Which Boiler is Right for Your House?
When it comes to choosing a new boiler, there’s plenty of options out there – and it can be difficult to know exactly where to start. Everyone’s home is a little bit different – the environment, age of the house, number of radiators, and the size of your family can all influence your boiler needs.
Let’s take a look at the questions that come up before choosing a new boiler, to make sure it’s the perfect fit for your home.
What fuel should you have?
We find that a lot of people worry about fuel type when choosing a boiler – should they have LPG, gas, or even renewable energy?
Our advice is not to spend too much time worrying about it – unless you’re looking to invest in a method of generating renewable energy for your boiler to use, you’ll have to stick with what you currently use.
What do you do about your copper cylinder?
If you have a copper cylinder, you should definitely consider having it removed, and installing a combination boiler instead.
Combi boilers are quickly becoming the most popular type of boiler across the whole of the UK, as they’re so much more efficient than older styles of boiler.
The hot water from a combi boiler is instant, which means there’s no wasted gas warming up the tank all day when it’s not being used – and no need to wait for showers and taps to start running hot!
Changing to a condensing combi boiler can save quite a bit on your bills by not wasting that gas, and that reduction in wasted energy will also really reduce your carbon footprint, so you’re doing your bit for the planer too.
What kinds of combi boilers are there, and which one should I choose?
There are a few different kinds of combi boiler – you’ll be able to find cheaper options if you’re on a budget, as well as more efficient, more eco-friendly, or technology-powered smart boilers. A lot of the decision comes down to personal choice – or how much you want to spend – and the easiest way to find out what’s best for you is usually just to get a free quote from your local heating engineers.
However, there are a few things to consider, and plenty of questions that you might have before making your decision – so let’s have a look at a few different factors.
How big is your family?
This is something that people often worry about – particularly when they have two or more younger children who’ll all have bath time in the evening, or five people taking showers in the morning. That’s a lot of hot water!
Fortunately, with a combi boiler, you’ve got continuous hot water 24/7, so there’s no need to worry about hot water running out. If you do stick with a tank and a cylinder and you’re worried about the family running out of hot water, you’ll just need a bigger one.
How many bathrooms do you have?
This is a bit more of an important factor, even with a combi boiler. The temperature of the water is never an issue, but the quantity can be – if you’ve got multiple bathrooms and en suites with a shower and a bath, or two showers, being filled at any one time, you might need a larger kW boiler to deliver those larger quantities of hot water.
How many radiators do you have?
The majority of combination boilers will deliver the same amount of heat to the same number of radiators. A 24kW boiler, for example, will do on average, 15 radiators, depending on the size. If you have more than that – or if all of your radiators are huge! – then you might need a larger kW boiler.
So, what kW size do I need?
Boiler sizes generally go up from 24kw, all the way up to 42 kW – but they all only deliver 24kW’s of actual heating at a time.
The reason for the increase in kWs is purely for the quantity of the hot water delivery, and how much is needed at any one time.
For example, if you’re wanting to use two showers at the same time, you’ll probably be best suited to a 34, 36, or even a 38kW boiler. If you’ve got two showers and a bath, with plenty of radiators on at the same time, then you’d probably need to look at a 42kW boiler.
If you’re not sure, ask!
If you’re still not sure on what the best type of boiler is for your home, then we’ll be happy to sort you out with a free quote, or you can contact us to talk through your options. We’re here to help!