Heating the home and providing hot water are tasks that most of us take for granted—we just assume that our systems will work and perform at their best ability—but what happens when the system fails? Or what if you’re just noticing that your current hot water or heating system just isn’t living up to its capabilities? You have a lot of different options, but one that you should consider is the combi-boiler.
What is a Combi-Boiler?
A combi-boiler, as the name suggests, is a combination boiler unit that can deliver hot water and heat to the home. It can do this through radiant floor heating, baseboard heating, or the use of radiators and/or fans. This boiler can be designed to work with radiant heating, radiators, and other units that run on hot water heat. It allows you to get hot water on demand and to heat your home with a single unit, offering features like remote control of the temperature and even lower operating costs than other options.
A combi-boiler is also going to take up less space in the home, which makes it great for those homes with limited space. It can save as much as 30% on your energy costs, provided that you have a small to mid-size home. Larger homes with multiple bathrooms won’t benefit from these systems quite the same way because they’re not capable of keeping up with the water demands.
However, for the average homeowner, that’s not an issue. Combi-boilers are leading the way because of features like:
Multiple venting options
Multiple heating configurations
Lower noise levels
Remote control of temperature
On-demand hot water
Less CO2 emissions
These are just a few things to appreciate about these systems, which are becoming more popular with each passing day.
What If I Already Have a Conventional Boiler?
The upgrade from a conventional boiler to a combi unit isn’t that difficult. It will free up more space and deliver better heating and hot water than your old system could even fathom—if your boiler is more than five years old, energy efficiency has changed the market significantly and you should look into a new system, whether it’s a combi-boiler or a conventional unit.
You’ll want to talk to your HVAC installation experts, of course, to make sure that you choose the right upgrade for your home. Even if it’s going to take a little more work to install a combi-boiler, the costs will be worth it in the long run. The ROI (return on investment) that you get from a combi-boiler comes both from the reduced energy costs over time and the resale value of your home, which increases with a modern system like this installed.
The Bottom Line
If you’re in the market for a new heating or hot water solution, there may be a lot on your list of wants and needs. Combi-boilers can answer the call for most of them and are a great option for people who want to get more out of their home’s climate control and hot water usage.