Combi boilers - Which gas combi boilers

Combi Boilers What is a combi boiler?

The high efficiency condensing combi boiler or combination boiler is an ingenious space-saving idea, and an increasingly popular choice in UK homes. In fact, combi boilers now account for well over half of all the new domestic boilers installed in Britain every year.

The major difference between a combi boiler and any other type of boiler is that a combi boiler eliminates the need to store hot water -- so no hot water cylinder in the airing cupboard. It is both a high-efficiency water heater and central heating boiler, combined (hence the name) within one compact unit which usually sits in the kitchen or utility room, or sometimes in the airing cupboard. The space savings result from the fact there is no hot water storage cylinder, cold water storage cistern or other familiar components of a regular (conventional) central heating system.

The further benefits of this are a significant saving on hot water costs, and the fact that hot water is delivered through your taps or shower at mains pressure. So you can enjoy powerful showering without the need for a pump. Another combi boiler benefit is that it can generally save you money on installation time and costs -- no tanks in the roof space means less pipe work and a shorter installation time.

Condensing combi boilers provide central heating by circulating hot water through central heating radiators and under floor heating circuits.

These high efficiency boilers provide instantaneous hot water only when a hot water tap, shower, washing machine or dishwasher is turned on, alleviating the need for bulky hot water cylinders and cold water storage tanks.

The high efficiency of these boilers is achieved by recycling and abstracting the heat from the exhaust gases where, in non-condensing boilers, the heat present in the exhaust gases is wasted to the atmosphere.

Combi boilers: The benefits.

The advantages of combi boilers are now universally recognised by installers and homeowners alike. As millions of UK households have already discovered, a combi (or combination) boiler efficiently provides all the heating and hot water required in one compact, space saving unit, without the need for a hot water cylinder or a tank in the loft. Resulting, in turn, in considerable cost savings. Whereas conventional systems store hot water, a combi heats directly from the cold mains, as and when required, to suit demand. What’s more, because there’s no loft tank required, there’s less risk of freezing or flooding and none of the connecting pipework associated with traditional systems. A combi boiler supplies hot water at mains pressure, providing consistently powerful showers without the need for a pump.