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Energy Efficiency in Your Home
Introducing a new high efficiency condensing boiler with heating controls could save you at least £200 per year plus it will also significantly reduce your home's CO2 emissions – please note that domestic boilers account for around 60 per cent of all domestic CO2 emissions. The common problem for most households is when to invest into a new boiler and new controls. Well, the average quality boiler has a lifespan of around 15 years, an age when running costs and emissions are at there most damaging, both financially and environmentally. Upgrading or installing to a high efficiency boiler, solar solution or simply new controls will make a huge difference to your heating bills over time plus considerably reduce your domestic carbon footprint!
Find out more about high efficiency condensing boilers by going to the Energy Saving Trust website.
A high efficiency condensing boiler works on the principle of recovering as much as possible of the waste heat which is normally rejected to the atmosphere from the flue of a conventional (non-condensing) boiler. The best high efficiency condensing boilers convert more than 90% of their fuel into heat, compared to 78% for conventional types. This is accomplished by using a larger heat exchanger or sometimes two heat exchangers within the boiler which maximises heat transfer from the burner as well as recovering useful heat which would normally be lost with the flue gases. When in condensing mode (condensing boilers do not condense all the time) the flue gases give up their 'latent heat' which is then recovered by the heat exchanger within the boiler. As a result the temperature of the gases exiting the flue of a condensing boiler is typically 50-60°C compared with 120-180°C in a current non-condensing boiler. At the same time an amount of water or 'condensate' is produced. A condensing boiler will always have a better operating efficiency than a conventional non-condensing one due to its larger and more efficient heat exchanger.
Save a third on your heating bills by replacing your boiler.
Is your boiler energy efficient?
If it's 10-15 years old then it probably isn't. Replacing your old boiler with a new high efficiency condensing boiler can save you around a third on your heating bills straight away. Consider fitting a new high efficiency condensing boiler at the same time you're fitting a new kitchen or bathroom, it will minimise cost and disruption. By law new gas boilers fitted in England and Wales must now be high efficiency condensing boilers (with a few exceptions depending on suitability). High efficiency condensing boilers can be easily fitted to most new and old heating systems, ask your installer for more details.
And that's not all... If you install the right heating controls, you could save up to 40% on your fuel bill - that's about £190 - £240 off the average bill.
Did you know?
If everyone in the UK with gas central heating installed a high efficiency condensing boiler, we would save enough energy to heat 3.7 million homes for a year.
Boilers are rated according to their efficiency in converting fuel to heat as a percentage. This rating is called SEDBUK - Seasonal Efficiency of Domestic Boilers in the UK. SEDBUK ratings are from A to G, A-rated boilers being more than 90% efficient. Only A rated boilers - having efficiencies of over 90% carry the Energy Saving Recommended logo. Compare the efficiency of different boilers by reviwing the Boiler Efficiency Database.
Heating controls allow you to decide how your home is heated, making it warm when you want it but switching off when you don't.
A properly controlled system should have:
 A programmer
A room thermostat
A combined programmable room thermostat (instead of separate programmer and room thermostat)
A cylinder thermostat (if you have a hot water cylinder)
Thermostatic radiator valves (TRVs)
More advanced controls, such as boiler energy managers are also available. Knowing how to get the most out of your current heating controls will benefit you financially and help reduce energy wastage. Read on to find out about each of the different types of heating controls and what they do.
What is a programmer?
Programmers allow you to set 'On' and 'Off' time periods. Some models switch the central heating and domestic hot water on and off at the same time, while others allow the domestic hot water and heating to come on and go off at different times.
What is a room thermostat?
A room thermostat simply switches the heating system on and off as necessary. It works by sensing the air temperature, switching on the heating when the air temperature falls below the thermostat setting and switching it off once this set temperature has been reached.
If you are too warm, try reducing your thermostat by 1°C. This can cut up to 10% off heating bills and save energy.
What is a programmable room thermostat?
A programmable room thermostat lets you choose what times you want the heating to be on and what temperature it should reach while it is on. It will allow you to select different temperatures in your home at different times of the day and days of the week. This means you can save money and energy by not heating your home unnecessarily.
What is a cylinder thermostat?
A cylinder thermostat switches on and off the heat supply from the boiler to the hot-water cylinder. It works by sensing the temperature of the water inside the cylinder.
Control individual room temperatures with thermostatic radiator valves.
What is a thermostatic radiator valve (TRV)?
TRVs sense the air temperature around them and switch the radiator off and on accordingly. They help improve comfort in your home by allowing you to set different temperatures in different rooms. This also helps to save money and energy.
Please note: TRVs cannot turn off the boiler when the whole house is warm. To do that you will need a room thermostat as well. The radiator in the room with the room thermostat should not normally have a TRV but if it does, keep the TRV on the maximum setting and adjust the room thermostat as explained in the instructions.
To make sure you are doing all you can to ensure your heating controls are working efficiently, refer to the manufacturer's user guide for more advice.
* Caution - programmable thermostats, room thermostats and TRVs all need a free flow of air to sense the temperature. They must not be covered by curtains or blocked by furniture. Nearby electric fires, televisions, wall or table lamps may prevent them from working properly. There may also be grants and offers available to help you install a new boiler or heating controls.
Click here to see Savings assumptions as described by the Energy Saving Trust
Heating assumptions
The costs and paybacks shown are approximate, are provided for illustrative purposes only and are based on a gas heated semi-detached house with 3 bedrooms. Heating control costs assume the additional cost for installation when an installer is at the premises already working on the heating system. Savings for condensing boilers assume that their installation is mandatory due to building regulations and hence there is no additional cost when compared with a non condensing equivalent. Savings assume a gas price of 2.57p/kWh.
Condensing boiler costs/payback- see p38 of CE101, download the document here
Installation of a Condensing boiler can save you £100 - £120 per year with a 810kg per year saving of CO2 emissions
Upgrading your heating controls can save you £60 - £70 per year with a 490kg per year saving of CO2 emissions
Here are some simple measures you can do right now to save on your energy consumption:
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- Turn your thermostat down. Reducing your room temperature by 1°C could cut your heating bills by up to 10 percent. You could save around £40 per year.
- Is your water too hot? Your cylinder thermostat shouldn't need to be set higher than 60°C/140°F.
- Close your curtains at dusk to stop heat escaping through the windows.
- Always turn off the lights when you leave a room.
- Don't leave appliances on standby and remember not to leave appliances on charge unnecessarily.
- If you're not filling up the washing machine, tumble dryer or dishwasher, use the half-load or economy programme.
- Only boil as much water as you need (but remember to cover the elements if you're using an electric kettle).
- A dripping hot water tap wastes energy and in one week wastes enough hot water to fill half a bath, so fix leaking taps and make sure they're fully turned off!
- Use energy saving light bulbs. Just one can save you £100 over the lifetime of the bulb - and they last up to 12 times longer than ordinary lightbulbs.
- Do a home energy check. Just answer some simple questions about your home and we'll give you a free, impartial report telling you how you can save up to £300 a year on your house hold energy bills
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