Boiler manufacturers Worcester Bosch are one of many manufacturers getting steamed up over a disagreement about boiler energy efficiencies.

Worcester Bosch, like the rest of the UK’s heating industry, have been angered by plans drawn up by the European Commission to instil vigorous new targets on particular boilers. The Commission believes that every boiler up to 70kW must conform to a seasonal energy efficiency target of 75 percent; a target that will be in place by January 2013.

In calculating this target, the Commission used the Ecoboiler interim model, which has been designed to give some power to the Commission’s drive for the design and manufacture of energy efficient boilers. There have been problems already, however. In laboratory testing, best-in-class oil-fired condensing boilers struggled to meet the 75 per cent target in minimum seasonal efficiency levels.

“As it stands, the Ecoboiler model would, overnight, make all of the highly efficient oil-fired condensing boilers, currently available in the UK, obsolete,” says Martyn Bridges, director of the marketing and technical support at Worcester Bosch Group, “In order to comply with the Directive, as it stands, manufacturers would have to fast-track R&D and make significant extra investment which would only increase costs for installers and householders”.

In response to the Commission’s planned demands, the European Heating Industry (EHI) has come up with its own set of ideas. The EHI have suggested an initial boiler-only approach; after this other heating types are added, for example boiler management systems and solar.

Using this approach, the 75 percent target can be achieved and even surpassed, as it combines boiler and room temperature controls.

Martyn Bridges adds: “In effect, there is a stand-off at the moment between the Commission and manufacturers. We, as manufacturers, believe it is possible to deliver the boiler efficiency that the Commission wants but via a different approach.
Boiler management controls can do the job, but until we get a decision on the acceptability of the proposed EHI model, we remain in limbo.”
It is the disagreement over which of these models should be used that has left Worcester Bosch and others in the heating industry waiting and wondering.

Guest Article by Neil Camp

Energy giant is offering three thousand large for Britain’s oldest boiler.

The hometeam at nPower is offering the prize of £3,000 for Britain’s oldest boiler after its engineers discovered numerous ‘antique’ systems during the previous Government’s hugely successful boiler scrappage scheme.

The owner of Britain’s oldest boiler will get the £3,000 as payment towards the cost and installation of a brand new boiler; one that carries the latest “A” rate.

The inspired nPower hometeam are determined to find Britain’s oldest boiler and have started a nationwide hunt.

The head of sales for nPower hometeam, Richard Cotton, said:
“If your boiler is particularly old – perhaps the same age as your grown-up children, or has been in the house longer than you have been married – you could be the owner of Britain’s oldest boiler.”

Although nPower is on the lookout for Britain’s oldest boiler and the scrappage scheme has disappeared, the energy provider is still providing grants – up to the value of £400 for people who qualify under the old scheme criteria – to replace old boilers. The £400 grant represents almost a third of the cost of a typical boiler installation.

nPower understands all too well that there can only be one winner of its Britain’s oldest boiler scheme, but that should not stop people who still have old boilers – “G”, “X”, or unrated – from getting them replaced as a priority.

So householders would do well to check their heating devices, just in case they might quality for the accolade of owning Britain’s oldest boiler and being able to claim £3,000 towards the cost of a new one.

And the likely replacement for Britain’s oldest boiler is a condensing “A” rated boiler; one which is termed ‘high efficiency’ because of its ability to exploit the heat not only from the combustion process, but also the exhaust process. Indeed, building regulations now stipulate that all boiler replacements should, if possible, be “A” rated as regards the SEDBUK tables.

So get down into the cellar now and see if you own Britain’s oldest boiler.

Guest Article by Neil Camp

Two new developments in Bury St Edmunds have, by using a comprehensive Baxi heating and hot water solution, secured Code for Sustainable Homes Level 3 rating.

The Baxi Group heating and hot water solution features renewable solar thermal technology.

The developments belong to the Havebury Housing Partnership and were completed last December. The first, known as Out Westgate, is a £3.7 million development of 30 new affordable dwellings on a brownfield site.

The other development – 26/26a Bloomfield Street – is made up of two ground and first floor flats. They were built for people with learning difficulties.

Both developments have been equipped with Baxi SolarfloT in-roof panels, together with a Santon Premier Plus Solar twin coil, hot water cylinders and a Potterton Promax SL heat only boiler.

This comprehensive Baxi approach is all about providing a low carbon footprint for the two developments. Indeed, Baxi claims that the system generates enough solar power to heat up to 100% of each property’s hot water in the summer and approximately 55% over the year.

James Mann, Architectural Services Manager at Havebury Housing Partnership, said:
“The Baxi SolarfloT panels have proved instrumental in achieving our Code Level 3 goal. They are easy to fit and link up well with the Santon storage cylinders and Potterton boilers to provide a complete system.

“They are also excellent for the environment and, of course, our tenants who can now look forward to substantially reduced heating bills. I’d recommend the Baxi Group approach to any housing association keen to access a single, efficient solution from one supplier which will cut the carbon emissions from their housing stock.”

The Baxi SolarfloT panels absorb heat from the sun which is transferred to a thermal fluid. This fluid then circulates to a solar coil in the base of the Santon hot water cylinder. The water then absorbs the heat and the fluid re-circulates back to the panels.

The boilers, which are used to provide the central heating and additional hot water, are Potterton Promax SLs and are fully modulating according to heat demand to ensure maximum energy efficiency. The Potterton Promax SL is a slim-line boiler which is rated ‘A’ in the SEDBUK scheme. It has a choice of five different outputs.

Guest Article by Neil Camp

Modern day heating boilers are quite sophisticated devices and their optimum performance can often depend on the installed controls and their settings.

In order to appreciate the importance of controls and help people understand how they work and their role in the life of an efficient boiler, the Worcester Bosch Group, makers of some of the country’s leading gas and oil boilers, has developed a special part of its website to devote to the various buttons and read-outs.

Each featured control has its own page and as well as a straightforward summary, there is a demonstration video to support all the facts, figures and diagrams. What’s more, there is also a section so that Worcester customers can look for old controls that might be fitted on their boiler – but are no longer for sale – and find useful information on their operation and current effectiveness.

Martyn Bridges, Worcester’s director of marketing and technical support, said:
“Although most manufacturers have controls information available online, we have decided to go much further with our new controls section.

“Heating controls are becoming an increasingly important element of the heating system and the right controls are vital to ensuring the homeowner can get the most out of their heating system. Our new area on the website will help both the homeowner and the installer; it will be a valuable tool that we expect to be very popular.

“Each set of controls has its own guide and is split into one of three groups: basic timers, digital controls and new generation controls. We also explain the difference between timers, thermostats, programmers and programmable thermostats.”

This is also a useful service for heating engineers who need information on installation and proper working perimeters of key boiler controls.

The Worcester Bosch group has one of the largest ranges of boilers available in the UK.

Guest Article by Neil Camp

If you are thinking of getting a new hot water boiler, you should look at installing a combination boiler. It will take up around the same space, if not slightly less, than your old boiler and you will save money and the environment by making the change.

How does the combi boiler work?  

Why does a combi boiler benefit me?  

Looking for a new combi boiler? Compare boilers using our comparison table.

Guest Article by Louise Goldstein