What is a High Efficiency Condensing Boiler?

In today’s modern world, we are often reminded about our impact on the environment with not just green charities and seemingly faddish green energy devices being thrust into our lives, but also the Government passing new laws and rules on how we consume energy in our homes. But, apart from the environmental benefits, why should you or I strive for higher energy efficiency – what are our bonuses for an often expensive choice?

The answer is in energy efficiency – the more efficient our boiler system is in our home, the cheaper our energy bills become, and with the steady rise in gas, oil and electricity prices we are all experiencing, investing in a boiler that is more efficient is the answer.

But what is a high efficiency condensing boiler – and how do they work?

The Basics

The condensing process that occurs on high efficiency condensing boilers are what gives them their name. Condensing occurs in the most efficient types of boilers, inside using a larger or a secondary heat exchanger – this means that more of the energy that is created by the boiler is extracted to the exchanger to heat the water while the boiler is in use, and reduces the amount of energy that is wasted. Normally, this heat would escape up the flue of an average boiler, but in a high efficiency condensing boiler the heat of the flue area is lower, reducing the temperature of the flue gases and producing condensate.

When it comes to energy efficiency, a high efficiency condensing boiler is the most efficient type of boiler available on the market today, converting more than 86% of all the fuel consumed into heat. Most conventional boilers only manage around 78%, with older boilers and back boilers managing even less.
High efficiency condensing boilers are not just efficient with their energy, but also in the amount of materials used in their construction, and ultimately, their size. Depending on the work-load of the boiler needed, the size will vary, but many will fit snugly into a standard kitchen cupboard space. This can be much smaller than many other boilers on the market, especially when you factor in the energy efficiency – a less efficient boiler may need to be larger to create the same output as a high efficiency condensing boiler.

Types of High Efficiency Condensing Boilers

There are three main different types of high efficiency condensing boilers on the market today, these include:

Regular Boilers – A heat only or regular boiler provides hot water straight to your radiators. The system needs a storage cylinder for supplying hot water to taps and showers.
System Boilers – Requiring a separate hot water cylinder for storing heated hot water, but not requiring a roof tank like some types of boiler.
And
Combi Boilers – Requiring no tank, a combination boiler will heat up hot water on demand and circulate it where required. These are the most popular type of modern boiler, as they take up considerably less space.

What are the Negatives of a High Efficiency Condensing Boiler?

A high efficiency condensing boiler will suffer from an effect called ‘pluming’, which occurs in all types of condensing boilers. Pluming is a side effect of the condensing method, and looks like steam or gas escaping from the boiler and is much more noticeable in colder weather as it has an average temperature of 54°C. This plume of wet steam vapour will condense on a cold surface into small droplets of water, similar to when breathing on a window, and for this reason it is advised that all high efficiency condensing boilers are situated away from windows or cooler surfaces, as well as walls or internal corners where the damp may be trapped.

Related posts:

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  3. British Gas Boilers – More For Your Money?
  4. High Time to Invest in Underfloor Heating?
  5. Boiler Offer from British Gas – Expires 25th July 2009!

Published by David Holmes on July 2nd, 2009 in Boiler Servicing, Boilers, Central Heating, Combi Boilers, Offers

3 Responses to “What is a High Efficiency Condensing Boiler?”

  1. Phil wrote

    January 6th, 2010 at 1:26 pm

    I Have a modulating condensing combi gas boiler. Is it more efficient to have the radiators on continuously at a lower temperature or intermittently at a higher setting? Any research to back this up?

  2. Perry525 wrote

    January 31st, 2010 at 1:33 pm

    This is an interesting question. One of the bye products of turning off or turning down a boiler is the production of water vapour leading to condensation.
    The position is that water vapour is held in the air in our homes as long as the temperature is constant, when the room temperature drops the air can no longer hold the same amount of water vapour and the vapour moves to the nearest cold surface, usually a window where you have condensation along the bottom of the window, which is sometimes heavy and runs down onto the window cill and or soaks into the walls. Sometimes the walls or ceiling are colder than the windows and this leads to damp walls often the damp moves into our beds and other soft furnishings.
    From a comfort and health position keeping the temperature the same is beneficial, one important thing that happens is that the walls and furniture warm up and the comfort zone is indeed more pleasant.
    As for comparing the relative costs, comparing running the same temperature all the time as against turning the heating off or down at times. Our weather changes constantly and there is no way of running a comparison as the same weather pattern never happens twice. So far, there are so many different boilers on the market that no one has the money to run the type of research required, to correctly ascertain which boiler is the most economical or efficient.
    So far quoted running costs are merely an estimation by the manufacturer.

  3. robert miles wrote

    January 31st, 2010 at 3:45 pm

    Please, Is there anyone out there who may have a solution to my boiler problems. I have an Ideal combi boiler, 7 years old regularly serviced. In recent weeks I have had fitted a new pcb board, a flame detection electrode and lastly a gas valve and still the L and F error appears and the boiler fails. It has been now suggested that the plastic pipe 22mm which goes through to the outside should be changed to 32mm throughout its length other than when inside the house. I am on a pension and cannot keep paying large bills. I would be very grateful for any info.

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