Updating 20yr old boiler + installing D glazing how much could I save on gas?

xxdeebeexx

Hi I am just about to be made redundant and I have spent ages looking for the best place to invest my lump sum so that it would make an income for me. It is gradually dawning on me that, if I was to update the old Concord WRS boiler and some of the old radiators, and replace the alluminium double glazing (even if it's only the back of the house where the gale blows through) I might save more money than I could make.

How much do you think I could save?. The house is very drafty and the radiators are the original install. we have had the whole system flushe out 2 yrs ago.

Any comments would be great.
TIA

Dx

HappyMJ

Why would you want to get rid of such a good boiler? It's lasted 20 years. It'll probably last a lot longer. New boilers last about 10 years.

Anyway it's easy to figure out. What do you spend on your gas bill? I think they are 77% efficient so divide it out. Let's say you spend £600 per year and replace it with a 90% efficient condensing boiler. You'll save £87 per year if you just replace the boiler and nothing else. Replacing the heating controls will save you a bit more. So I'd take a guess at £100 per year.

Replacing older double glazing with newer UPVC double glazing won't save much. You could save more putting in secondary glazing.

Leif

Cavity wall and loft insulation have better returns than double glazing, which is expensive and does not save huge amounts. Where are the drafts coming from?

If you have a south facing roof, you could install photovoltaic solar cells and benefit from the government's guaranteed feedback tariff which frankly is a rip off from the point of view of the rest of us, but you might do well, ~8 years return period on the investment I think.

ormus

we replaced our baxi back boiler with a new vaillant condensing boiler 5 yrs ago.
along with some new windows and cavity wall & extra loft insulation.
our gas bill went down by 30%.

molerat

It would be nice to be able to accurately apportion that saving but I bet the majority came from the cheapest 2.

marmitepotato

ormus wrote: »

we replaced our baxi back boiler with a new vaillant condensing boiler 5 yrs ago.
along with some new windows and cavity wall & extra loft insulation.
our gas bill went down by 30%.

I agree, we replaced our Baxi back boiler with a new condenser boiler, the guy that did it for us said the old Baxi was a workhorse but was only 60% efficient. Our first gas bill after the change over for the summer quarter was £5!!!!! I was so shocked by this that I had to ring BG to check it was right. As the heating wasnt on and we dont cook with gas we were only using the shower twice a day, so only a minimal amount of water was being heated. I compared the bill with the summer bill from the previous year (£35)and we had saved over £30...result!!

Last year we had the cavity walls and the loft done, the difference was immediate. I would recommend having these done, and if your windows and doors are draughty then try and plug the gaps. I also went to B and Q and got some reflective bubblewrap and put this behind my radiators to reflect the heat back into the room rather than being absorbed by the walls behind.

gas4you

I would say your current boiler is realistically around 60-65% efficient at best.

The biggest saving will always be made from swapping an old BBU with a gravity HW system/cylinder for a new combi.

In your case I would think 30% is easily achievable, especially with the new DG.

xxdeebeexx

The drafts are coming from the gap between the window frame and window openings. They don't fit snugly. The panes are milky in the patio doors and the slugs can get underneath the doors and into our back room!


We insulated the loft last winter but haven’t had cavity wall insulation. The curtains on the back door flap in the wind when the door’s shut.
We have a lovely south facing roof so we could consider photovoltaic solar cells. (I will need to look into that a bit more.)
We have a gravity HW system too. I just assumed that modern boilers and radiators would be much more efficient.

Thanks for the comments .... maybe changing gas supplier and fixing the tariff might be a good start.

Dx