Boiler & Central Heating Installation in Kent, Surrey, South London, UK

ABOUT BOILERS, THE BASICS.............

Conventional versus combination boilers - the pros and cons:

A Conventional boiler is purely a heater - there will be an external hot water cylinder, control valves and radiators.

Why would you want one?

- More than one hot water outlet can be supplied simultaneously (dependant on a separate storage cylinder)

- You have a larger house and need a space heating output greater than 100,000BTu (30Kw)

- You desire a longer service life for a boiler than 10-12 years.

- You would prefer to have a stored hot/cold water supply in the house

- You may have recently invested in a new hot water cylinder/tanks

- You want an electrical immersion heater as hot water backup in case of boiler failure

- The water flow rate (sometimes erroneously described as pressure by plumbers) is too low for a combination boiler (but see low water mains pressure solutions as there are solutions available)

- Condensing (High efficiency) versions now mandatory in the UK

- Perceived reliability advantage.

Example of a small domestic conventional boiler; the Worcester Bosch Greenstar Ri (12Kw -24Kw)

A Combination boiler contains all the necessary controls and equipment to provide instantaneous hot water and also central heating - apart from radiators and pipe, everything else is in the boiler. There are now over 7 million households in the UK equipped with Combination boilers.

Why would you want one?

- Convenience. Hot water is always available, 24 hours a day

- Economy. Only heat the hot water you use.

- Consecutive hot water demands can be made without running out

- You do not require to run two hot water taps simultaneously

- No water tanks in the roof or hot water cylinders are required.

- It's a one box compact solution, ideal for small properties

- Condensing versions now mandatory in the UK

- It offers mains pressure showering ..........without a pump (ideal for flats or loft conversions)

Example of a combination boiler; the Vaillant ecoTEC plus 831

A note about reliability:

Combination boilers are considered by some to be less reliable than Conventional units.

It's important to remember that the combination boiler does the equivalent of a conventional system, but in one box. It removes the need for these external parts;

Central Heating Pump
Hot water Cylinder
Water tanks (two)
Motorised Valves
Hot water thermostat

All of which would otherwise be fitted (and occasionally need repair) in a conventional system.

Providing a combination boiler is connected to a properly cleansed system (see 'Powerflush') that is dosed with corrosion inhibitor there should be no discernable difference in reliability.   Your decision should be made on the features and benefits.

It is a general rule with boilers that you get what you pay for. We only recommend products we have found to be reliable and which are well made.

Condensing (High efficiency) - what you need to Know

Condensing High Efficiency Boilers - an explanation:

Older boilers emit flue cases which are very hot (in excess of 160 degrees). This is rather wasteful because most homeowners purchase a boiler to heat their house, rather than the surrounding countryside.

With older boilers between 20-35% of every £1.00 spent on gas, goes out of the flue (chimney) as heat into the atmosphere.

For some years, high efficiency boilers have been available for industrial and large domestic systems, but their use has not been widely publicised. These units recirculate their hot exhaust gases until more useful heat has been extracted into the boiler, before expelling a much cooler exhaust. The cooler exhaust contains particles of water, (or condensate, as it is described in the trade) which create a visible 'steam like' plume.   The condensation is deliberately encouraged within the boiler because it helps transfer more heat into the radiators.

Boilers which recycle most of the otherwise wasted flue heat are therefore called 'condensing'.  All boilers described in the UK as 'high efficiency' can be assumed to be condensing boilers.

Condensing boilers are available for Gas, LPG and Oil fuels, and come in 'conventional' and 'combination' types. They can be floor mounted, wall hung - and condensing boilers for warm air are now available too.

Government mandate:

The UK Government signed an international agreement (Kyoto Agreement) committing us all to reducing energy losses. As a result, from 2005, it became mandatory for UK homeowners to install high efficiency 'condensing boilers' when fitting a new gas unit.

Oil boilers became subject to this ruling later in 2007. See 'exceptions' below.

The Government class these units as having an efficiency of SEDBUK of grade 'A', which is top marks in laymans terms (see www.SEDBUK.org for more information).    Similar markings are available for domestic appliances, light bulbs etc.

In October 2010 boilers with the SEDBUK B rating were dropped from the list of acceptable fitments, raising the bar of efficiency a little further.

Condensing boiler reliability:

Unfortunately, over the last 9 years certain domestic boiler manufacturers exhibited undue haste in releasing their condensing boilers onto the market, before they had been fully tested. There have been some expensive failures, and it was not uncommon to have to scrap a condensing boiler only a few years old.

Whilst they are more complex, there is no reason why a quality condensing boiler should be any less reliable than a standard unit.

