Heating your home

Heating your home – ten things you need to know about boilers

Image of heating your home image for Heating your home

Check that your installer is CORGI (Council for Registered Gas Installers) registered if they are fitting a gas boiler or OFTEC (Oil Firing Technical Association) registered if they are fitting an oil boiler. Also ask the installer whether they have completed their energy efficiency training.

If your boiler is over 15 years old and your annual fuel bill is high, you might want to consider getting a new one installed. Boilers over 15 years old are often only around 60 per cent efficient (G rated or less), which means that for every pound spent on fuel, 40p is wasted. New condensing boilers are over 90% efficient and are A rated for efficiency, so not only do they reduce your bills but are better for the environment!
All newly installed boilers must be the energy efficient condensing type to meet with current legislation.
Choose quality heating controls - good heating controls, including a thermostat and auto-timer switches such as compensating room thermostats, will allow you to adjust the level of heat required, thus improving the efficiency of the heating system, and cutting high fuel costs.

Ask your installer to assess your current and future heating and hot water demands – for example, if you are considering converting your loft or building an extension in the future, your requirements will change so it is worth taking this into account when investing in a new heating and hot water system.
Make sure your installer has checked that your water main usage is large enough to deliver adequate water to the boiler while the toilet is being flushed or the washing machine is in use.
If you are undertaking a separately contained loft conversion, which will require its own heating and hot water supply, a combination or ‘combi’ boiler is the best option. This will not only heat the room but provides instant hot water without the need for a tank. However, if you are looking at a heating system to supply the entire house, you are more likely to require a system boiler.
If you are unsure whether your existing boiler can cope with the new demands of a two-storey extension or wondering how you work out what size to get if replacing it, we would recommend that you contact an installer to advise you. There are different sizes of boilers to meet most types of domestic property - requirements are judged based on hot water needs so the installer would be able to work with you to consider your lifestyle, and assess how many bathrooms, showers and baths you need to supply at any one time. If you are looking for an installer use our find an installer search here

If you have a large house with several bathrooms, it is worth considering investing in a solar water heating system (including boiler, solar panels, water cylinder) – you will reap the most benefit from this during the Summer months, when the solar panels will provide all your hot water requirements, allowing for the boiler to be switched off. This has the added benefit of dramatically reducing your annual fuel bills.
If your hot water cylinder needs replacing, ask your installer to replace it with a twin coiled solar prepared version so that, should you decide to add a solar water heating system in the future, you are already half way there.