Only consider boiler installation companies that can offer a home efficiency survey and a Building Regulations Compliance certificate.
Having safe efficient boilers and heating in every home is essential for everyone’s welfare. The lockdown and home-working have significantly raised household fuel costs, making it all the more important to improve our energy-efficiency. Consequently, a lot of home owners are thinking seriously about changing their boiler system.
Every home, and its residents, are different, so our first word of advice is to approach boiler installation companies that are willing to conduct a home survey. While it is easy to get quotes over the phone and boiler energy performance ratings from a website, neither provides sufficient information to make the right choice of boiler. Some homes will encounter extra costs because of poor plumbing, high occupancy, lack of external walls or power showers; others could make better savings by improving system accessories like room thermostats, timers and insulation. Good boiler installation companies will assess the value left in your existing boiler and take all these other factors into account before they make a recommendation.
Although there is no substitute for a professional survey, here is a guide to some of the main installation considerations.
Replacing a Conventional Boiler with a Combi
Although combis have often been promoted as more fuel-efficient, the transition is often not cost-effective. Combi boilers need an external flue and depend on a pump instead of gravity to reach higher floors. The plumbing system often needs re-routing to connect to the new boiler. Removing storage cylinders and expansion tanks add to the cost (some are behind brick walls). Replacing boilers with similar types usually takes a day, but to remove a conventional system can take three, and often leaves re-plastering and re-decorating work to do.
Combi to Conventional Boiler
Doing the reverse may be relatively straightforward if you still have a good cylinder and other tanks in place from an earlier conventional system; otherwise they will be expensive, and sometimes impossible, to fit. You might need planning consent if you want to fit an Aga or Raeburn as your heat source.
Replacing a System Boiler with a Combi
Because system boilers have hot water storage tanks they often deliver it faster, but on other occasions they are unable to deliver it at all until the tank refills and reheats. Owners can solve this shortcoming by swapping to a combi that heats water immediately as it passes through. Usually this does not entail too much re-plumbing. An alternative option in some cases is to equip a system boiler with additional external storage capacity.
From Combi to System Boiler
People often ask for this when an existing combi is underpowered for the demands of the house. An engineer will need to confirm you have sufficient space for the installation. Additional equipment and plumbing will increase the price.
Conventional to System Boiler
Like combis, sealed-system boilers take their water direct from the mains, while open-vent conventional boilers receive it by gravity from a storage tank (usually fitted into a loft). That means you are likely to need new plumbing and a cylinder, increasing the overall cost.
From System to Conventional
If you have convenient space, adding external storage tanks to an existing system boiler might be able to recreate the benefits of conventional boilers (mainly capacity) without changing your existing system boiler, unless it is no longer functional.
Boiler Installation Companies and Compliance
Gas engineers must be Gas Safe registered and issue you with a Building Regulations Compliance certificate after the work to confirm it has been installed safely. You should also ask about the qualifications of electrical engineers that fit immersion elements, pumps, timers and thermostats.
Note that under new regulations passed in 2017 your engineer has to fit time and temperature controls if you don’t already have them. It is also normal British Standards best practice to do a system flush during an installation and to suggest you have a system filter fitted to prevent sludge and debris inside the plumbing - so don’t think they are pushing things on to you that you did not ask for!
Finally, register your new boiler (and any other components) with their manufacturer(s) within 30 days to ensure you get the full benefits of all your warranties.
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Author : Protech Boilers |
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