Nothing like a piping hot bubble bath is there? But imagine a world without hot water – it wouldn’t exactly make for a relaxing bath time for Mr. Sudsy and I would it? And a home without heating in those cold winter months – brrrr, it doesn’t bear thinking about.
I’m Jonas Hurst and over the next few minutes I’m going to be talking to you about these... boilers!
If you’re looking to invest in a new boiler and need some advice about where to find the most energy efficient models and what will work best in your home – well, you’ve come to the right place! Now, here with the expert advice is Nikki Ratcliffe from Which?.
So, Nikki, boilers aren’t exactly cheap, but every home needs one I guess.
They are major expense so when you’re looking to invest you want to make the choice that’s right for you and your wallet. The good news is that at Which? we’ve done all the research and testing so that you don’t have to. After all, unless you’ve got a few spare hours to come to a place like this you’re not going to be able to check out every model that’s available.
And not every model would be suitable anyway – can you talk us through the different types of boiler then?
Well, first I’ll tell you about condensing boilers. Virtually all new boilers are this kind and it means that they reuse heat that would otherwise be wasted. In other words, they are so much more efficient now.
Good news for the environment and the purse strings! So, there are two main types of boiler - combination and heat-only ones.
Combi boilers provide heat and hot water on demand. These are generally best for flats and smaller homes as they don’t need a storage tank. Alternatively, heat-only boilers provide heat for radiators directly, but they need to be connected to a hot water storage system, so you’ll need a lot of space.
So, the right model for the right property is really important.
The right model can save you lots of money on your future bills, but it’s crucial to get professional advice. Our experts test out tons of boilers to work out which ones are reliable, efficient and which ones are best avoided. We’ve also surveyed our readers to find out which boiler brands are the most reliable and which they’d recommend. This revealed some very interesting findings! We do suggest you discuss your heating and water needs with a trained installer too. They can work out what size and type of boiler will suit you best.
Also, when you are installing your boiler, it needs to be by someone who is on the Gas Safe Register.
Use Which? Local to find a good installer in your area.
Get several quotes beforehand and make sure these include all aspects of the work.
Now, you’ve not mentioned oil-fired boilers yet. Not the most common but they are out there aren’t they?
Actually, more than 1.5 million homes in the UK use oil for their heating and this number is growing as more homes are built in the countryside, away from mains gas. However, heating your house with oil costs about twice as much as with mains gas and even more if you use LPG.
That’s good to know. But I suppose your bills are going to depend on how much gas or oil that your boiler uses. What can you tell me about boiler efficiency?
Well, our ratings show that most modern boilers we test are very efficient compared to older non-condensing models.Modern boilers must be rated either A or B in a labelling scheme called SEDBUK which is the equivalent of the energy labelling scheme for domestic appliances. Our ratings are particularly valuable because in our tests we have discovered many boilers claiming to be an A rating actually fall short.
So, with boilers being an essential yet expensive investment, can we assume that they are super reliable?
Well, we’ve surveyed our readers to find out which boiler brands have needed fewest repairs and which they’d recommend to others. Some people like the reassurance of having a boiler maintenance contract. In general we don’t recommend these but you can find out which we think is best on our website.
And finally, once you’ve got the right boiler installed, there are some good tips for reducing your central heating bill aren’t there?
Yes we have compiled seven essential tips to reduce your heating bill for free.
1. Rooms get warmed by the sun, so close your curtains at sunset to keep that free heat inside.
2. Ventilation is important to keep your house fresh and healthy, but try to open windows to air rooms when the sun is on them and keep windows and doors closed when the heating is on.
3. Turn down the thermostat on your heating and you could save up to 10% on your bills.
4. Bedrooms should be around 18 degrees and living rooms should be fine at 21 degrees unless you have small babies, elderly or sick people in the house.
5. Turn the radiator down or even off in rooms that aren’t used regularly, but check for signs of damp or condensation regularly.
6. Pull furniture away from radiators and don't use radiator cabinets to disguise them. Also make sure that they aren’t covered with curtains.
7. Block up any draughts in your home to prevent heat escaping, for example by using draft excluders on doors or fitting a brush in your letter box.
All sound advice there Nikki, and everyone loves a money saving tip don’t they?
And there’s tons more advice to plough through on our website. We review the best boiler brands, we also have a guide to maintaining your boiler.
Thanks for your help today Nikki. It’s probably time for us to leave these boiler bods to it then.