PlumbSet New Gas Boilers

New Gas Boilers

A new generation of gas boilers!

Since 1st April 2005, all installations of new or replacement gas boilers need to be of the high efficiency condensing type. We only install SEDBUK A-rated boilers, and all work is carried out by Gas Safe-registered engineers.

These high-efficiency boilers come in 3 basic types:

Standard hot water and heating boiler.
System boiler.
Combination (combi) boiler.

If you don't already have a gas boiler in your property, should you consider a new oil boiler? High efficiency oil boilers are slighly more efficient than gas but you will need to store oil in an approved oil tank.

Standard

Takes the place of most boiler installations currently in the UK. Connects directly to the central heating. Your hot water is heated in a hot water cylinder usually found in an airing cupboard. This type of system is usually fed by a small cistern in the loft. The majority of installed boilers of this type achieve only 70% efficiency. Oue new boilers achieve efficiency levels in excess of 90%.

System

Only a small percentage of heating systems in the UK use system boilers. A system boiler is similar to a standard boiler with the difference that the pump is built into the boiler. These boilers are normally installed on sealed systems which are not automatically replenished from a cistern. Instead these systems need to be manually refilled periodically.

Combination

These boilers are similar in design to system boilers. They operate on a sealed system. The main difference between this type of boiler and the other two is that domestic hot water is heated directly in the boiler, removing the need for a hot water cylinder. One big advantage of this type of boiler is that hot water can be delivered uninterrupted and at mains pressure for as long as the customer requires it.

Boiler type	Advantages	Disadvantages
Combi	Hot water on demand No cisterns or pipework in the loft space Continuous hot water supply No need to heat 'stored' hot water Space saving Mains pressure hot water All cold water outlets supply mains drinking water	Hot water flow limited to about 10 litres/minute Hot water flow is reduced when additional outlets are opened Central heating system has to be pressurised which may lead to leaks in older pipework No failure backup for hot water (i.e. no immersion heater) Hot water temperature can be reduced if the incoming water temperature is very low No 'airing' cupboard, though a small radiator can be installed in a cupboard to provide heat when the heating is on

Condensing

Except in exceptional circumstances new boiler installations must be condensing boilers. Condensing boilers should not be confused with combination boilers as all the above three boiler types are condensing boilers. Condensing boilers extract additional heat energy from the flue gases and this causes the water vapour in the gas to condense into water. Condensing boilers (if correctly installed) will reduce the amount of fuel needed to heat your home, leading to lower fuel consumption and less CO₂ emissions.

Gas boilers we recommend

Glow-worm

Ultracom hxi boiler Based on fourth generation technology, these have been tried and tested over many years.

Vaillant

ecoTEC plus 428 (Standard)
ecoTEC plus 831 (Combi)
ecoTEC plus 937 (Combi with improved DHW performance)