Of course budget will be king, but space, the size of your property and its number of bathrooms, existing heating infrastructure, insulation and water pressure are all relevant in determining which boiler will serve you best for the coming years.
In this blog post Cosy Abodes explores the factors in your home and life which will govern your choice of boiler.
Assessing your home and means are important activities to undertake when deciding on the best boiler for you. Here are the key things you should take into consideration when planning to install a new boiler:
Existing heating infrastructure
If your previous boiler met your needs and you have pipework, a hot water cylinder and / or a cold water storage tank in place, then it may be easiest to replace the type of boiler you had, like for like. You’ll save time on research and our engineers may save time on installation. Boiler technology does move on however, so you may be missing out on the latest development in home heating which could better suit your requirements.
Budget
The money you can spend on a new boiler will be the biggest determining factor in your decision. Knowing your budget helps you identify candidates for heating your home and dismiss others which aren’t an option due to their price. Different boiler brands cater for different ends of the market. Within their ranges, each brand offers a price spectrum to further suit budget. When looking at your budget, remember also to factor installation costs into your spend.
Size of property
The size of your home, and number of radiators and taps it has, will likely determine the type of heating set up you need, be it a combi, system or conventional boiler. Each suits a certain sized property. Large families use more hot water while couples and single dwellers use less. Buying a boiler that is too big for your home will cost you money in heating bills while one too small will struggle to heat it properly.
Number of bathrooms
If you have a big home with several bathrooms likely to be used at the same time, it may be you’re best choosing a conventional boiler. Conventional boilers incorporate hot water storage tanks so hot water can flow through several taps at the same time without drops in water pressure or temperature. Combi boilers don’t cope well and can prove expensive when faced with high hot water demand. (To choose a boiler capable of providing enough hot water for your household, estimate an average 25 litres per person per day)
Water pressure
If you want to experience powerful water pressure through hot water taps then a combi boiler can provide the water pressure you want. Combis heat water at mains pressure. However, as said above, water pressure drops when a combi boiler has to service several hot water outlets at once and larger properties will experience greater average water pressure with system or conventional boilers.
Storage
Conventional and system boilers take up more room in a property than a space-saving combi because they incorporate water storage. If you don’t have room for storing hot and cold water tanks, a combi boiler is best for you. They don’t store water at all. System boilers have a hot water cylinder. Conventional boilers require a further cold water storage in the loft. More water storage also means more pipework and longer installation.
Insulation
A home with full cavity wall insulation, excellent loft insulation and modern double glazing will retain heat better than a property without those elements in place. Fully insulated homes need less heat and subsequently a smaller boiler to keep them warm. If your property has all the right measures in place to keep heat inside the building then you may be able to save money by selecting a smaller boiler for your home.
Once you have examined all the above aspects of your home and budget you will know more about the right boiler to install in your home. In our next blog Cosy Abodes will look at the different types of boiler available to you and how each one may suit your purposes.