Boiler Buying Guide – What you need to know about buying a new boiler

Our boiler buying guide should help answer some of the questions that get asked the most by people who are thinking of buying a new boiler.

Heating your home is expensive and with costs increasing so much recently upgrading your boiler could reduce your bills and be worth the investment.

The right boiler for you will depend on a range of factors and you should always get a new boiler installed by a qualified, Gas Safe Registered engineer. 

Choosing or thinking of changing your Boiler?

Your boiler may likely be one of the most expensive household purchases you’ll make.

The good news is, by installing a brand new, energy efficient boiler, you can add up to 4% on the value of your property, with the average UK house price of £318.000 (Zoopla.co.uk), this would add £12,720 (yourrepair.co.uk).

Buying a new boiler can often be a difficult decision and one that is sometimes made in a hurry amid a stressful crisis when your boiler has broken down or showing signs it is about to.

It can be very confusing and overwhelming trying to arrange or buy a new boiler, lots of big decisions to be made and often without current heating or hot water increasing the pressure on a rash buy.

With so many boiler brands and companies out there, it can be a huge boiler minefield to navigate.

Our simple boiler buyer’s guide will aim to help and guide you through the decision-making process involved in helping you make an informed decision when looking at a new boiler or understanding your quotation and the value your chosen heating installer is offering, hopefully going some way to help you see the value and service why some like for like quotes are seemingly different on price.

Let’s try and help you break this down for you in simple easy decision-making steps with practical advice.

The importance of a reliable new boiler

It’s simple really – the more reliable your new boiler, the less money you will have to shell out on expensive repairs and engineer call out fees in the long term.

A good boiler is a huge investment and can make the difference and peace of mind between a warm home and hot shower or the often-significant inconvenience and very costly mistake.

 There is never really a convenient time for a boiler to breakdown and you to be without heating and hot water.

Which type of boiler should I choose?

There are three main types of gas condensing boiler to choose from:

a combi, system and conventional. 

• A combination boiler, commonly known as a combi boiler, heats water as you need it and eliminates the need for a storage tank therefore taking up much less space.
• A heat-only boiler, sometimes known as a conventional or regular boiler, means you will have a cold water cistern and or a cylinder where hot water can be stored for use on demand, usually these are in an airing cupboard and so take up more space
• A system boiler is just like a heat-only boiler, but more components are built in. This can make system boilers easier to install than conventional ones and they tend to take up less space overall but would still require a cylinder to store the hot water.

Combi boilers

If you live in a small home with only one bathroom, or live on your own or with only one other person, a standard combi boiler without a hot water cylinder will usually be the best choice. Provided you have sufficient water pressure and flow rate, manufacturers recommend usually around 1 bar pressure and at least 10 litres per minute flow rate, a good heating installer will check these at the time of surveying your job.

If you know it’s a combi boiler you need, take a look at the best combi boiler brands that are suitable for your home.

If your home is larger or there are several people living in it, then a heat-only or system boiler with a stored water cylinder is usually a better option.  Our qualified and experienced heating engineers will be able to talk you through the different types of boilers and make a recommendation for the best choice for you in your home. 

Heat-only boiler installation

Heat-only, or gravity-fed or regular boilers require a hot water cylinder, usually in an airing cupboard, plus a cold-water feed cistern typically found in the loft. The two tanks mean they’re most suitable for larger homes. Because the hot water they produce is stored in a cylinder, they can provide a large amount of hot water to many taps and or showers at the same time – ideal if you have a big family and or multiple bathrooms. 

System boiler installation

Commonly used in combination with an unvented hot water storage cylinder, unlike the gravity fed system, this system can offer high pressure and flow rate hot water to all your taps and showers in excess of what can be achieved from some of the biggest combi boilers on the market.

This system is more suited to larger properties who may have a family and or more than one bathroom and or a downstairs cloakroom, toilet and utility room.

Energy efficient boilers

A boilers efficiency rating is an indicator how much it’s going to cost to run. It can be a great way to compare new boilers and find out which model is likely to save you more on your energy bills.

Under the current ErP standards which came into force in September 2015, boiler manufacturers are required to label their products with an ErP rating from A+++ to G, G being the least efficient.

The issue with an ErP rating is that nearly all modern condensing boilers have an ErP rating of A which subsequently gives homeowners nothing to compare them to when looking at the most efficient models.

SEDBUK rating system however, assigns a percentage (usually around 70-92%) which represents how much energy is used vs how much is wasted when heating your home. for this reason, the SEDBUK efficiency rating would be the more accurate way of comparing differing efficiency boilers that are available on the current market.

Modern A-rated condensing boilers are available in all types of boilers including combis, conventional or regular and system boilers.