Buying a new gas boiler can be a daunting experience. Not only will it probably be one of the most expensive items you’ll ever buy for your home, there are numerous brands and types on the market to chose from.
The first thing to mention is that it is vital that your boiler installation is completed by a professional and if it’s a gas boiler you must hire a Gas Safe Registered engineer.
Once installation is complete they will supply you with a certificate to prove that the equipment has been tested and complies with all safety standards. Your boiler MUST then be serviced every year by a Gas Safe Registered Engineer.
Combi Boilers can be gas or electric and provide unlimited hot water and heat. You don’t need a tank in your loft and they don’t take up much space. The main downside is that water pressure may drop if you need hot water from more than one tap.
System boilers, or sealed boilers, come with a water cylinder that normally sits in an airing cupboard and has no water tank. Because there’s no water tank it takes up less space and you can get water from more than one tap at a time. System boilers are a bit slower though and you won’t get hot water straight away. Once it runs out you will have to wait until it reheats and although you don’t need a tank, you will need to find room for the cylinder.
Conventional boilers have a cylinder and a tank and will allow you to get water from multiple taps at the same time, however like system boilers, once the hot water runs out you have to wait for it to reheat. Not only that, you need to find room for the cylinder AND the tank.
Condensing boilers are energy efficient because they capture some of the heat that would have escaped from the flue and reuse it. So you get more heat from the same amount of fuel, meaning you will save money.
Most UK households use gas heating, but what alternatives are there for the estimated 4.3 million households (source Which?) that are not connected to the UK’s gas network? Other options include oil burners, liquid petroleum gas, wood burning stoves or electric.
When installing your new boiler make sure to speak to your engineer about heating controls, as this would be a good time to look at replacing them. Modern heating controls are an excellent way to manage heating costs as you can not only control the temperature, you can go as far as managing the heat in each room on some systems.
If you would like to find out more about replacing your boiler then please call us on 020 868 22244.
