After much deliberation about which heating system to install in your house, you finally decide to go with a gas boiler. You have probably investigated various options and decided that gas would be the most economical because the gas itself is clean, cheap to buy and the perfect choice for getting you through those cold winter nights. Aside from the effectiveness of running a modern, high efficiency gas boiler, there were probably many more important factors to be considered before making your gas boiler purchasing decision.

One important factor, and probably the main reason why you would decide on a gas boiler, is the fact that the unit itself is so cost-effective. Coal fired boilers, for example, are significantly more expensive to run, can be dirty to handle and need storage for fuel reserves. There are also the environmental hazards to consider. Burning up any fossil fuel can have a negative impact on the world around us and contribute to global warming and coal can be one of the worst offenders. With gas you can be green and eco-friendly. At least there are a number of highly efficient options available and it won’t leave a serious dent in your pocket or have major adverse effects on the environment.

Some gas boilers are more difficult to integrate into a heating system than others, so you probably considered how easy it will be to install from the outset. If you are replacing an old boiler then it should be fairly simple and straightforward. However, any new unit must be compatible with your existing system and be capable of producing the appropriate amount of heat. You therefore probably thought it would be a good idea to get your house professionally assessed and the boiler output properly calculated to avoid any expensive mistakes. Gas boilers need to be fitted professionally and maintained correctly to meet government regulations so you will have researched and found a reliable CORGI registered fitter.

Your location, type of accommodation, availability of services and space will have been factors in determining the best spot to fit your gas boiler, either inside or outside your home. The size of the boiler can also play a part here, as well as the need for floor standing, wall mounted or compact models. And, of course, it goes without saying that you will have checked to make sure your home has a ready supply of gas! There are still a few unfortunate remote rural locations in the UK that have no prospect of connecting to the gas mains.

If you were diligent enough to keep all these factors in mind you will be well on your way to a warm and happy winter. If you still haven’t decided, you can find out more about selecting a gas boiler by visiting our boiler section where you can read detailed reviews of all the best gas boilers in the market. You can also get advice on buying and maintaining an efficient heating system as well as hints and tips on saving money and saving the environment.

 Guest Article by Max Rickman

If you have made the smart choice of buying a new gas boiler for your home heating system, then you are already ten steps ahead of the game. The positive decision you’ve made will not only save on your home heating costs but also significantly reduce your household’s carbon footprint for years to come. For the rest of us, there is no better time than now to consider upgrading to a newer, greener, high-efficiency unit. A new boiler can pay for itself very quickly and the fact that gas boilers are so popular has caused manufacturers to come up with new and innovative ways to meet your heating needs whilst being much kinder to the environment. With this in mind it is probably a good idea to at least check out what is available out there, what it will cost, and how easy it will be to install and maintain.

All of these aspects are important when making a decision and will enable you to get the best combination of features and price. Some people might say that it’s just a heating system; you buy it, install it and off you go. However, more often than not there are extra features that you should look out for that add to the whole heating experience. Things like the efficiency of the boiler; how much fuel does it use to keep your house at the required temperature and what other hidden costs could impact your ongoing running expenses. How easy is it going to be to install your gas boiler? How reliable will it be? Are you going to be able get it fitted and hooked up to the heating system yourself or will you have to spend extra money and hire an engineer to do it for you?

Another important point to consider would be the emissions from the boiler. Some of them will have significantly higher emissions than others. This should definitely affect your decision, depending on how “green” you would like your household to be. If space is a problem then you’ll have to consider the dimensions of the boiler. Luckily some of them will even fit discretely in a kitchen cupboard. The size will also play a part in the installation as well, simply because smaller boilers can be easier to handle, especially if you decide to mount it on a wall somewhere. The last thing to consider, and most probably the deciding factor for many, would be the cost of the boiler itself. Once you have gone through the different features and decided which are right for your particular circumstances, you will want to compare the various brands to see which one will give you best value for your money.

The bottom line is that you may be able to find something made by one manufacturer that does not have the same capabilities as another. You might find that a particular brand can offer you the same output as another but it will be a smaller model, saving you money and space. If you keep all this in mind while deciding what to buy, you won’t go wrong when it comes to making your final purchase.

Well, how best to go about doing such a comparison? If you had to do the reviews all by yourself then it would be a long, complicated and tedious process indeed. Just collecting the information is a challenge in itself. Moreover, few of us have the experience and expertise to decifer all the technical details and make informed judgements without a little expert help. Fortunately, there is an easy way out. All you need to do is visit the review section of Gasboiler-buyability.co.uk where you’ll find detailed comparisons of all the top-rated gas boilers in the market. What’s more, you can even find out how to get an assessment of your central heating system by a CORGI registered professional totally free of charge and with no obligation to purchase. That first step to cheaper heating costs and a greener household has just got a whole lot easier!
 

