Best rated condensing gas boiler

Knowing that the best would be having no energy spending costs, ideally energy consumption in our homes should come from renewable energies, that would be a plus to our personal finances, as well as our planet.

Nonetheless, because either our home does not allow such systems, because they are too expensive, because their energy production is not enough or any other valid reason, there is still a big demand of gas fueled equipment to heat the water or to warm our home.

Given this is a certainty, then there is little we can do, but choose wisely, among what the market has to offer, considering which kind of equipment is best for our needs and for our savings, as well as our planet.

The main reason why you should choose a condensing boiler and not a regular one is above all else its efficiency, that is, it can heat the same amount of water or warm up the same area of your home, using less energy, thus allowing more savings when it time to pay the bill. This higher efficiency is based on use of the water vapor that is released at the time of the fuel burning, vapor which in regular boilers is wasted, while condensing boilers take advantage of this and turn the vapor into heating. LESS ENERGY CONSUMPTION ==> MORE SAVINGS.

This type of boiler implies that, at the time of the fuel burning, water vapor is released. The vapor (condensation) represents around 11 % of the 100% energy of the burnt fuel.

The condensing boiler has a heat exchanger inside and its function it is to take advantage of those extra 11% of energy, which in a regular boiler would be wasted and use it for heating.

So, through the use of the condensation produced during ignition it’s possible to have an efficiency higher than 110% ( when compared to the inferior heating power of gas).

Let’s say that each month you spend 150$ to power your current boiler ( heating water and also your home ). Considering that several producers and environmental agencies estimate that, on average, a condensing boiler implies a saving of 30% more than a regular one, that means that, if you changed to a condensing boiler, you would spend only 105$ each month, that means you would be able to save each year around 540$. So the payback period of your investment would be very short and from that moment on you would actually be profiting. You can do your own math considering the following formula (please notice that you will not get an exact value, this is just to give you an idea )

This is just for those of you with a regular boiler. If you use a current gas water heater, in principle, the savings will be even higher, depending on the characteristics of the equipment.

S: value you spend each month in gas to heat water and your home ($);

Y: nr. of years that will take you to get the return of the investment of buying a condensing boiler (years);

C: price of your new condensing boiler (let’s consider a cost of 2500$ - if it’s cheaper you’ll get the return of your investment even sooner) ($);

M: monthly saving ($);

A: annual saving ($);

M=0,30*S

A=12*M

Y=C/A

Therefore, in this case, how many years would it take to get the return of the money spent buying a condensing boiler?

S=150$ which implies that M=0,30*150=45$

So, A=12*45=540$

C=2500$

Y=2500/540=4,63 years, that is, from the fifth year on you would start saving money and that would all be profit… I know it takes a while, but it is worth it and our planet thanks us…

Don’t forget to check the energy efficiency classification of the equipment and what you can expect regarding working performance of the condensing boiler.

About the ecological footprint, it’s easy to understand that if it uses up less gas, than it pollutes less.

Condensing boilers are classified as class 5, when it comes to emissions of nitrogen oxide (NOx), given they produce less nitrogen oxide than other similar equipment (these oxides are those responsible acid rains, just to give you an example).

About carbon dioxide (CO2) – the main responsible for the greenhouse effect - emissions, these are inevitable, but nonetheless with this type of boilers the emissions of CO2 are reduced, because one is not using so much gas, due to the higher efficiency of the condensing boilers when compared to other equipment.

In some European countries the legal regulations in place actually force people to install condensing boilers in order to improve the energy spending performance when heating one’s home. In such countries this subject is emphasized, especially when it comes to rating the buildings energy efficiency wise, and within that certification/rating having a condensing boiler helps (and a lot) to get a good energy efficiency classification. Even better, still, to optimize your new condensing boiler is to choose one that connects perfectly to your solar water heater system, so don’t forget to check if the boiler you are buying is compatible to the system you have and how both systems will work together and what you can expect.

So, basically it all comes down to reducing your carbon footprint and slashing your gas bills… If the boiler allows you to do that and deliver optimal comfort at the same time, then it’s without doubt a good choice and it’s something worth looking into.

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