How much can you save with energy efficient boilers?

Boilers account for around 60% of all domestic CO2 emissions according to the Energy Saving Trust.

So it's no surprise that one of the most effective ways of reducing your energy bills is to replace an old or inefficient boiler, generally those over 15 years old. All modern boiler systems are designed to be energy efficient and need less fuel to run with the most efficient condensing boilers using 30% less.

Installing a new boiler is expensive but the savings you could make through lower heating bills can help you recover the cost within 3-5 years and the savings would continue long after. Even so, there may be grants available in your area to help you with the cost of purchase and installation.

Save up to 30% with an energy efficient boiler?

Using a high efficiency condensing boiler with heating controls could save you between €100 and €200 a year or around one third of your heating bills straight away. If you install the right heating controls, you could save up to 30% off your bills.

As the average lifespan of a boiler is 10-15 years, choosing the right heating system with a high efficiency condensing boiler and correct heating controls can make a siginificant difference to your heating bills long after they're paid for.

What is a high efficiency condensing boiler?
Modern high efficiency condensing boilers convert over 88% of their fuel into heat compared to 78% for conventional boilers.

A high efficiency condensing boiler works by retaining as much of the waste heat as possible which is normally lost into the atmosphere from the flue of a conventional boiler system.

These efficiencies are achieved by using an extra large heat exchanger or two heat exchangers on some models which maximises the heat transfered from the burner whilst recovering heat which would normally be lost with the flue gases. A condensing boiler will always be more efficient than a conventional model due to its efficient heat exchanger system.

You should also check that the installer is an approved member of either RGII for gas appliances, or OFTEC for oil fired appliances. 

Look out for the Energy Saving Recommended logo and bear in mind that boilers are rated according to how much of the fuel they consume is converted to heat, as a percentage. This rating is called SEDBUK or Seasonal Efficiency of Domestic Boilers in the UK. These ratings are from A to G with A-rated boilers being more than 90% efficient. Only A rated boilers carry the energy saving recommended logo. You can compare the efficiency of different boilers at www.boilers.org.uk.