Old Boilers
2nd February 2010
With the UK experiencing one of the most severe winters of the last 50 years many household boilers have been in constant use for extended periods of time – yet, even in a mild winter, heating our homes and hot water is the biggest monthly energy cost for homeowners. But the majority of homes in the UK still have ‘F-rated’ boilers – on average these convert around 72% of the fuel they use into useful heat. Older ‘G-rated’ boilers – those that now qualify under the Government’s scrappage scheme – are worse performers, with typically 60% efficiency. By contrast a modern ‘A-rated’ condensing boiler converts around 90% of fuel into useful heat.
With average household energy bills now well over £1,000 a year, most homeowners will save at least one-fifth on their gas or oil bills simply by upgrading to a new condensing boiler.
It’s not just money in your pocket at stake – old gas boilers are one of the biggest causes of carbon monoxide poisoning in homes and around 50 people in the UK still needlessly die every year from preventable carbon monoxide poisoning caused by defective fuel burning appliances.
Another benefit of ditching your old boiler and replacing it with a new one is that you will be playing your part in helping the environment by keeping your home’s carbon footprint down as modern boilers produce far less carbon dioxide.
If you do have a ‘G-rated’ boiler now is the time to take advantage of the government’s recently launched boiler scrappage scheme, which means you can apply for a voucher that will entitle you to £400 off the price of a new, modern ‘A-rated’ boiler or a renewable heating system like a biomass boiler or a heat pump.
The Heating Helpline provides essential information on where homeowners can find local, reputable installers, how to employ them, how to get the best from them and what to do in the unlikely event that things do go wrong. On the website homeowners can put in their postcode and it will produce a list of reputable, Gas Safe Registered installers in their chosen area.
