Cut your repair costs with a central heating boiler care scheme
Cut your repair costs with a central heating boiler care scheme
Heating your home isn’t that much of a problem in the summertime, but unless you’re in the strange habit of only taking cold showers and boiling the kettle every time you wash up, you could be left high and dry if your central heating system breaks down. It is strange though that the gas boiler is never considered to be an important piece of equipment until it stops working. And then you realise how important, not to mention expensive, it really is.
You don’t need to save money for repairing your central heating boiler if you stay in a rented home, that will be done by your landlord, check that they have landlords central heating system cover. But if you live in your own house, it will be wise to have a special savings pot or central heating insurance in case something goes wrong with your heating boiler.
If your central heating boiler has been in use for more than a decade, it is recommended that you buy a new model; you will be able to reduce your fuel costs significantly, especially by going for a high-efficiency one. The type of central heating system that you should buy depends on your family size and the available space at your home, the existing central heating system also affects your choice. A small sized home housing a few people who want immediate hot water access at all times will be best served with a combi central heating boiler. In a combi central heating boiler water is drawn through the mains and heated immediately eliminating the need of storage tanks. With such a combi central heating boiler, a hot shower is instantly available; however if another hot outlet is opened, your share of warm water will quickly run out and you shower could be a cold one.
Another type of heating boiler is the sealed system boiler which has a hot water storage tank and is usually used for large families, as it allows several showers and hot water taps to work at the same time. This central heating boiler can easily be installed within hours and doesn’t require excess space. But if hot water is used too quickly it would run out because the storage tank hot water would be depleted and is replenishment is not instant.
An open vent central heating boiler is the norm in most older homes, and takes up the most space; two water tanks in the loft and a storage cylinder in the airing cupboard. An open vent central heating boiler provides plenty of hot water that can be used simultaneously, just like a sealed heating boiler, but again here too heating takes time and the pressure is not as good as with a combi heating boiler.
The fifth type is a back heating boiler which is bulkier, but can deliver hot water to several outlets under good pressure. Typically the chimney breast was used to store the back boilers, however consider switching to a new one only if you are already using an old one as the installation may be a challenge if the house was not designed for this initially. But if your home had a back gas boiler installed when you moved in, it can save you a lot of money; if it needs replacing, it’s far cheaper to get a new back central heating system to replace and old one than it is to get a completely different system installed.
Any malfunctioning central heating system system requires expensive overhauling and repair. Taking out central heating insurance can provide peace of mind that if something goes wrong with your heating system, your costs will be covered. And you could save yourself even more if you take out a gas boiler breakdown policy that also includes yearly central heating boiler inspections, giving you peace of mind that it is operating both safely and efficiently.