There are various tips households can follow to reduce their electricity usage when it comes to combi boilers, also known as combination boilers. When households make use of these electricity reduction tips, they lower their electricity bills. Thus, spending less electricity on your combi boiler will save you money.
Reducing your household’s electricity usage will also have a positive effect on the environment. There are also a lot of ‘green’ ways of reducing your electricity usage. Combi boilers have energy-efficient and electricity-saving options available.
Every year Boiler Central installs thousands of combi boilers, each with a 12-year warranty. This company went so far as to determine the five best combi boilers for the year 2023. They did this by trying, testing, and reviewing the boilers.
What Is a Combi Boiler?
There are different types of boilers, including Combi Boilers, System Boilers, and Regular Boilers. There are advantages and disadvantages to each type of boiler. You should also consider other aspects. Will the boiler be placed indoors or outdoors? How big is the house, and what size boiler should you get? How much hot water does your household use?
Combi boiler stands for ‘Combination’ boiler. This type of boiler is a high-efficiency water heater and an indoor central heating boiler in a single compact unit. They heat water directly from the main water line when you open the tap, meaning that you don’t need a hot water storage cylinder or a cold-water storage tank. Combi boilers are very cost-effective and energy-efficient because water is heated instantly instead of heated and then stored in a cylinder or tank. Hot water is delivered at the pressure of the water main line. Less pipework in the home means that installation is cheaper.
A combi boiler works by heating up cold water from the main supply using a heat exchanger. There is a primary and a secondary heat exchanger. One is for the central heating circulating throughout your house, and the other is for the clean hot water that comes out of taps and showers. Combi boilers will heat water instantly and on-demand, either from your central heating thermostat, or when you turn on your taps or showers.
These boilers are best suited for smaller houses and homes with less water demand. You can only use either of the functions at a time. It can only support one shower or bath at a time. If there should be a problem with your combi heater, you will not have a backup supply because it does not have a cylinder. If the water pressure of the main water line is poor, it will not be able to support a combi boiler.
Household Tips for Reducing Combi Boiler Electricity Usage
There are many ways that you can reduce your household’s combi boiler electricity use. Combi boilers that use electricity instead of gas, are some of the most energy-efficient boilers available. Combi boilers also have an eco-friendly setting that can be implemented. Other tips include:
- Change the flow temperature to the optimum setting. The flow temperature is the temperature at which your boiler heats your radiators. Flow temperature is often set too high. Do this without changing the temperature in your rooms.
- Consider turning down the hot water temperature. The temperature of the water that comes out of your taps and shower is by default too high. Lower this temperature to a comfortable setting.
- Consider turning off the ‘pre-heat’ function on your combi boiler. Pre-heating may be convenient and save water, but it is very energy inefficient. If you are going to be away from home most of the day, then it does not make sense for the water to be hot and the radiators to be on. The duration of the heating cycle of the combi boiler is controlled by the time switch or time programmer.
- Bleed radiators. This is needed when your radiators are taking longer to heat than usual, or you can feel cold patches on them, or you can hear gurgling noises. This means that there is air trapped inside, making your heating system less efficient.
- Keep an eye on your boiler pressure. This is the pressure of the water circulating in the heating system. When this is too slow, it uses more energy to heat your home. The recommended pressure level is anywhere between 1.0 and 2.0 bar.
- Room temperature settings of the room thermostat. Review and lower the set temperature.
- Turn down radiators in rooms you are not using. Checking the settings of the individual thermostatic radiator valves (TRVs) on each radiator in each room. The TRVs fitted to the radiators regulate room temperature. Set them to a minimum if it is a room that you are not using often.
- Get an annual service of the heating system by a registered engineer. This includes radiators, thermostat system balancing and controls, as well as appropriate water treatment. This is to make sure that the system is working efficiently.
- Keep your boiler clean and consider a system cleanse. Have the system cleaned by a professional to get rid of sludge, rust, and debris. The system is flushed and refilled with clean water and protection chemicals to prevent corrosion. This will improve your boiler’s efficiency.
- Insulation of windows, doors, and cavity walls of the house will get rid of draughts and heat leaks.
- Upgrade the room thermostats and timer controls to the latest Boiler Plus standards.
- Switch your heating on for up to 15 minutes a week during the summer. This will reduce the risk of your boiler seizing up, and other expensive breakdowns, after being turned off for long periods of time.
Conclusion
This article gave household tips for reducing electricity usage. There may be different types of boilers, but this piece focussed specifically on combination, or ‘combi’, boilers. This type of boiler has many different advantages and disadvantages. This type of boiler is energy-efficient and can help you to save money on your electricity bill.
