Supplying Your Home With Energy-efficient Hot Water

When most people think of “going green” and conserving energy, they think about how many kilometers their car can drive on a tank of gas or what kind of bulbs they use to light their homes; the energy used to provide hot water seldom jumps to mind first. And it’s easy to see why we like to put it out of mind; the traditional tank-style water heating system is exceedingly wasteful. Most of us don’t use hot water for more than an hour or two per day, yet we pay to have it heated 24/7, sitting there, waiting to be used.

Tankless Systems

To avoid wasting the large amounts of energy this kind of domestic hot water setup demands, many people choose to switch to a tankless system. This kind of system uses copper piping to heat water as it is used, greatly reducing the energy wasted in the process. Also, since this kind of system doesn’t have a storage tank, it requires much less space, and the installation costs are far lower.

Combi Boilers

Also known as “combination boilers,” combi boilers offer the simplicity of central heat and domestic hot water combined into a single efficient appliance. The space- and energy-saving qualities of combi boilers make it easy to see why they are quickly becoming the most popular means of meeting domestic heating needs.

Of course, this is not to say that combi boilers are without their disadvantages. One restriction they impose is the limited flowrate of the hot water they produce. Since water has to be heated on an as-needed basis, the amount of hot water available at any given time is limited. For this reason, if you are considering switching to a combi boiler system, it is important to take into consideration your specific needs and compare them to the flowrates of various combi boiler models. Flowrates typically range between 9 and 23 litres per minute.

If you live in a large home or expect to need more hot water than a single tankless system would allow you, one option to consider is the use of multiple tankless systems. Since combi boilers take up much less space than other setups, this is a realistic option, and it is one that many people choose.

Another thing to take into consideration is the fact that tankless setups are slightly more complicated than traditional heating systems, and for that reason they are more prone to needing maintenance and repairs. However, most combi boilers come with a limited warranty and detailed maintenance instructions to help you get the most out of your purchase.

Before deciding whether a combi boiler is right for you, it is important to evaluate your needs and current energy expenditures, and stack these against the costs and ratings of a variety of models.

By: Caz

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