Are you looking for a boiler and need to learn about the different types and what all the lingo means? Read on as I will try to explain simply for you.
A combi boiler is the same as combination boiler. They are the most popular type of boiler and found in around 70% of homes in the UK. They are called combination as they provide heat and hot water without the need for a separate tank. They are available in many different heating outputs, 24 26, 30, and 35 kilowatts. The higher the kilowatt is more suited for 2 bathroom properties.
A system boiler is sometimes known as a sealed system. These provide heating and hot water via a storage cylinder somewhere in your home, normally an airing cupboard. There is also the boiler which needs to be stored somewhere. The boiler heats the water in the cylinder which then can be used to heat the radiators and provide hot water. Again they come in the many outputs.
Condensing boilers can either be a combination boiler or a system boiler. They are probably the most efficient as they recover waste heat which is expelled through the flue system. The flue in non-condensing boilers is basically like a chimney. It takes the exhaust gasses outside. So with a condensing boiler this gas which normally goes out the flue is taken to another heat exchanger where it extracts additional heat.
Boilers are rated on efficiency. So if a boiler is A' rated this means it is 90+% efficient. SEDBUK was developed under the Government's Energy Efficiency Best Practice Programme with the co-operation of boiler manufacturers and provides a rating for the energy performance of different boilers. A' being the top and most efficient and G' being the least.
Boiler installers should be Gas Safe Registered which is what replaced the CORGI and means they are legally registered to fit boilers and other gas appliances. Always make sure anyone who does gasworks on your home is on this register.