You want to install or replace a boiler in your home but are unsure how to decide on which type or which one or how big the boiler should be. Choosing the correct type of boiler of the appropriate capacity and size should become the most crucial decision. A wise decision will ensure your home will be warm enough with a sufficient quantity of warm water as and when you want, plus, save on the energy consumption and utility bill.
Before making any decisions, you need to understand how to calculate the capacity and size of the boiler. After that, you need to decide what type and functionally relevant technology you want. This is where the new generation of boilers called Combi Boilers play a significant role. These boilers, as compared to the conventional ones, are pretty compact and have higher inefficiency. They also look presentable and can blend into the overall ambience of the décor of your home.
Combi Boilers are called so because of their technological ability to produce heated water and function as a central heat generating device in the most efficient way. One combi boiler does what two separate conventional boilers did earlier. Installation of an electric immersion heater is also an excellent option to get water heating done. These essentially use electricity to heat the water and can be connected to the central system or used on renewable energy sources. Sometimes, such heaters are referred to as megaflow boilers.
Besides looking at just the diversity of the heating application for your home, it is also essential to focus on the energy consumption and its effect on your monthly utility bill while deciding on the boiler. Thanks to technology innovation, now combi boilers are available for use with alternate energy sources. Combi Boilers can be connected directly to the main incoming pipeline without a storage tank in between. Doing this ensures you get heated water as and when required without any time loss, which means that the plumbing line does not need extra pumping for bathing requirements.
With combi boilers, a lot of indoor space is saved because you don’t need a hot water storage tank unless your home is large and the requirement of hot water is more than average. In such a case, a storage tank could be included in the distribution line.
Let us look at the benefits of installing a combi boiler.
Ease of Installation
Extremely simple to install, these boilers can be inducted into the main plumbing line. Combi boilers do not need any complicated tools or commissioning procedures. The amount of piping required to install combi boilers is minimal as compared to conventional boilers.
Space Saving
Combi boilers are pretty compact and small in size. Since the need for storage water tanks is eliminated, space-saving as a possibility is increased.
Operating Efficiency
Combi boilers are incredibly efficient in more ways than one. They provide hot water ‘on demand’. This ensures there is no risk of hot water running out. They work as an online system with the ability to generate heated water when required. Operating efficiency provides the elimination of heating extra water for storage, which would consume excess energy and increase the utility bill. These boilers comply with the energy efficiency standards as laid down by the governing statutory authorities.
Safety
Water from a combi boiler is also safe for drinking. It is safe because the boiler is directly connected to the mains, and the water is coming to your glass straight from the mains. In the case of a conventional boiler, the water gets stored in a tank, giving rise to contamination of the water while being held.
The few types and makes of combi boilers for your home application are :
- Gas Combi Boiler
- Oil Combi Boiler
- LPG Combi Boiler
- Electric Combi Boiler
Considering that the general requirement of hot water in your home is not in huge quantities at all times, these boilers help you save a lot of money on the heating of water requirements compared to conventional boilers. This is because the old traditional boilers heated an entire tank full of water when switched on. This process was followed even for a small quantity of hot water. These benefits made combi boilers the most sought-after type of boiler for the home. Above all, combi-boilers ensured they had a much smaller carbon footprint as compared to conventional boilers, thus making them the most environmentally friendly option.