Saving energy on heating
Fuel efficient boiler
SEDBUK (Seasonal Efficiency of Domestic Boilers in the UK) is a scheme that
rates the efficiency of boilers on a scale of A to G, where an A-rated boiler
is 90% efficient and a G rated boiler is below 70% efficient.
In England and Wales, it became mandatory to install only high efficiency boilers,
through the Building Regulations Approved Document L. The boiler has to be of
the high efficiency type, whether it is being installed in a new house or replacing
an existing boiler.
If you use a ‘condensing’ boiler, it would meet your requirement
of being 90% efficient as this type of boiler works by recovering waste heat
from the boiler flue, converting it to useable heat.
Will a condensing boiler fit where an existing boiler is ?
When a condensing boiler recovers waste heat, water or 'condensate' is produced,
in order to drain these, you need to provide a condensate drain. You may also
need to check with the installer the flue arrangement required, as flue is the
method by which the boiler exhausts gases and needs to go from the boiler to
outside.
In order to minimise or avoid damage to historic fabric, the location for the
inlet/outlet terminal(s) has to be chosen carefully. Also, note that the flue
discharge from modern condensing boilers can be in the form of a ‘steam
plume’ which needs to be carefully positioned to reduce the visual impact.
Therefore, replacement boilers are much governed by flue arrangements as by
efficiency. All installations must be undertaken by a CORGI registered installer.
Control for a heating system
A room thermostat which work by sensing the air temperature, switches the heating
on and off as required, If it is lower than required it will switch the heating
on and if higher, it will switch the heating off. Thermostatic radiator valves
that work in a similar way to the room thermostat, can also be used, but they
are fitted to the individual radiators, so you can set different rooms to different
temperatures.
A programmer allows you to set the times for when you want the heating available.
When using controls, ensure all pipe-work is well insulated. If not, it will
need more energy to deliver heating and hot water, as the heat will be lost
through the pipe-work before it reaches the hot water tank or the radiator.
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