Condensing Boilers - Boiler change ''can boost energy efficiency''

05/02/2008

It is possible to make the majority of existing homes 40 per cent more energy efficient, a new study has found.

All new houses in Ireland will have to be built to stringent energy efficiency standards from July 2009 and the Department of the Environment commissioned research to discover whether it is possible to alter existing homes to the same levels.

The work, carried out by UCD Energy Research Group, revealed it is possible to reduce energy usage by 40 per cent in eight out of nine common property designs, reports the Irish Independent.

It also confirmed that replacing the boiler is one of the most effective ways of cutting down on the amount of energy wasted in a home.

"Some of the older boilers in our homes are up to 75 per cent less efficient than the new condensing models, which emit less CO2," the newspaper reported.

Modern boilers ensure most of the fuel used is converted into heat rather than disappearing up the flue, it explained.

The Energy Saving Trust estimates that a boiler given an A rating on the Seasonal Efficiency of Domestic Boilers in the UK scale will be at least 90 per cent efficient.