When asking yourself how do I know if my boiler is inefficient, there is an easy way to find the answer.

Now, lets assume your boiler is happily chirping away and the heating seems to work okay and there seems plenty of hot water. Your house is well insulated, but the bills, well the bills just keep going on up.

Now, all fuel bills have risen throughout 2008 as oil, gas and electricity became extremely valuable commodities. Oil has bounced back down again, but gas and electricity still remain expensive, and who knows what will happen next? The gas companies have signalled price falls in the year, but with the former Soviets playing Russian roulette with the Ukrainians and switching off some European gas, who knows? And as electricity is still generated mainly by burning expensive to acquire fossil fuels, there may not be any significant price drops there.

But one thing is for sure: we are all at the mercy of the power suppliers and the best thing to do, is to ensure that you try and save as much power as possible.

So, taking a quick look at your boiler and guessing how it’s doing, is not really going to work.

Rather, the best thing to ask yourself is, is your boiler a condensing boiler? If it is, then you most probably have about as efficient a boiler as you are going to get. And as long as it’s working properly and is serviced once a year (very important that), then you don’t have much to worry about.

You see a condensing boiler is the most efficient around. At 90% efficiency, it puts older and more conventional boilers in the shade, as some older models can struggle to achieve more than 60%.

The reason why a condensing boiler is so efficient, is that it effectively has two grabs at the available energy provided by the burning of the fuel source. So, the boiler heats the water from the energy produced from the burning fuel and from the energy in the exhaust gases, which can add an extra 20 to 30% efficiency.

And everyone is so keen on these boilers as a way of bringing down the costs of heating and saving the planet with less CO2 emissions, that they are now a part of the Building Regulations. So if a new house is built, or you have a boiler replaced, it should be of the condensing type. There are a few exceptions (mainly to do with the type of property you live in), but it’s now the law.

The only downside with the condensing boiler is that they are more expensive. They have for example two heat exchangers instead of one and they require a fan in the flue (as the second heat process has changed the flow dynamics and a fan is needed to help withdraw the exhaust gases).

The flue also has to be on an outside wall, because a drain system has to be installed to rid the flue of fluid that is created with the second burning process. This is the reason why some properties can’t have condensing boilers. Certain properties cannot have a boiler and flue on an outside wall, so they have to be fitted with a conventional boiler.

So there you have it. Take a look at what type of boiler you have. If it’s not a condensing boiler, then think about getting one, as it will help save you money in the long run.

Guest Article by Neil Camp

An efficient central heating system is essential to keep any home warm throughout those bitterly cold winters in the UK. Over recent years, heating systems have evolved dramatically and there’s now a bewildering array of options to choose from when it comes to keeping our families warm. Many people love to have a blazing fire going in the living room hearth as a focal point and it’s usually not a problem to toss a log or two in before you go to bed just to keep some warmth going through the night. However, if you like to keep constant warmth flowing throughout the whole house, you’ll almost certainly need a central heating system too.

Most modern heating systems run on electricity, gas or oil, or burn a fuel of some sort. Systems that run off electricity can heat your home very effectively and will allow for a good, even distribution of heat throughout the whole house. Unfortunately, they can be expensive to install and running costs can send your electricity bills through the roof.

The cheaper options are usually the ones that burn fuel directly and, again, there are a number of options with the main ones being coal, oil or gas. Coal and oil based systems can be as efficient as gas at heating homes evenly but they are generally believed to be less environmentally friendly. Coal, in particular, can give off a serious amount of carbon monoxide and is therefore restricted in some regions to reduce its effect on global warming.

High-efficiency gas boilers can not only provide good, all-round even heating throughout the house, they are also clean and relatively inexpensive to install and run. What’s more, modern condensing gas boilers are very efficient at burning fuel and then re-using any waste heat so that carbon emissions are kept to an absolute minimum, making it a more ‘eco-friendly’ option to go for. It is therefore no surprise to learn that around 85% of UK households have already got the message and chosen gas as their main heating fuel.

Although it is commendable that so many homes are already enjoying the value and convenience of gas central heating, it is a concern to note that so many households are running old, inefficient and environmentally unfriendly boilers that simply don’t match the performance of modern ones. In fact, boiler manufacturers believe that savings in running costs of up to 40% can be made by many householders just by replacing any boiler over 10 years old. The government is also so convinced of these fuel and power benefits that, since April 2005, it has made it a requirement in Building Regulations that all new and replacement gas boilers should be ‘condensing’.

If you don’t already have a modern condensing boiler at the heart of your own central heating system, then perhaps now is as good a time as any to start seriously thinking about it. One of the best places to start is the boiler review section of this site where you can find detailed reviews of all the very best British gas boilers as well as lots of free help and advice. This could save you hours of searching the internet, save you lots of money, help save the planet and help you to get rid of the ‘old boiler’ in your life once and for all.

Guest Article by Max Rickman