loft space | Combination |
| You need lots of hot water but don't want to wait for the tank to heat up | Combination |
| Your home sometimes suffers from low mains water pressure | System or Regular |
| Your home has two or more bathrooms and is fairly large | System or Regular |
The size of boiler you choose depends on how large your home is to heat and how much hot water you normally need. If you choose a boiler that is too big, you will waste energy and reduce its life. This is because it will be turning on and off every few minutes. If it is too small, it won't heat your home enough. A qualified heating advisor can help you choose the right size.
You should always choose a SEDBUK ‘A-rated' boiler if you can. The SEDBUK rating is the official measure of boiler efficiency. It measures how much fuel is converted to heat. An ‘A-rated' boiler is the most efficient, achieving 90% or higher efficiency.
Then of course there are many different makes and models to choose from. A qualified heating advisor should be able to tell you exactly which make and model represents the best value for you.
How heating controls can save you energy and money
Heating controls allow you to decide how your home is heated, making it warm when you want it but switching off when you don't, and so saving energy. Typically they cost around £200 to install, but save £60-70 a year off your heating bill, and so payback inside 3 years. Plus some people can get government grants to help with the cost
A properly controlled efficient boiler control system should have:
- A "master" room thermostat (otherwise known as a wall thermostat) that measures the temperature at the "centre" of the house
- An electronic timer / central heating programmer that allows a separate programming of start times and finish times for heating and hot water
- Radiator thermostats in each room which will allow the heating to be turned on and off automatically depending on the room temperature in that room
- Separate thermostatic controls of the hot water system
- A programmable room thermostat that allows you to programme the heating for each room when you need it, and means that you can save money by not heating certain rooms unnecessarily.
