If you want to spend less money on energy, it pays to understand your heating system and to consider some ways in which it might be changed. If your home has central heating, you have a boiler that heats up water and then provides it to your radiators, showers and taps. This particular type of heating system is the most common in the United Kingdom, and it provides you with several significant opportunities to save money. Read on to discover six of the most effective ways to get the best out of your central heating system.
1) Consider the type of boiler you use:
If you do not know much about your boiler, the first step on the road to saving money is to find out exactly what type of boiler you have installed in your home. It probably runs on mains gas, and if so then you will be relieved to hear that this is the cheapest option. In contrast, if your boiler uses coal or wood, you may want to consider switching to a gas boiler. It is also worth finding out whether your boiler is particularly old. If you discover that it has been in your home for many decades, upgrading to a newer version could save you money in the long run due to dramatically increased energy efficiency.
2) Make use of controls:
If your boiler is not already operated by easily accessible controls, consider having someone fit temperature and timing controls. These handy features ensure that your boiler is only providing heat and hot water at the precise times (and in the precise places) that you want it.
3) Use effective insulation:
No matter what type of heating system you have, it is also important to investigate whether you can improve the insulation in your home. If you lack effective insulation in the walls and floors, you will regularly lose valuable heat.
4) Find out more about chemical inhibitors:
It is important to know that chemical inhibitors help to decrease the accumulation of corrosion deposits found in central heating systems, which in turn boosts the system’s effectiveness. If you make sure that your heating system is not filled with a build-up of sludge, the amount of money that you spend on heating will be reduced.
5) Do not waste too much thought on whether you have a combination boiler:
You may have a combination (or combi) boiler or a regular boiler. The former provides your household with hot water on command, while the latter provides hot water at programmed times and stores the remainder in a hot water cylinder. Both of these types of boiler have pros and cons when it comes to heating costs. Specifically, regular boilers can produce hot water more efficiently, but the amount of heat that is lost means that combination boilers may be slightly more efficient. The difference is thought to be minor, so focus your efforts elsewhere when trying to reduce the price of your energy bill.
6) Know the advantages of condensing boilers:
If your boiler was installed within the last ten to fifteen years, there is a good chance that it is a condensing boiler. If it is such a boiler, it is more energy efficient due to being able to derive more heat from gas. However, if your boiler is more old-fashioned, updating to a condensing boiler could make a large dent in your energy bills. If you are unsure, you can usually tell whether you have a condensing boiler by taking note of a few basic traits. For example, condensing boilers have plastic flues and a plastic pipe coming out of the bottom (which leads through the wall to a drain).
For people looking for information on buying a power saver, the uSwitch price comparison website is a resource that is often recommended by Sam Jones the author of this article
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