Winter is coming and you are probably thinking about implementing your central heating installation: making energy savings, replacing your faulty boiler or even acquiring a new one, but deciding which boiler or central heating system is the most appropriate for your home or business is always a very serious matter.
How do boilers work?
This is a mini guide on the types of new boilers for you to get information about the alternative heating systems on the market, including some for those not connected to mains gas.
Conventional boilers
It normally includes a cold water tank and a smaller one for the feeding, expansion and heating of water by drawing water from the cold water mains. The central heating boiler will heat a cylinder by condensation, releasing hot water to taps and radiators.
The pros
- Hot water and heating through the same installation
- Amazingly fast flow rates
- Possibility to work on multiple taps systems
- An airing cupboard (so useful for drying clothes)
- It is solar compatible
Combination boilers
They are cheaper to run and will instantly source an endless furnish of hot water from the mains and at the same speed as the cold one. Plus, you don’t have to wait for cylinders to heat up and running out of hot water is just a non-existing problem. There’s also no need for cold water storage tank so it’s perfect if you are limited on space. Hot water will run through pipes by means of a pump and heat the radiators really fast.
The pros
- It is space saving (no storage tank is needed)
- Hot water is sourced with the same pressure as the mains
Alternative heating systems
For those who are seeking an environmentally friendly system or are simply not connected to mains gas, there’s still an interesting range of heating systems:
Boilers generating electricity
A boiler like this can generate not only the energy supply but also both hot water and heating for any house.
Solar thermal
A professional will mount this boiler on your roof to provide more than half of your hot water needs per year. It is one of the cheapest of renewable energy: not only the bills, but also its maintenance.
Back boilers
They get installed behind any chimney that has a gas fire in its front to offer both heating and hot water really efficiently. The warm air it sources is just delicious.
Warm air devices
This system heats any space with the help of vents in the ceiling. The warm air it sources is just delicious.
Liquefied Petroleum Gas Heating Systems
This is the most similar to mains gas for hot water, heating and cooking. A pipeline will serve your home with it.
Oil
Perfect for rural areas, oil is always easily stored in a tank on the ground at home. This system works quite similarly as the one for liquefied petroleum: A burner heats the water and heating and hot water are delivered via a pipeline.
Wood
This system (aka biomass) sources heat or hot water by burning logs or pellets.
Remember that if you have found among our suggestions the solution that best meets your heating and hot water needs, you should always leave installation and fixing issues in expert hands.