The key is to buy from a volume manufacturer with a large Research & Development budget and a good reliability track record to keep; which brings us back to Vaillant , Worcester Bosch, Viessmann , Broag-Remeha, Grant. For those of you lucky enough to own larger properties we suggest you may also wish to have a look at our Archie Kidd page.

Exceptions to the 'condensing only' Building Regulations:

Many of our European cousins have been successfully running condensing boilers for years. However, European installations tend to use 'vertical flues' where they protrude through the roof. The condense pluming is therefore far less visible and irritating than in the typical UK installations, which tend to use horizontal flues (ie: wall mounted).

It is recognised that there will be situations, particularly in high density housing, where the condense plume from a horizontal flue will be unacceptable to residents, or where the flues are shared within a central duct in a block of flats which may not be practically viable to alter.

Therefore, there are exceptions to the Government mandate, some non-condensing boilers will continue in production to cater for this market. Over the past few years we have found very few homes that could be classed as exempt, although some high rise modern dwellings could qualify.

We can't see why anyone would want to use more fuel than necessary and achieve an exemption.

Those who don't want a condenser may be interested to know that a range cooker with an internal boiler is exempt. Even if the boiler is separately controlled from the cooker; it just has to be within the same casing, such as our Heritage Cookers (see menu top of page).

Our advice:

If you want reliability, specify a good boiler, whatever your preferred choice of system, rather than a budget unit.

We only fit the former!

Condensing technology, more background:

The high efficiency boiler was introduced in the UK by Archie Kidd. Whilst today's media suggest the idea is the latest thing, you could have bought a condensing boiler from Mr Kidd in 1982, and chances are, you'd still be using it now.

Today's condensing boilers work on a similar principle of transferring as much heat from the fuel being burnt, to the water in your pipes. The last 10% of usable boiler efficiency requires the (gas or oil) fuel's internal water content to condense inside the boiler, against the water jacket. The 'latent heat of evaporation' gives away more energy when the water in the fuel is encouraged to turn from a gaseous to liquid form.

With all the extra efficiency, the flue gases emitted from the boiler to outside are of a much lower temperature; this way your boiler wastes less valuable fuel heating the garden. A disadvantage is your flue tends to look a bit like a steam train’s funnel in winter.

There’s been a lot of negative publicity in the press about condensing boilers. It’s true that a significant number of boilers from 2000 onwards – culprits being predominantly British and Italian manufacturers - have already been scrapped by their owners.

Some manufacturers fretted about being left behind, desperately rushed through models which had not been comprehensively tested or funded - these boilers are the ones you have read negative comments about.

The condense in a high efficiency boiler is designed to be safely led away to the drain. The trouble is, there is a weak mix of carbonic acid present in the water condense, which will rot copper, steel, iron and even some plastics with a vengeance. Consequently, modern condensing boilers tend to be made of expensive metals and alloys like stainless steel and aluminium, which can tolerate the harsh conditions better.

The good news is manufacturers are getting better at designing out the weaknesses. Some of the German manufacturers have been making condensing products for over 15 years.

If you really don’t want a condensing boiler, you could fit a range cooker with a boiler in it – they’re exempt from the regulations. See our Heritage Range page.

Solar - water (thermal) and Electrical (pv):

Solar Thermal hot water:

We are solar hot water installers...

We recommend the Worcester Bosch Greenskies system, and have attended the manufacturer training courses.

Typical Worcester solar system

Worcester Bosch are one of the most honest solar manufacturers in the UK.

If you visit their web site you will not be given a dubious sales pitch but, in our view, the real pros and cons of solar.

Nowadays there are all sorts of salesmen pushing solar, even double glazing companies are promoting it.

There is a case for solar thermal hot water if you care about the environment and want to minimise your impact on the use of fossil fuels. But be careful to separate the hype from the fact, and make the decision for the right reasons.

A new development from Worcester is a controller which maximises the input of the solar panel to your hot water storage, and minimises the intervention of the boiler. This is based on learning usage and sunlight routines for the household and combining this with calendar based statistical data on sunlight emissions during the year.

A few facts about SOLAR hot water - so you know what to expect;

Many householders in pre 2000 homes do not appreciate that hot water generation accounts for only a very small amount of their gas or oil bill.   Typically only 15-25%.

"Free Hot Water for Life" is a slogan often used by solar salespeople..................

Adding solar panels will typically provide 50-60% of a household hot water requirement.   But your radiators are by far and away the major drain on the gas bill, and solar cannot address this.

Therefore if your water heating bill accounts for one fifth of your gas bill, and solar will address around 60% of that; you stand to save around 11%-12% per year on your total heating fuel cost.

