When you start to look for a new boiler, you’ll be overwhelmed by all the information available. Manufacturers and suppliers seem to take great delight in providing as much information as possible for their products, but instead of making things clearer for the average person they end up just complicating the matter. Once you start seeing the advertisements for the models available from the major suppliers ‘boilers sale’ things get worse, as the information summaries they provide seem to contain a lot of irrelevant figures or daft names for new technology options. It will help if you have an idea of what type of boiler you want before you start investigating the detailed options, and that’s what this guide will help you do.
Combi boilers now make up over half of all UK boiler installations, and are the focus of most marketing campaigns. They work by pumping cold water into a pipe within the boiler, and this water is then heated by burning fuel such as gas or oil before pumping the hot water to the taps or central heating system. It’s a neat little system, is the most efficient design in terms of fuel use, and is good when space is at a premium, as there is no need for any storage tanks in the loft or hot water cylinders in the airing cupboard. Wall mounted versions will supply plenty of heat and water for small and average sized houses, and floor mounted versions are available to provide a hot water store for the larger home, but there is a point where combi boilers just can’t produce enough hot water for the demand.
Regular boilers are still the most common type in UK houses, and they have proved themselves reliable over the last few decades. They heat water for the central heating system directly, constantly pushing it out to the radiators and back again, while tap water is heated indirectly by a heat exchanger in a hot water cylinder. The need to store hot water in the cylinder means these systems take up a bit of room, and on top of that you’ll also need a cold water storage tank in the loft. However, they are reasonably efficient (some heat is lost from the storage tank) and can supply the needs of a large household which may have several taps requiring hot water at the same time.
System boilers are the third alternative you have. Like the regular boiler they heat water for the central heating directly, but differ in the way they produce hot tap water – they pass the central heating water through the heat exchanger in the tank before it gets to the radiators, making it a sealed system with no need for a cold water storage tank in the loft. This obviously saves some space, though you’ll still have the hot water storage tank in an airing cupboard. If you like this option, go for a sealed system as opposed to an open vented system as this will mean your hot water is at mains pressure, so you won’t have to fork out for power showers or have any need to pump hot water around the system.
Regular boilers are still the most common type in UK houses, and they have proved themselves reliable over the last few decades. They heat water for the central heating system directly, constantly pushing it out to the radiators and back again, while tap water is heated indirectly by a heat exchanger in a hot water cylinder. The need to store hot water in the cylinder means these systems take up a bit of room, and on top of that you’ll also need a cold water storage tank in the loft. However, they are reasonably efficient (some heat is lost from the storage tank) and can supply the needs of a large household which may have several taps requiring hot water at the same time.
System boilers are the third alternative you have. Like the regular boiler they heat water for the central heating directly, but differ in the way they produce hot tap water – they pass the central heating water through the heat exchanger in the tank before it gets to the radiators, making it a sealed system with no need for a cold water storage tank in the loft. This obviously saves some space, though you’ll still have the hot water storage tank in an airing cupboard. If you like this option, go for a sealed system as opposed to an open vented system as this will mean your hot water is at mains pressure, so you won’t have to fork out for power showers or have any need to pump hot water around the system.
