Consider where your energy bill stands during the winter months. Running hot water and heat can cause a steep increase in your energy bill. This can account for over half of your energy bills in a single year.
Maintaining low energy costs can be difficult for any home or business that uses heat and hot water on a regular basis. So how do you reduce your heating bill during the winter months and beyond?
Lowering your energy bill or heating bill comes down to one thing, boiler efficiency. Operating your heat and energy bill through an efficient boiler system can make your home both energy-efficient and low-cost while also cutting your home’s carbon footprint.
An inefficient boiler burns more fuel instead of that fuel contributing directly to hot water and heat for your home, so staying up-to-date and having a modern boiler installed in your home can make a big difference.
Over time, boilers can decline in efficiency and overall operation. Replacing your boiler every ten years or so is essential to maintain low energy costs in your home. There are several other ways to reduce your heating bills via an efficient boiler.
What is Boiler Efficiency?
Efficiency implies that something runs at its best. When it comes to how a boiler operates, efficiency correlates directly to how much of the fuel is turned into usable energy and how much fuel is wasted in the process.
The fuel wasted can be seen through the flue pipe of a boiler, i.e. the emissions. An inefficient boiler will emit more fuel, increasing your heating bill.
Older boilers operating at 60 to 70% waste 30% of the fuel being processed. Burning more fuel is considered environmentally unfriendly and costly both environmentally and financially, contributing to higher energy costs and climate change.
But how do you determine the efficiency of your boiler?
If your boiler is less than ten years old, chances are it is operating with an original efficiency of 84% or more. If it is 10 to 15 years old, the efficiency level is in the 80% to 85% range. A boiler more than 20 years old can operate with an efficiency lower than 70%, causing more fuel waste and extremely high energy bills.
Benefits of an Efficient Boiler
Replacing your old or broken boiler with a more efficient boiler can benefit you in multiple ways. Using less fuel than older models, an updated and efficient boiler will burn less fuel and convert more of that fuel into the energy you need to heat your home and water. This will keep your energy bills to a minimum.
Using less fuel and fuel contribution to the right places also means heating your home and water faster. This also means that the boiler will emit far less carbon into the atmosphere, reducing your home’s carbon footprint.
How to Make Your Boiler More Efficient
Keeping your boiler running efficiently and keeping your heating bills low means putting time and effort into maintaining the health of your boiler.
Annual Boiler Service
Extending the life of your boiler means having it serviced annually. This means hiring a skilled and certified Gas Safe (or OFTEC), Registered individual or business experienced in boiler maintenance to test your boiler and ensure it is running correctly. The type of installer or maintenance engineer you hire is dependent on the type of boiler you have (i.e. gas or oil).
Keep the Water Pressure Up
Running an efficient boiler means that you need to run the water pressure up. Low water pressure makes the boiler work harder to burn the fuel and uses more of it to heat your home and water.
If the water pressure is up to a good level, the boiler will use less fuel over time, meaning lower energy costs for you. You can check the pressure in your boiler on your own via a pressure gauge. For an efficient boiler, the pressure gauge should read somewhere between 1 and 2.
Water leaks can cause a steep drop in the water pressure. You can avoid this with annual maintenance and your own regular boiler water pressure checks.
Use an Updated Thermostat
Technology has come a long way, and keeping up-to-date with the latest technology in your home can actually save you a lot of money in the long run. At minimum, consider a Boiler plus compliant thermostat.
Consider updating your thermostat to contribute to your boiler’s efficiency. A smart thermostat, for example, will assist in controlling and monitoring your heating system differently.
Some modern systems allow you to monitor your thermostat (and the rest of your home, for that matter) with a phone app, even while outside of your home or off the property. You can also set the thermostat to adjust itself based on the weather changes as well.
Choose Simply ECO for Your Boiler Replacement and Maintenance Today
If you are looking to reduce your heating bills with an efficient boiler or are seeking tips on how to extend the life of your current boiler, look no further than Simply ECO Ltd.
Simply ECO Ltd. was established to assist people in fuel poverty to gain access to Carbon Saving and Energy Efficiency Measures. Being a Green Deal Approved Installer means through our panel of approved funders, we can assist consumers in fuel poverty to access government grants to carry out home energy efficiency improvements and carbon reduction measures.
With over 6000+ boilers installed since 2014, we are the largest installer of boilers in Birmingham and surrounding areas. Contact us to get started on reducing your heating bills today.