Doesn't sound so impressive now.

But the comment 'free hot water for life' is still valid though.......just another example of how the truth can be manipulated.

Most of your gas bill (80%) goes on space heating (eg: radiators), which cannot be economically addressed by UK solar systems.

Solar typically therefore takes at least 20 years to recoup its investment – much longer than we statistically stay in one house. Because the systems are designed to last 20 years, and need regular maintenance (eg: anti freeze top ups) we calculate payback occurs somewhere between 30 and infinity years, assuming nothing goes wrong in the meantime.

The truth is that solar panels are an altruistic way of reducing your energy consumption, and therefore your impact on the World. They will probably not pay you back for their investment, but they will get within 50% of this. Very few home improvements will make this impact, other than insulation.

The Government (both Labour and Con-Lib coalition) recognised this, so steps have been taken to make solar more attractive to domestic users. Big changes are due in 2011, read on.......

Solar PV (electrical):

Solar PV is the term to describe panels which generate small amounts of electricity from the sun. There is no water involved!

Right now (2011) you are likely to be paying around 13p per kwh for your electricity. The Government's FiT (feed in tariff) currently pays you 43.3p for every kwh you can generate from your Solar PV panels.

What is more, this is guaranteed for 25yrs, AND will increase in line wiith the Retail Price Index along the way. AND you get an additional 3p per kw if you don't use all the energy you create (which is quite likely as you will create most in the middle of hot sunny days).

In real terms, what does this mean for you?

Well, with the right installation a 3kwp (p stands for peak output) will pay for itself in around 9 years. That leaves the rest of the 25yrs (16 in this example) to make income from your roof. With a 3Kw system you may make nearly £30K over the 25 year period.

Compared to other investment opportunities at this time, this looks very good.

What makes Solar PV work?;

1. A south facing roof. A roof that does not face due South will deliver proportionately less return on investment.

2. A roof that does not become shaded by trees, dormers etc during the day. Solar PV panels when in shade, USE energy rather than CREATE it, so this is to be avoided.

3. Panels that will last 25 years. Internet spec chasers are fixated with the output of the panels but in their quest seem to forget that if the panels don't last the full course, their return on investment will be decimated. We only use Mitsubishi panels, because they are made in Japan and are powering countless satellites in the sky.

4. A quality design and installation service, using a qualified and assessed Solar PV engineer.

See Energy Savings Trust FIT page for more details. The deal offered will be reviewed in April 2012 and installations after this date are expected to be offered less advantagous rates so time is of the essence. Early birds catch the worm!

In the next few months we will be devoting a page on this website purely to Solar PV, where you can see our installations. We also hope to be able to display real time generation data here from a couple of our own jobs.

There is an excellent ready reckoner calculator here

Powerflush:

We always Powerflush an existing radiator system before replacing the boiler. This ensures a long and reliable service life, and helps return the system to original condition.

We use the industry leading Norstrom Powerflush units, which are designed to have a high flow rate into the radiators.

Warm Air Central heating:

Warm Air Central Heating:

It's not widely appreciated, but Gas Warm Air Systems are amongst the most efficient forms of heating available.

Their heating output is nearly instantaneous, and there are none of the water leaks, sticking valves, sludge, pumps, etc. than can develop with ordinary systems. As a result Warm Air installations typically have a longer service life than water based systems. There are many householders who are committed advocates of this method of central heating across the UK.

The latest Warm Air boilers incorporate significant technical advances over their forebears. On current models, instead of the basic on/off nature of old Warm Air heating systems, there are electronically controlled fan speeds and temperature regulation, making the action of the boiler much more subtle. These improvements offer significant comfort and economic benefits to the homeowner when upgrading.

In 2009 we stopped installing Johnson & Starley warm air equipment.

We now recommend and install Lennox condensing warm air units, which are significantly more efficient (up to 95%) than any other unit available in the UK. And a lot more efficient than radiators.

Lennox are a US based manufacturer, where (unlike the UK) warm air is a massive market with the competing manufacturers still investing large sums of money in product development. Some UK houses are still fitted with Lennox heaters from the 60s and 70s. These have proved to be very well made and reliable - the good news is that Lennox are now importing into the UK and can be fitted by key installers.

In the USA air conditioning and warm air are often amalgamated, and we can offer this in the UK too, using a G61V and a Lennox air con unit, running through your existing ducts.

Lennox G61V range

Ask us for more details - Our 'installation blog' is currently being updated with some of our recent GV61 installations.

Radiators and Underfloor Heating:

Go to our Radiators and Underfloor heating page.

Boiler & Central Heating Installation in Kent, Surrey, Sussex, South London UK