More efficient boilers and solar panels

Due to the increasing cost of heating and hot water in UK there is major concern for all homeowners.

With the current rises in fuel prices, people across the country will probably now be considering how to improve the efficiency of their existing systems by replacing an old boiler with a high efficiency condensing boiler or looking at new boilers with a renewable energy solution, such as solar energy for hot water heating.

Now that the changes to Part L1 are in place, apart from very few exceptions, all new condensing boilers installed have to be A or B rated on the SEDBUK scale. By doing this, the Government aims to save 0.8-0.9m tonnes of carbon per year by the end of 2010. This figure is only 5% of the changes the government want to be making by 2010. There is an increasing demand for new energy efficient technology in the home. The general public are becoming more aware of the benefits of new boilers, both financial and economical. Homeowners are always looking for new ways to conserve money and all good sellers should recommend A-Rated boilers. A-Rated boilers have the highest efficiency rate, Nearly all of the gas boilers that are sold are now condensing boilers; however the less efficient B-rated appliances are still being installed. Research shows that running costs and efficiency rates are the most considered factors when buying a new boiler. Installing anything less than an A-rated boiler simply doesn’t make sense anymore for fuel bills or the environment.

In addition to this to improve the efficiency of a home’s heating and hot water supplies, the next logical step is to install a solar thermal system. A typical solar system can actually provide 50-70% of the domestic hot water requirements of a home over a year. It should be approximately 80-90% during the summer, 40-50% during spring and autumn, and about 20-30% during the winter. Basically, the home owner is getting between 2,500 - 3,000kwh free every year. The combined installation of oil-fired boilers and solar water heating panels, with oil prices rising swiftly, anything that reduces oil consumption and improves energy efficiency is profitable to the homeowner and the environment. Therefore, Changes to Part L of the Building Regulations mean that all new and replace boilers in the UK need to be at least B standard and SEDBUK scale.

The development of high efficiency condensing oil-fired boilers has certainly provided an improvement in fuel usage in order to get more heating and hot water for their money. As most properties requiring an oil-fired boiler tend to be larger and tend to have a roof (flat/apartment), solar panels are increasingly viable solutions for reducing oil consumption. Recent statistics from the Government estimate the average heating and hot water requirements to be around 20,000kwh per annum, per household. While figures will vary, it is estimated that around 5,000kwh of this requirement is used for domestic hot water.

Can solar panels save you money

? Based upon oil being able to deliver 10.7kwh per litre, it should be possible to make a huge saving when opting for solar along side an oil-fired condensing boiler. This could mean a direct saving of at least £100 saving on fuel bills per year. If the household’s hot water requirements are higher than the average significantly more could be saved. For this reason, a combination of oil and solar is highly recommended.

Primarily New Boilers should include:

• Now changes to Part L are firmly in place, all boilers must be SEDBUK A- or B-rated in order to cut carbon emissions.
• Consumers’ desires to save the environment and reduce their fuel bills give the installer the chance to increase sales by always recommending the installation of an A-rated boiler.
• The energy efficiency of a home can be further improved with the installation of a renewable heating system, such as solar panels.
• The combination of solar heating and oil-fired boilers is a fairly new concept but as oil prices are continuing to rise, it is definitely something to consider. Worcester predicts that this trend will grow in the near future.