What Combi Boiler Do I Need?

Looking for the Best Combi Boiler?

In terms of space and cost-efficiency, combination (combi) boilers are often the best choice for providing central heating and hot water to your home.

If you’ve decided that a combi boiler is for you, the next step is to decide exactly which one. This can be a daunting task with all of the different brands on the market. The names of the boilers themselves may seem to be written in a foreign language which doesn’t help things.

This article will help you to narrow down your options, first by brand and then by size (or power).

What Brand of Combi Boiler is Best?

First of all, it is highly recommended that you select a boiler brand that is widely known and marketed. A Google search will soon enable you to narrow down your search to a few of the biggest brands including Baxi, Ideal, Vaillant and Worcester Bosch.

Each brand will have their own areas of strength and reading a few reviews from customers and heating engineers will help to build up your body of knowledge. For example, Vaillant have won awards for having quiet boilers!

If you check out the Which? ‘Best Buy’ winners over the past few years, you will see that Worcester Bosch are held in high esteem by homeowners. As experienced heating engineers, we at Moreheat Ltd. are also big fans of the brand. We find that they are built to last and when we are called out to fix one, the problem is usually easy to rectify.

As Worcester Bosch partners, we can also offer finance deals on their wide range of boilers so consider putting Worcester Bosch boilers at the top of your list!

Output: Understanding the Boiler Code

One of the main factors that will decide which boiler you choose is its power output. Matching this to the needs of your household will ensure you are getting a nice, steady flow of hot water without spending more than you need.

The boiler models you see on the market will contain a two-digit number (sometimes three-digit, in which case ignore the first). For example, one popular model is the Worcester Bosch Greenstar 30i.

The two-digit number refers to the maximum domestic hot water (DHW) power output in kilowatts (kW). As a rough guide, you should choose a boiler which corresponds to the following household types:

• 24 to 27 kW for a small house/apartment with up to ten radiators and one bathroom.
• 28 to 34 kW for a medium (three to four bedroom) house with up to 15 radiators, one main bathroom and an ensuite bathroom.
• 35 to 42 kW for a large house with up to 20 radiators and two bathrooms*.

*Please note that if you anticipate having a number of showers in use at the same time (e.g. a student HMO), a combi boiler is probably not for you.

When you have narrowed your boiler down by brand and output, another thing you can do is look at the boiler specifications and compare the physical sizes. Combi boilers are more compact than other options but you may find that one will be just the right size for the space you intend to put it.

How Moreheat can Help

Once you’ve gone through the above process, we strongly recommend you contact Moreheat Ltd. or another Gas Safe registered heating engineer company to help you decide between options or confirm you are on the right track.

You will then need to have the boiler professionally installed as even the best brand and most suitable model will be inefficient without effective installation.

Hopefully this article will make choosing your combi boiler a bit easier. For more advice, please contact Moreheat today on 01803 605509 (Mon-Fri 8am to 5pm) or 07792 722232 (out of hours).

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