Combi boilers are the most popular type of domestic boiler in the UK, and it is easy to take a glimpse into why: compact, efficient, and instant heating and hot water without reserve. But are they suitable for every home? With all their wonders, combi boilers do not provide the answer for everyone. Which kind of boiler you need depends upon how big your home is and the amount of hot water used.
You might be entitled to a brand-new, efficient combi boiler – with zero cost – under the Free Boiler Scheme. The scheme helps lower-income households replace older, less efficient boilers with recommended combi boilers – all completely free. Read on to see whether a combi boiler is right for your house.
What is a Combi Boiler?
A combination boiler – or combi boiler for short – is a modern and compact heating system. In this device, two different jobs are combined: the supply of hot water to your taps and the heating of your home by radiators. It functions quite differently from the older systems in that there is no need for a separate water tank or storage cylinder for its operation, hence taking up less space.
How does it do this? A combi boiler heats water directly from the mains supply whenever you need it to. Turn on the tap, voilà – instant hot water with no waiting for a tank to refill or heat up. This makes it especially popular, particularly in homes where space is tight, like city flats or smaller houses.
Apart from convenience, combi boilers have the added advantage of ensuring energy efficiency. Since you only heat water on demand, you are not wasting energy in maintaining a full tank of water at warm temperatures. No wonder they are one of the most widely used types of boilers in the UK; after all, they offer excellent heating-per-pound value.
How Does a Combi Boiler Work?
Combi boilers heat up cold, mains-supplied water with the use of a heat exchanger. Turn on either the tap or your heating, and instantly, the boiler springs into action.
Here is a basic breakdown:
For Hot Water:
- The boiler will heat the water as it flows when you turn a hot tap on.
- This means instant hot water for showers or washing up, with no requirement for a storage tank.
For Central Heating:
- It circulates the hot water via the boiler through your radiators, keeping your house nice and warm.
- It uses a separate heat exchanger, which would keep the water that is circulating in your radiators and that from the clean water coming through your taps.
A combination boiler is efficient since it only heats what’s needed when needed. However, combi boilers do prioritise hot water: if you run a bath, for example, your radiators might cool down slightly until the tap is turned off.
Are Combi Boilers Suitable for All Types of Homes?
Combi boilers do a great job for most houses, mainly the smaller ones or those that have just one bathroom. They compactly unify efficiency in space-saving by removing the need for yet another separate water tank.
In normal instances, combi boilers would suit flat apartments, bungalows, or home places where one does not record or show a high demand for hot running water at the same time. This also applies to most homes with good mains water pressure, which the combi boiler relies on when needed for better performance.
Nevertheless, a combi boiler is not for every household. For instance, if you have a larger property – a bigger house or something similar – with more than one bathroom, a combi may not be able to meet the demands for hot water. For such, it would be best to get a system boiler that can then meet the higher demand.
Homes Best Suited for Combi Boilers
Combi boilers work best when installed in small properties: a flat, bungalow, or a house with one bathroom. Their compact design makes them ideal for homes where a conventional water storage tank would be a waste of storage space. They also work out quite well in families that don’t use many taps or showers simultaneously.
For instance, if you’re the lucky owner of that two-bedroom terraced house in Manchester or that cosy flat in London, this combi boiler will adequately supply all heating and hot water needs while keeping bills balanced.
Which Homes Are Not Suitable for Combi Boilers?
Combi boilers are probably not the best option for larger homes that have more bathrooms. This is because these heating systems might not be able to supply enough quantities of hot water in case several faucets and showers operate simultaneously. If your house has very high demands for hot water, then you may want to consider a system boiler instead.
Moreover, if your house has low mains water pressure, a combi boiler can’t scale up the capacity for maintaining a steady flow of water. You can fix a pump to increase the pressure, but it increases extra cost and complication.
What Should You Consider When Choosing a Combi Boiler?
When selecting the best combination boiler for your home, there are several important factors to consider:
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Home Size
The size of your property will dictate what output rating is required in kW. For example, homes with as many as ten radiators will benefit from a 24-27 kW output from the likes of a Worcester Bosch combi boiler and a Baxi combi boiler, while larger homes will require 35-42 kW.
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Type of Fuel
Combi boilers operate using natural gas, LPG, or electricity. You will need to decide which type of fuel is available for your home and from where you can get it. Each type of fuel in these systems has various running costs associated with their benefits.
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Brand
You get reliability and good customer service, which comes along with reputable brands. Most of the popular brands, including but not limited to Worcester Bosch combi boilers and Baxi combi boilers, enjoy a good reputation in regard to quality and performance.
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Efficiency Rating
Get an A-rated combi boiler for the best energy savings. New combi boilers have a condensing technology that attains an efficiency of over 92%. You waste just 8p out of every £1 spent. But this compares with much bigger losses of 20-30p or more from older boilers.
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Warranty
A longer warranty will give you added peace of mind. Make sure to select a combi boiler with a good warranty so that you are covered in case of repairs or other issues down the road.
New Combi Boiler Cost
The prices for new combi boilers in the UK may vary from £500 to £3,500, depending on various determining factors:
- Brand: Brands like Worcester Bosch and Vaillant charge differently based on their recognised quality and reputation.
- Model: While the budget models, like the Ideal combi boiler, are rather cheap, high-quality models with sophisticated editions, such as the Vaillant combi boiler, are much more expensive.
- Fuel Type: Boilers running off of gas, oil, and electricity – all these factors affect the cost.
- Output Rating: Larger boilers, those designed to heat larger homes, naturally are higher-priced.
You might want to add in the installation cost and come out with totals ranging from about £1,600 to £3,500. The price will, therefore, depend on both the labour costs in your area – most centre cities tend to be higher – and on how complicated it becomes to replace your old boiler.
You Can Get a Free Combi Boiler with the Free Boiler Grant
If you think the price for a new combi boiler is too high, there’s something to cheer you up. The ECO4 Scheme can provide a free combi boiler, provided you are eligible to get it. The ECO4 scheme is one of the government-backed schemes that ensures that low-income houses have energy-efficient heating. Thanks to this grant, the price of a new boiler won’t stand in the way of benefiting from its many advantages anymore.
The Bottom Line
Now you know everything there is to know about combi boilers, from how they work to their costs and suitability for UK homes. While they might not have been perfect for each and every property, generally the bigger ones with more than one bathroom, they still remain the first choice of most due to their efficiency and space-saving design.
If you’re thinking of upgrading, some of the recommended combi boilers include well-trusted brands: find Worcester Bosch and Vaillant. And with the ECO4 scheme, of course, you might be able to get one free. This is a good way to enjoy efficient heating at no cost!
