Be Green and Save Money: Heat Your Home With a Condensing Gas Boiler!

As of April 2005 all new and replacement gas fired boilers were required to be the new energy efficient condensing type.

Condensing boilers produce up to 30% less Carbon Dioxide than conventional boilers and can even cut heating bills by up to 40%. Here we answer some of the most common questions about energy efficient condensing boilers:

What are the benefits of Condensing Boilers?

Condensing boilers work by converting a greater proportion of gas into useable heat. This leads to three main benefits:

1. Lower Carbon Dioxide (CO2) emissions




2. Increased boiler efficiency




3. Reduced operating costs

Just how much more efficient is a condensing boiler compared to a conventional gas boiler?

Conventional boilers offer around 70-80% efficiency whereas a condensing boiler will be up to 91% efficient.

New condensing boilers can be up to 91% efficient compared to 70-80% efficiency for conventional, non-condensing boilers. This is because the flues of the new style boilers are fitted with heat exchangers that effectively capture waste heat and re-use it.

Are condensing boilers expensive?

New style boilers do tend to be more expensive than their previous counterparts but because they can reduce fuel bills the added expense can quickly be recovered.

Here is an example showing the additional savings that can be made by investing in a condensing boiler:

You have £10 to spend on heating and a traditional boiler operating at 75% efficiency. Within that £10, you have just wasted £2.50 having only achieved £7.50 worth of heat.

You have £10 to spend on heating and a condensing boiler operating at 90% efficiency. For your £10, you have achieved £9 worth of heat and only wasted £1 as opposed to the £2.50 lost in the first example. Imagine how those savings clock up over the course of a month or a year!

Are there different types of Condensing Boilers?

There are three types of condensing boilers to choose from and various factors need to be taken into consideration when making your choice.

A Combi Boiler heats water on demand. It is not as efficient as the other two choices but cost-wise it is at the lower end of the scale. It is the better choice where space is limited such as a flat, or there are a number of people needing to make use of the hot water at various times of the day.

A Regular Boiler works with a hot water tank which will need to be placed in the loft space. It helps where water pressure is low or the property has more than two bathrooms so demand is higher.

A System Boiler is similar to a Regular boiler but because it contains an expansion vessel it eliminates the need to place the water tank in the loft space.

Your boiler engineer will advise you on the best choice of boiler for your property and you should always follow their expert advice. A boiler is an important investment so make sure you find an engineer you can trust, one that has preferably been recommended to you and of course is CORGI registered.

A condensing boiler offers both environmental and cost saving benefits so if you haven’t switched yet, don’t leave it too long; the sooner you install a condensing boiler, the sooner you can start reaping the rewards of your investment.