How to Make Your Boiler as Efficient as Possible

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Tips To Make Your Boiler As Efficient As Possible

Whether for green reasons, or cost savings, we all want our boiler and heating systems to be as efficient as possible.

As we go about our daily work whilst undertaking boiler repairs in Bournemouth and boiler repairs in Poole, we tend to do a great deal of myth-busting. Do not hesitate to call us on 0333 939 0161 if you have any questions about your boiler.

Time and again we hear the same misconceptions about how to make your heating system more efficient. In reality, in some cases, our customers think they are reducing their bills when in fact they are doing the opposite.

9 ways to increase boiler efficiency

Here we look at ways you can make your boiler and heating as efficient as possible.

  1. Only use it when you need it

Many people think it’s more efficient to have the heating on low constantly rather than only using it when needed.

The reasoning behind this is that you’re not doing that initial ‘fire-up’ so regularly. In reality, you are, you’re just not manually doing it.

Even on a low thermostat temperature, your boiler will be firing up from time to time. This will be happening when you don’t need it. Therefore instead, use the timer on the boiler to set it to only be on when you are around in the house to benefit.

  1. Radiator settings and thermostats need to be used hand in hand

If you turn down the radiator settings, you’d think you’ve become more efficient. However, this is only true if you also turn down the thermostat temperature.

If you leave the thermostat temperature the same, then the boiler will be working harder to get the room up to the set temperature.

Where it does matter is by being able to turn down the temperature in rooms you aren’t using.

  1. Cranking up the thermostat doesn’t warm up your house faster

This one is a common myth. There seems to be the belief that if you are cold, you should just whack up the thermostat to boost the speed at which the heating will come up to a nice toasty temperature for you.

In reality, this doesn’t do anything except it means that later on you’ll have overheated your living space and then be wasting energy when you cool it back down again.

Your boiler isn’t a mind-reader, able to know when it’s getting too hot, so set the thermostat between 18-21C and don’t crank it up.

  1. You should concentrate efforts on one room

Your heating system is precisely that, an interconnected system. It is designed to work efficiently as a whole.

If you turn it off and use a plug-in heater for just one room, where you are, this can actually prove to be a false economy. This is particularly true when using an electric heater which costs considerably more than gas.

You may find that it is more efficient to have your central heating on but turn down the radiators in the rooms you’re not using, and remembering to shut the doors.

  1. Arrange a boiler annual service

A boiler annual service is one of your best weapons in the battle for efficiency.

You can be following all of the advice above, combined with double-glazing and cavity wall insulation, and still be missing a trick if your boiler isn’t serviced regularly.

At a service part of the engineer’s job is to ensure that your boiler is running as efficiently as it can. Your engineer will also be able to advise whether it is worth having a power flush of your system to clean out any lingering debris which is making it less efficient.

  1. Compare tariffs from time to time

Energy prices for the consumer are greatly affected by the tariffs chosen. It can be easier to stay with the same energy provider but it isn’t always economical.

Each year you should shop around and see if you’re still on the best tariff for your usage. You may find you can go back to your original utility provider and share details of other tariffs to have them match them.

  1. Bleed your radiators

If your radiators are filling with air then your boiler will be working just as hard, using just as much gas, to less effect.

When the heating is turned on, if you feel the radiators and discover they are only warm at the bottom and not the top, then you need to bleed the radiator to make it more efficient. We covered when should you bleed a radiator and how to do it in this blog post.

  1. Choose a top of the range new boiler

Boilers have come on enormously in the last ten years. The simplest way to ensure that your boiler truly is efficient is to select a new boiler. This way you can ensure it has an efficiency rating A, and is the most efficient possible.

  1. Carry out repairs

It can be a false economy with boilers is to put off repairs. Problems usually go hand in hand with inefficiency.

To ensure your boiler is efficient you need to carry out repairs in a speedy and timely manner.

For further advice on how to make your boiler efficient, to book in for an annual boiler service, or for boiler repair in Bournemouth or Poole, get in touch on 0333 939 0161.

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