What is a Condensing Boiler?
A condensing boiler is a high efficiency boiler. The actual words ‘condensing boiler’ refer to the condensation that the boiler produces.
Boilers burn fuel and produce exhaust gases as they heat our homes and our hot water.
Water vapour or steam and carbon dioxide are produced in the combustion process as a boiler burns fuel. In conventional boilers (standard efficiency boilers) these warm waste gases are released into the atmosphere through the flue.
A condensing boiler is able to recover most of the heat that would usually be lost through the flue as exhaust gases. To reuse this latent heat, the water vapour from the exhaust gas is turned into liquid condensate, and this is used to heat up the cool water that enters the boiler. A good condensing boiler will turn more of the fuel it burns into useable heat, lowering your energy bill.
A condensing boiler is absolutely energy-saving and cost-efficient. The efficiency of the condensing process varies according to the temperature of the water that is returned to the boiler, but generally a condensing boiler can achieve energy efficiency of over 90% over a standard efficiency boiler.
Again, this depends on the temperature of the water that is returned to the boiler. Many experts say that a condensing boiler runs at 90% of the energy-use and cost of a conventional boiler. Others say that the increased efficiency can be as high as 12%.
Because of the energy savings that are made it has been mandatory in the UK, since 2005, that any replacement or new gas or oil boiler must be a condensing boiler. (There are exceptions, but they are rare.)
So The Main Benefits of a Condensing Boiler Are Lower Energy Bills and Less Energy Consumption?
That’s right! A condensing boiler saves money for the user. It also helps to save the planet via a reduced carbon footprint.
