Installers well understand that condensing boilers are much more energy efficient than old standard efficiency models. However, when home-owners are faced with a ‘repair or replace’ decision, it is all too easy to choose the cheaper option and keep that old boiler ticking along for another year!
However, by explaining that an old boiler with a pilot light is probably only around 70% efficient (at best) and that for every pound they spend on gas, 30 pence is going straight up the chimney, you could make the choice easier. New boilers are over 90% efficient, so your customer will save money on their gas bill straight away.
Installing a new boiler on an old, dirty heating system can be a false economy. Debris and sludge build up in the pipes and radiators over time and can cause blockages, cold spots on radiators and can clog up heat exchanges and pumps. A power flush and system treatment carried out before the new boiler is fitted will clean and help to protect the central heating system. It is best practice and often a requirement of the boiler warranty to install a magnetic filter into the system, which will collect particles in the system and can be cleaned during the annual boiler service. A clean system is much more efficient than a dirty one!
A surprising number of homes still don’t even have a room thermostat. Controls, such as a timer, room thermostat and thermostatic radiator valves, quite literally put the control back into the hands of the home-owner.
Simply lowering the thermostat by 1°C could give savings of up to 10% on their heating bill and this could be more when a timer is set to only heat the home when it is needed or when radiators are turned down in rooms that aren’t in use.
Smart controls, like the Baxi uSense, are becoming the latest must-have household gadgets and are a great way to improve your customer’s heating system. With its own downloadable app, Baxi uSense can be controlled by a smartphone or tablet, from anywhere. Users can even monitor their energy use and costs, so optimum money- saving settings can be calculated.
uSense is compatible as a room thermostat with all combi boilers using the 230V switch live. However, when connected to boilers with OpenTherm such as the Baxi 600 Combi, many additional features, such as boiler fault diagnosis, are available.
Often, a boiler replacement is a distress purchase and an unexpected and unwelcome expense for your customer. As a heating expert, you are invited into their home to give them the best possible advice about the right heating system to suit their needs. Educating them on the most energy-efficient heating system could be the best bit of advice they get and help them save money in the long run.
Your Baxi representative for NI is Sharon English contact her T: 07966 585 902 E: sharon.english@baxi.co.uk ROI Enquiries: 01 459 0870
W: www.baxi.co.uk
