1 In 3 Homeowers Need A New Boiler Or Boiler Service!

As you may well know the newer condensingHeating - If you are having new radiators installed,
combi boilers are upto 93% efficient. They willeach and every room needs to be measured and
ONLY be this efficient if they are run at maximimthe heat loss needs to be measured individually.
capacity all of the time. The new boiler willThere are free heat loss calculators available online
specify what KW output it has and the directwhich allow you to enter figures simply and easily
hotwater output DHW. This will be in litres perand it will come out with a minimum figure in
minute.BTU's the radiator must be for that particular
Choosing a boiler can be a very difficult propostionroom. It takes into account such things as cavity
as you will need one which is large enough towall or loft insulation, double glazing, whether its a
cope with your hot water demands and smallbedroom, lounge or common area like a kitchen
enough to still be efficicient. An oversized boiler willor hallway and how many outside walls that room
not bring the energy saving that you might behas. Obviously each room will lose different
hoping.amounts of heat during the day because the
This guide will help you to choose a suitable boilerroom make up is different so this means that
for your hot water and heating demands byradiators will need to be different sizes. In the
calculating the heat that is lost from yourpast it was acceptable by some to guess radiator
property and estimating your daily hot watersizes but now a more professional approach has
requirements.arrived.
Hot water - your needs will depend on how manyThere are lots of free online BTU calculators you
showers you have in the property. ie do youcan use but there is a quick and easy way.
have a family bathroom and an ensuite which willMeasure the room in cubic feet and apply the
likely be running at the same time? Do you havefollowing factors
a large family who wake up the same time everyLounges and dining rooms - multiply cubic feet by
morning and therefore place a great demand on5
hot water at certain times in the morning?Bedrooms - multiply cubic feet by 4
A £500 Glow-Worm Betacom 24KW will runCommon areas and kitchens - multiply cubic feet
radiators upto a maximum of 80,000 BTU's ofby 3
output which is generally enough for a small toFor rooms facing north - add 15%
medium size property. However, the DHW is onlyFor French windows - add 20%
10 litres per minute. This will provide an adequate,For double glazing - deduct 10%
but not great, shower and will take longer to fill aThis will give you the output of any radiator in
hot bath than most boilers.BTU's (British Thermal Units) Adding the total for
A £1100 Vaillant EcoTEC Plus 837 which is justall the rooms in your property will give you the
28KW will run upto 14 radiators if installedapproximate demand in BTU's for the whole
correctly, however this combi boiler provides 15.2house. You should add another 20% to the total
litres per minute. I am sure you will apreciate thatfor a hot water circulating tank and 10% for
it will be a much more powerful shower and willgeneral losses. This will then give you your boiler
be possibly to run 2 showers at once (just about).size and you will be in a better position to make a
The difference is £600 but you will be getting ajudgement.
better quality boiler with a longer warranty forWhat do I do next?
parts and labour and you will have the addedWhen you know your hot water and heating
benefit of a more powerful heating system, Inneeds you need to choose the best boiler for
the long run the £600 will be paid back andyour budget.
more. You also need to consider the extraThings to consider will be:
warranty the boiler gives you. For every extraReliability of boiler, manufacturer warranty, ease
year of warranty you wont have to pay for anyof installation, service and repair, new boiler
HomeCare agreement with British Gas you mightcost and availability of parts.
have which saves even more pounds.