Guest Article by Max Rickman

If you happen to be a summer baby and prefer to stay warm all year round, then you are going to need some form of heating in your home during the cold winter months. For most UK residents, central heating is not a luxury, it’s essential. Whatever your home heating requirements happen to be, you need to consider whether your system is capable of getting you through the coldest winter weather!

Fortunately, there are lots of central heating solutions available to suit every home heating situation and every pocket. Cost is usually one of the most important considerations and if you fail to budget carefully you could easily end up spending a lot more than you bargained for.

Consider the most popular choices currently available, namely, water-heated systems, under-floor heating or central air systems. All these heating systems can now be ordered from the comfort of your own home, and if you have the will, the expertise and the patience, you can even consider doing the installation yourself.

Firstly, let’s consider a central heating solution based upon an air-conditioning system. Most of these systems require complicated installation of circulation ducting around the house to help ensure the even distribution of heat. Some allow the control of temperature for individual rooms throughout the house, but not all. The great thing about central air-conditioning is that it will provide cooling in summer months as well as heating in winter so you can maintain comfortable temperatures all year round.

Under-floor heating systems are a popular choice with some households because they are so unobtrusive. Special elements are installed to heat the room up from underneath the floor. The temperature for each room can be controlled individually and you can also choose to restrict the number of rooms heated if you have a tight budget to consider. This can be a cost effective and efficient way to heat your home and will definitely be popular with your family pet as they will be warm wherever they are in the room!

The UK’s most popular central heating choice is a network of radiators linked to a water heating system. These are designed to pump warm water throughout your house by a circuit of copper piping and radiators to provide your entire home with heat and hot water. Modern central heating systems often feature ‘combination’ or ‘condensing’ gas boilers and these provide some of the most efficient and environmentally friendly solutions for home heating. They are also easy to install, easy to use and largely maintenance free. Other boiler options include oil burning, solid fuel burning and electric powered boilers.

Finally, one important factor to consider when choosing which heating system to install is how cost-effective and energy efficient it will be to run. Systems that run on electricity can be very expensive indeed, especially if you intend to run them continuously. Oil and coal fired systems can be similarly costly and sometimes subject to wild price fluctuations. Wood burning boilers can be cost-effective if you have ready access to a cheap supply of fuel but this can be difficult for town and city dwellers. Gas is not only the all round best value, it’s readily available to all but the most remote of households and incredibly energy efficient. For further information about gas boilers and detailed reviews, visit the boiler review section of this site.
 

Guest Article by Max Rickman

Replacement boilers are often quite expensive and so it is vital that you choose the correct model to suit you and your home first time. As well as being the right price, your new boiler should also meet a number of other criteria. So for example:

• All new boilers have to have an efficiency rating of either A or B. Those with an A rating tend to cost slightly more however they will save money on the heating and hot water bills in the long run.
• Your new boiler should be as easy to install as possible so there is little or no disruption to your house or daily life. Choosing a boiler that has to go on a different wall or in a different room to your current boiler can cause problems, especially with regards to the flue. Easy to install boilers are often easy to maintain and service as well which means less hassle during its annual check-up.
• You should also be able to work your new boiler without having a degree in engineering. Simple controls and easy to program timers are a standard feature on many new model boilers however some still have more complex systems that may need a bit of working out.
• It is important that you choose a boiler with the correct power output for the size of your home. Fitting a high powered boiler in a one bedroom flat is going to result in a large waste of energy and on the other hand, fitting a low or medium powered boiler in a large (3-4 bedroom) house with more than one bathroom might result in low flow rates when several water outputs are being used at the same time.
• Most new boiler models have low CO₂ and NO_{x ­}emissions which mean they are better for the environment. Some are lower than others though and it might be worth taking this into consideration along with the energy efficiency rating.
• Storage space is a premium in most family homes and by choosing a combination boiler rather than a regular or system boiler you can do away with the hot water tank in the loft or the airing cupboard. Combination boilers are recommended by most gas engineers today because of their efficiency and also because they need a lot less space in the house.

So as you can see there are quite a few factors to look at and research before buying a new or replacement boiler. Taking a little time to assess the features of different boilers can save you a lot of time and trouble when having it fitted and a fair bit of money on future heating and hot water bills – which is surely a bonus in anybody’s book.  

Guest Article by Clare Lynock