Which type of boiler is best for my home?

Choosing a new boiler for your house may be a somewhat difficult task. There are several boiler types on the market today, available in various sizes, kWs, and costs - but which one should you select to best fit your home? In this blog post, the team at J. Wheatley Gas, Plumbing, and Heating are ready to help you with that problem!

How important is it to know which boiler I need?

It's possible that you have no clue what the differences between boiler types are, and it's true that most homeowners will leave the decision to whatever Gas Safe qualified heating expert they employ for boiler installation.

While this isn't always a terrible idea, it's worth conducting your own research and devoting some time to learning about the many types of boilers available. This ensures that you acquire the proper boiler for your house. By selecting the proper central heating system, you might wind up with a more efficient boiler that is less expensive to operate than your current outdated boiler. 

There are clear consequences to choosing the wrong boiler, such as a significant rise in your heating expenditures and a decline in your home's heating efficiency. So, let's go through the different types of boilers accessible to you so you don't make a costly mistake when getting your new boiler.

The different types of boilers

Combination boilers

The combination (combi) boiler is the most popular kind of contemporary boiler in UK households today. It enables you to regulate both your heating and hot water from a single boiler connected to the mains. This eliminates the need for a hot water cylinder or cistern, which is ideal for smaller homes or apartments. Combi boilers have the benefit of being more faster and easier to install than other models. Because the water comes from the mains, the water pressure is usually higher. Combi boilers are particularly popular since they are compact and efficient for smaller houses. This is fantastic for lowering your carbon impact.

When the system is under pressure to deliver, it understandably struggles to supply several outputs at the same time. As a result, for large families and bigger homes with many bathrooms, you must ensure that you select the appropriate size to meet the heating and hot water demands.

System boilers

A system boiler warms your central heating system and provides hot water to a storage cylinder, whether it's an unvented, stainless steel cylinder or a classic copper cylinder. A system boiler contains the majority of the critical components of the hot water and heating system, such as the pump and expansion vessel. This makes installation quick and easy. It also means you receive a faster reaction to heating and hot water demand, and you don't require a feed and expansion tank in the loft. 

Heat only (open-vent) boilers

Heat-only boilers are far more common in the UK where they are typically used in homes with an open vented heating system, but aside from this, they are much more sparsely installed nowadays. They are also referred to as open vent, ordinary, or regular boilers. 

When installed as part of a heating system with a hot water storage cylinder, a cold water storage tank, and a feed and expansion tank, these types of boilers heat your central heating as well as your hot water (which is usually stored in the loft above the boiler to provide a good head of water). If the boiler you're replacing is quite old, there's a good chance that it's a heat-only boiler. If you have got a separate circulating pump rather than one within the boiler, then there is a good chance that your boiler is a heat-only boiler.

Does the type of fuel I use for my home's heating matter?

It is important to note that the fuel you have access to also influences whatever boiler you pick, whether it be mains gas, LPG, oil, wood, or coal. It is critical to examine which one would be best for your property before choosing a new boiler, so always raise this with your Gas Safe registered heating engineer before choosing a new boiler for your home.