Every household needs heating to keep warm during the winter months and also to prevent damp and mold growing within the house. If the building becomes too cold (with no heating) and then also no fresh air circulating the house it can become uncomfortable and develop a musty smell. Unfortunately the cost of heating bills seems to increase year on year.
Although we cannot physically do anything about the costs of the energy we use, we can check ways to make sure the heat is maintained in the house and is not escaping which in turn will reduce the amount of energy used. There is also the point of checking the boiler that is installed as this is the main source of generating that heat. Old houses might have an old inefficient boiler that is not suitable for the modern household.
Loft insulation is critical in a house as a lot of the heat generated escapes through the roof of a house. Often walls have cavity insulation but heat can escape through a home if there is no roof insulation at all. You can add additional layers, but check with building regulations first. You can make simple steps with triple glazing doors and windows which will benefit. Check for draughts and sources of cold air when a room is heated as this will mean heat is escaping somewhere. You can add draught excluders which will help keep heat in.
The boiler that is installed in the house may well be there before you have moved in and therefore it can be expensive to replace, but it’s worth looking at the boiler as if it was installed when the house was built it might need replacing to save energy (and money) you are generating.
Back Boilers – Some homes will still have back boilers although they are not the first choice when getting a new boiler. These are hidden behind a chimney with a gas fire front to cover them. They are reliable, but have an efficiency rating of 78%. They are open flued, which can allow for lethal gases to escape into the room if there is a blockage or fault with the ventilation.
Combination Boilers – These are the UK’s most popular Cv ketel vervangen and take cold water from the mains and heat directly. They are generally more efficient boiler as you don’t lose heat through a storage tank or have to burn energy reheating water that might have gone cold. These are not suitable for big homes though if you have a high hot water demand. The negative to combi boilers is that the hot water supply can be interrupted in a tap is turned on elsewhere within the house if you have the hot water already running – this will go cold.
Condensing Boilers – All new boiler installs in the UK are condensing boilers. There are three main types of condensing boilers, regular, system boilers and combi boilers. All have the ability to extract heat from otherwise wasted flue gases. These are more expensive to buy and install, but with 90% energy efficiency in some cases, these will reduce your gas bills.
System Boilers – These are popular for large homes as there is more than one outlet for hot water. The system boilers tend to act as the middle or in between option from the smallest nation boilers and the larger condensing boiler. These are also heat only boilers that use copper cylinder to heat and store your hot water.
