As winter is upon us, Worcester is one of a number of boiler manufacturers who are offering advice on how to save money.

Worcester is part of the Worcester, Bosch Group and is a manufacturer of a wide range of gas boilers, oil-fired boilers and LPG boilers. In it’s combi boiler product range alone it has ten different models, all with a SEEBUK A rating of plus 90%.

Top of the five main tips from Worcester to help reduce home heating bills is lower your room thermostat to the lowest comfortable temperature. Bear in mind that by turning your thermostat down by just one degree, means you can cut fuel bills by around 10%.

Second tip is to remember that a number of key small measures, can collectively make a significant difference. Such moves as fitting low-energy light bulbs, washing clothes at low temperatures and turning appliances off rather, than leaving them on standby, are easy ways to reduce the amount of wasted home energy.

Tip three is don’t forget solar panels which don’t just need sunny weather to work. They are effective even in cloudy skies and provide useable energy; they can supply up to 60% of your annual hot water. Installation is not cheap, but starting at around £3,000, it needn’t break the bank and some homeowners could also receive a £400 government grant towards the cost.

Fourth tip is a new boiler. Much of course depends on the current boiler’s age and efficiency, but older models are simply not as efficient as more modern examples; a replacement condensing boiler can reduce a home’s carbon dioxide emissions by 15-30%.

It’s sobering to think that if everyone in the UK had a condensing boiler, the country’s annual carbon dioxide emissions would be reduced by 17.5 million tonnes. This would result in a saving of £1.3 billion on energy bills every year.

Last tip concerns the installation of heat pumps. A ground source heat pump, or an air source heat pump, can be used to harness the energy stored in the ground, or air, and meet a home’s heating and hot water needs. Heat pumps dramatically reduce fuel bills.

Government grants are available for the installation of such technology and costs vary from £1,500 to £2,000 for air to air systems, and between £7,000 and £12,000 for air to water.

Martyn Bridges, director of technical support at Worcester, Bosch Group said:
“Every year, millions of pounds worth of energy is needlessly wasted in our homes. With everyone watching their pennies more than ever, it has never been a better time to think about your home’s heating and hot water provision.

“Around 20% of the UK’s carbon dioxide emissions come from domestic heating systems. Householders can reduce these emissions and therefore fuel bills in a variety of ways, from small money saving measures to investing in renewable technologies.

“According to the Energy Saving Trust, each year every household in the UK creates six tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions. At Worcester, we are committed to developing environmentally friendly domestic heating systems designed to reduce the amount of energy that is wasted in the home, therefore minimising our impact on the environment.”

Guest Article by Neil Camp 

At this time of year, with the clocks going back, the days shortening and thoughts of next year’s summer way off, most boiler companies are asking their customers to ensure that the clocks on their devices have gone to the correct time.

Most modern day combination condensing boilers come complete with automatic clocks that, like computers, are pre-programmed to adjust to Greenwich Mean Time and British Summer Time changes.

Boiler manufacturer Worcester is just one that reminds customers to make sure the change has happened correctly, although it points out that most of its models do so of their own accord.

These Worcester boilers have controls for example that automatically adjust to GMT/BST:

• DT20 twin channel digital programmer
• DT20RF digital RF thermostat with twin channel programmer
• TD200 text display
• FW100 weather compensation controller
• FW110 programmable room thermostat.

But even if you think that your boiler is clever enough to stay ahead of the game, now is a good time to check the controls and look again at the timings that will get you through the winter period. And its been well researched that clocks and timing devices that are incorrectly set for the various seasons, can add a considerable amount to a householder’s energy bills.

Make sure that your heating and hot water comes on at the correct times to maximise that expensive energy you are generating.

And while you’re doing that, also give your system the once over as it prepares to cope with the demands of water. Check that the pilot light is burning correctly, that there are no stains around the boiler and that there are no leaks. Do this, but always bear in mind that you can’t do any DIY repairs on your own boiler – it is against the law. Only gas engineers on the Gas Safe Register are allowed to work on boilers so, if you think you have a problem, call one of them. Remember, never play around with you’re a boiler. Adjust the controls certainly, but never think you can service it yourself, or make repairs.

Also, give your system the once over, feeling for cold spots in radiators, muck stuck in water tanks, or any leaks you can see in the piping. Always remember that a central heating system will likely fail on the coldest day, on a Sunday (or it always seems that way), so make sure you check it out.

Guest Article by Neil Camp

Worcester has announced a new range of Greenstar gas-fired boilers with improved installation features for the wall-mounted series and three brand new floor-standing models.

Improvements include the ability to pre-plumb pipework and pre-wire electrical mains cables to save up to 20 minutes installation time.  Other features include a pre-piping assembly of pre-fabricated pipework with an earth bonding strip, relieving installers from the need to pre-bend pipework behind the boiler for vertical pipework installations.

The brand new floor-standing models are: the Greenstar Highflow 550 CDi (11 to 42kW), the Greenstar FS 30 CDi Regular (8-30kW) and the Greenstar FS 42 CDi Regular (11 to 42kW).  Worcester has also upgraded and improved the existing Greenstar Highflow 440 CDi

A 4.5 metre head condensate pump has been incorporated into the new floor standing models to reduce boiler positioning restrictions and Worcester has designed a Flexi Flue liner to make chimney installations easier.

Worcester claims these boilers now deliver the best hot water performance on the market, offering 180 litres domestic hot water at an average of a 35^oC rise at flow rates of up to 25 litres/minute.

Mini-post by Alan Potts