Upgrade your boiler

Following on from my last blog on insulation, the next step in making your home a cosy haven for Christmas is to upgrade your boiler. However, having recently upgraded my boiler in my home, I can relate first hand to how complicated the whole process seems to be! Which model, what size, what type?? It is all a bit much when essentially we just want something that heats our home, with minimal effort and fuss!

So, first things first, if you have a boiler that is over ten years old, chances are it will be extremely inefficient and costing you a lot of money to heat your home. Installing a new condensing combi boiler in your home will plain and simply, save you money. It may seem like another painful cost but with the cold winter approaching this is really when you see those pounds come off your heating bills.

To give you an idea of the savings you can make, your old boiler uses around a third more fuel than an A rated condensing boiler. Hence, a new boiler can lead to a reduction in bills by as much as a third and it also means much less CO2 is produced too.

I would always recommend using an accredited installer (Gas Safe registered engineer) when upgrading your system but if you want to know if your current boiler is a condensing boiler then there is a way to find out…

Every boiler has something called a flue that emits the exhaust gases generated by your boiler. The flue can be found on the adjoining outside wall to your boiler. If the flue is made of plastic and is emitting visible steam when the boiler is on, then you are likely to have a condensing boiler. If the flue is made of metal and you cant see any steam then you are likely to have a non-condensing boiler. The gasses emitted here are much hotter and can’t be seen by the naked eye.

Once you know what type of boiler you have and if it needs upgrading the next step is to ensure that you can manage your heat efficiently. Adding thermostatic radiator valves are extremely cheap to install and allow you to control the area’s you are heating. There is no point heating a spare room in your home that you never use!

Finally the last thing to be aware of is the maintenance of your central heating system. If maintained properly this will help your system run as efficiently as possible.

The three main ways to treat the system are:

1. Water softeners can be added to the system if the combi boiler is installed in a hard water area.
2. Flushing which involves a ‘powerflush’ or mains pressure water flush
3. Chemical inhibitors when added to the system help prevent the build up of lime scale as well as helping to prevent corrosion.

It is best to let your installer decide which system would work best for your boiler as it does differ depending on make and model. It is also worth organising with your installer to service your system once a year as they will keep it running efficiently making sure that you are always getting the most out of it.

Is anyone else excited that by the time next months blog comes around, we will be only a couple of weeks away from Christmas! HAPPY DAYS!