Athol Duckett, managing director of AD Heating Ltd, Aberdeenshire’s local specialists in biomass boilers and solar thermal solutions, gives his top tips for making your heating more efficient during the summer months.
Now that you don’t need the heating on all the time, it is the best time to make changes to your system and get it running in tip top condition before the colder months come round again.
BOOK IN A SERVICE FOR YOUR BOILER
Whether it is an oil, gas or biomass boiler – they all work most efficiently when they are looked after. Having a reliable and dependable boiler to provide hot water and heat is a daily essential. However, like many other things, it needs to be regularly checked and tested to make sure all components are working correctly.
An annual boiler service can prevent potential problems, avoid unwanted disruption, ensure maximum central heating efficiency and keep energy bills to a minimum.
There is data that shows that servicing an oil boiler, which has not been serviced for three years, will bring about an immediate fuel reduction of some 5%.
ADDED BONUS: An annual service will also give peace of mind that your boiler isn’t producing carbon monoxide through incomplete combustion. Carbon monoxide poisoning has many symptoms, such as tiredness and nausea. By making sure that your boiler is working efficiently, and fitting a carbon monoxide detector, you can keep safe from this silent killer.
GET YOUR RADIATOR SYSTEM POWER FLUSHED
Over time sludge or calcium can build up in a heating system. This leaves rust and debris in the bottom of radiators which corrodes down into oxide sludge. This then leads to blocked waterways in radiators, pipe work and heat exchangers.
So how do you know if a system needs a power flush? Here are some symptoms to look out for:
Are certain rooms much colder than others?
Does it take a long time for the system to warm up?
Are one or more radiators cold at the bottom?
Do radiators need frequent bleeding?
Is the boiler noisy?
FIT SOLAR THERMAL PANELS
Solar thermal panels convert daylight into hot water. This free hot water means that your boiler doesn’t need to work as hard, and has been recorded as saving about 15% on the annual fuel bill of a three-bedroom house.
You can use an interest free Home Renewables Loan from the Energy Savings Trust to help pay for the cost of installation (approx £5-6k) and then once installed you will receive payments from the Renewable Heat Incentive scheme.
GET HEATING CONTROLS INSTALLED
There are lots of options on the market – weather compensated, connected to your phone and many more. The key thing is to get something that is user friendly and automatically controls the temperature in your house.
We waste the most energy by coming into a cold house, turning everything on to maximum, then getting too hot and opening windows. A controlled heating system will save you money and will make your house more comfortable to live in.
REPLACE YOUR BOILER
If your boiler is more than 15 years old, then the likelihood is that replacing it will gain significant efficiencies due to the more modern technology used in new boilers.
With the price of oil and gas being very competitive, you may choose to get a like-for-like replacement with an A+ rating, or you could look at a renewable option to future-proof your system. Either way, the summer is the best time to replace a boiler – there’s nothing worse than having to replace a boiler in the winter when you really need the heating on.
AD Heating Ltd, is a specialist heating company based in Fyvie, Aberdeenshire – they focus on biomass boilers and solar thermal systems, but have a wide range of expertise. They pride themselves on their customer service – winning the Trades Awards customer service award in 2105, and being nominated for the double in both the customer service and in the innovation categories this year.
All boilers work most efficiently when they are looked afterYou can use an interest free Home Renewables Loan from the Energy Savings Trust to help pay for the cost of installing solar thermal panelsA controlled heating system will save you money and will make your house more comfortable to live in
