If you are looking to invest in a new boiler, the first thing you ought to know is the variety of boilers on the market. There are plenty of boiler options on the market, and if you are to make the right decision for your home’s boiler, you need to have an intricate understanding of the various boilers. Importantly, you need to understand their differentiating performances, and, therefore, choose a type of boiler that will not only meet your needs but also run efficiently and economically in your home.
Herein is a boiler guide to give you insight into the types of boilers available.
1. Combi Boilers
Combination boilers, better known as combi boilers are some of the most popular, if not the most popular boilers in the United Kingdom. Its popularity stems from its ability to provide hot water and heat a house without needing or using a water storage tank. Since they do not need a water tank, they are space efficient. Moreover, they can be connected to the main council line, therefore, providing hot water on demand with the council waterline pressure. Additionally, homeowners have the liberty to choose a gas-powered or electric boiler.
That being said, they do have some cons. For instance, when you need hot water supply from more than one tap, you will experience a drop in water pressure. It is also of critical importance that you a hire professional and experienced boiler installer as the installation of this particular type of boiler is quite complex.
2 . System Boilers
This is the perfect boiler for households that require/need stored water. They provide hot water to multiple taps at the same time with ample pressure. It runs more efficiently than the regular boiler, thereby offering huge cost saving. Furthermore, since the vast majority of the system components are contained in the boiler, they tend to be easier and much faster to install. Furthermore, they are space economic as they do not need a storage tank in your loft to operate.
However, due to the system design, you do not get hot water instantly. Instead, you have to wait for a while for the water to heat up and collect in the boiler cylinder. Furthermore, in cases where the hot water runs out, you have to wait for the additional water to be heated.
3. Gas Boilers
Gas boilers are boilers that make use of Methane (CH4)/ Natural Gas as the main fuel. These types of boilers are some of the most popular boilers on the market owing to the fact that natural gas is one of the most popular heating fuel. Being available in the mains, many homes get the supply to natural gas quite easily. Furthermore, they do not need to store the fuel in their home, making it easier for them to use the gas.
However, the mains that supply natural gas is not available everywhere. Hence not all houses have a gas boiler as an option.
4. Electric Boilers
Electric boilers use the same principle as the gas boiler to heat water. However, instead of using gas as the energy source, they use electricity. They are particularly well-suited for properties that have restrictions on the use of gas boilers or properties that have no access to main gas supply. They also offer the benefit of running quietly, and their small and compact sizes mean they are space efficient. You should be aware of their potential to have higher running costs, especially if you are on a split plan.
5. Regular Boilers/Conventional Boiler/Open Vent
For the most part, regular boilers are increasingly losing their popularity with regards to typical household hot water supply new and more efficient boilers gain more acceptance. For starters, they are somewhat less efficient than other modern systems. Moreover, they require enormous amounts of space for the water tanks and cylinder. As such, you will find them in old homes.
That being said, they still remain a viable boiler option, especially for homes with high demand for hot water or for homes with numerous bathrooms. This is due to their ability to supply water to a large number of taps without the flow rate or pressure weakening.
6. Oil Fired Boilers
This type of boiler is designed to burn oil. The nature of the oil allows it to be safely stored for a long time in the vicinity of a home. As such, oil is stored nearby the house in a storage unit, where heating oil is topped up as per individual needs.
The oil fired boiler is the perfect boiler choice for homes that are not connected to the natural gas mains and or located outside the urban centres. As such, it a popular choice for the over 4 million houses in the UK that are not connected to the main natural gas supply line.
7. Solid Fuel Boilers
Solid fuel boilers are not vastly different from other boilers. In principle, they burn a fuel, in this case, a solid in the form of wood, paper, coal, or other solid fuels to provide heat. These boilers are considered by some to be an aesthetically pleasing boiler system.
8. Condensing Boiler
Condensing boilers are not a boiler type on its own. Instead, they can be considered as an attribute that a gas and or oil boilers can have. Therefore, you can use a condensing conventional boiler or a condensing combi boiler.
That being said, they are typically classified as a boiler type owing to their distinguishing energy efficiency. Condensing boilers are far more energy efficient than the other non-condensing boilers. They achieve the higher energy efficiency performance by condensing the vapour in the exhaust gases, thereby recovering/extracting the latent heat of vaporisation that typically gets waters. As such, they have an efficiency greater than 90%.
When you settle down on a type of boiler, you should make sure you contract professionally trained and experienced technicians for your boiler installation. The quality of boiler installation plays an important role in the eventual performance of your boiler. As such, never compromise on the quality of workmanship your boiler installer provides.
