Plumbing and heating Heating your home

Installing a brand new hot water and central heating system is a big job and you will have lots of decisions to make about the layout and the type of boiler you need. There are four ways to heat your home and water supply.

Get professional advice to work out what size of boiler and how many radiators you need, together with the length and size of piping and the best way to heat your water. It is very expensive to make the wrong decisions and have to replace pipework or boilers. 

You will need to consider a range of options before installing a new heating system

Mains gas

If you have access to mains gas for heating your home and water, it’s probably your best option, although some people prefer electricity. You will also need to think through whether you want to rely on your boiler for heating both the house and the water supply, or whether you would prefer a mixed system, such as a gas boiler with electric showers.

Oil and LPG gas

Oil and liquid propane gas (LPG) is mainly used in homes in the countryside where there are no main service gas pipes. You will need an oil or LPG tank in your garden, but the system works in a similar way to mains gas central heating. 

Electric heating

You can also use electricity for home heating, with night storage, convector or fan heaters. These systems are normally easier and cheaper to install than gas central heating although may be less popular with buyers when you come to sell your home.

Night storage heater

Night storage heaters used to be bulky and ugly, but modern heaters are far more compact and aesthetically pleasing, similar to normal radiators. Some also incorporate a convector or fan heater so you can have instant warmth when you need it but this adds to the running costs – you will be using electricity during the day, rather than the cheaper night-time electricity tariff.

On most night storage heaters there are ‘boost’ controls to allow more heat out if needed. The downside is that once the heat is depleted, the heater won’t recharge again until night time. These heaters can also have thermostats built-in to ensure they automatically store more heat at night when it’s cold and less when it’s warm, maximising the efficiency of the heating system.

The tricky thing about night storage heaters is that the user has to predict the heating requirements for the following day. If there is a cold spell of weather, the heaters will store heat and release it the next day. But if the following day is warmer, then this may make your rooms too hot and stuffy.

Under floor heating

Under floor heating is gaining in popularity. Flooring tends to be one of the main areas where homes lose heat, so warming the floor can reduce your overall heating costs as well as giving you more room as you don’t need radiators. Plus there’s no boiler, so the system is very quiet. It’s also flexible – you can combine under floor heating with other types, so you may choose to only have it in your bathroom or conservatory. There is normally very little maintenance required, although if something does go wrong, lifting the flooring is inconvenient and expensive.

Hot water

You can heat water using electricity with a hot water storage tank or on demand – an electric shower, for example. Hot water storage cylinders have at least one thermostatically controlled heating element. The water is heated either by turning on a switch or via a time clock. Large hot water storage tanks have the disadvantage that you can be left without hot water for a while they re-fill, if you’ve just run a bath, for instance.

Thermostats

Thermostats regulate the temperature of the central heating system and when it comes on and off. Whatever type of heating you have, it is important to consider what types of thermostats you are going to have around the home. They can make an enormous difference to your bills and can help to avoid accidents by making it possible to keep the heating on low when you are away so your pipes don’t freeze.

Most homes have a thermostat for the hot water cylinder and one or more room thermostats, which can have an inbuilt programmable timer to start and stop the heating. Some of these can even be programmed for different temperatures at different times for every day of the week. It is a good idea to have a thermostat fitted on each radiator to give you more precise control over heating in different rooms.

Ideally you want programmers that have a battery back-up, so you don’t need to re-programme them if there is a power cut. You might also want to be able to control the heating and hot water separately.

Which boiler?

The amount of space in your home will dictate, in many cases, which type of boiler you can install. It’s wise to seek specialist advice from a Gas Safe-registered heating engineer – even if you have chosen a product, ask a qualified professional to confirm that is suitable for your property.

The gas registration scheme, which was previously run by Corgi was taken over by Capita on 1 April 2009. The new scheme is called the Gas Safe Register.
Anyone proposing to install a gas boiler in your property is required by law to be on the Gas Safe Register. You can check an engineer or firm's registration on the Gas Safe Register website or by calling directly on 0800 408 5500.

New regulations to boost energy efficiency mean that most boilers on the market are now condensing appliances. In Northern Ireland, all newly built properties need to have a condensing boiler fitted – ask your plumber or gas fitter about the rules if you are renovating an older house.

In the rest of the UK, it may still be possible to install a conventional boiler with a lower C- or D-energy rating in some cases. Do seek advice from a Gas Safe-registered installer before purchasing one of these products.

Condensing boiler

These are the most efficient boilers available as little heat is lost through the flue (unlike conventional products). They are more expensive than conventional boilers but prices are coming down and the running costs may well be lower, leaving you with smaller utility bills. To ensure the heating system is as efficient as possible, it is important to fit:

• thermostatic radiator valves on individual radiators
• a cylinder thermostat to control the hot water
• a room thermostat to provide control over the heating

Condensing combination boiler

Combination boilers are popular as they supply both heating and instant hot water – doing away with the hot water cylinder. It is important that the hot water output of the boiler is matched to the household’s hot water requirements – otherwise there might not be enough hot water for everyone.

It is a false economy to save money by buying a smaller combination boiler than recommended, as it will be unlikely to provide hot water fast enough and at the desired temperature. When using hot water taps, be aware that unless the combination boiler is correctly sized, sufficient flow of hot water may not be available at every hot water outlet at the same time.

Electric boiler

Electric central heating boilers are a recent innovation, particularly useful in areas where there is no mains gas. If your electrical installation is suitable, the electric boiler can even supply heat to a wet radiator system (rather than being restricted to night storage heaters). It doesn’t need an annual check and is relatively maintenance-free.