Eco-tec add-on to existing boiler - worthwhile?

marshall009

EachPenny wrote: »

I remember something that sounds a bit like this from many years ago. It was a timer which inhibited further firing of the boiler for a set period of time, rather than just relying on the circulating water thermostat determining the need for firing. The system would still alow the system temperature to reach the maximum, but would allow it to drop a lot further than the point where the system thermostat would normally start firing again.

Not surprisingly, if the boiler fires for less time it uses less energy - but that came at the expense of possibly running the heating system for longer overall in order to achieve the required heat levels.

No doubt something similar is on the market today - and probably far more sophisticated.

What kind of boiler do you have marshall009? If it is a combi then I'd be interested to hear how this device works, as the hot water demand is likely to result in far more frequent firing than the system of old would want to allow - I'm not sure the operating principles would be compatible.

EachPenny, mine is a Sime combi-boiler and the eco-tec system is offered by Midlands renewables, the relevant website (disguised as I'm not permitted to post a link) is vvv,midlandsrenewables.co.uk/ecotec

thanks, mike

matelodave

A brand new shiny Sime combi boiler from Plumbase is around £520 plus VAT and has 5 years warranty. Is it really worth adding a £1400 piece of "magic" on the front of it to save a possible £200 a year.

Entirely up to you of course but it does sound as though you've been brainwashed a bit

System

marshall009 wrote: »

EachPenny, mine is a Sime combi-boiler and the eco-tec system is offered by Midlands renewables, the relevant website (disguised as I'm not permitted to post a link) is vvv,midlandsrenewables.co.uk/ecotec

thanks, mike

The problem is - and I have posted your question on the Automated Home website - is that nobody has ever heard of this type of energy-saving kit. Given the number of old boilers that are still plodding on, one would think that anything that could save a homeowner 30% in heating bills would be flying off the shelves.

Here is a link:

http://www.midlandsrenewables.co.uk/ecotec

The only company that appears to be selling this clever box of tricks is Midland Renewables. I would look at Company House for information about the business.

teddysmum

Buying the setup would be a waste of money, as it won't be used with the next boiler as that boiler will have it as part of its spec.


We leave ours on ,after I asked the installer about switching it off to save gas and he said the amount of gas involved was so small that we may as well leave it on.


Leaving it on means we have hot water after about 300ml of water have left the tap, then a burst of cooler water, before the boiler gives a stream of hot water. The small amount is actually sufficient for a hand wash or rinsing a cup out, so no need for the boiler to kick in and heat water that will just cool in the pipes.

System

Just to make one final point. If you want to spend £1400 to reduce your heating bills, then that amount of money will buy you a lot of Honeywell Evohome Kit which is not boiler dependent. This will allow you to zone your house with electronic TRVs controlling the temperatures in each room. I have had it installed now for over 3 years and my records show a 20% gas saving compared to the 2013/14 annual usage figure with much improved comfort. You can have heat in rooms when and where you want it. Moreover, the system is supported by an excellent technical team at Honeywell. Alternatively, consider something like Hive, Nest or Tado. They are all TPI-based control systems.

With the heating turned down at the moment, my daily gas cost (250L HW cylinder maintained in the temperature range 57 to 60C; 2 people and gas hob cooking) is 35p/day including standing charge and VAT. This time last year with an old cast iron boiler, the cost was 45p/day. It was a lot more before Evohome. Yes, we do shower and eat.

The Evohome controller does all the clever calculations to get maximum efficiency out of each boiler cycle. Details here:

https://getconnected.honeywell.com/en/evohome?gclid=CO7m_vTZwtQCFW4R0wod98MKEg

It's not perfect and it has to be installed properly but it is undoubtedly the most capable smart heating system on the market today.

EachPenny

marshall009 wrote: »

EachPenny, mine is a Sime combi-boiler and the eco-tec system is offered by Midlands renewables, the relevant website (disguised as I'm not permitted to post a link) is vvv,midlandsrenewables.co.uk/ecotec

It does sound similar to the kind of device I was thinking of, but upgraded and quite a bit more complex.

As you have a combi boiler unless you use hot water very infrequently then the boiler is going to be firing quite often just for hot water needs. These firings cannot be inhibited by any kind of add-on device, otherwise you'll have cold water coming out of your hot taps. Therefore I am sceptical about the potential savings you can make - if you had an old traditional style boiler heating a hot water cylinder then the situation might be different.

So I would agree with the wise people who have already offered you their advice. It is a lot of money to spend on a device to achieve a relatively small annual saving. The energy consumption reduction measures suggested by the others are all very sensible and more likely to provide you with a positive return on your investment.

reeac

Hengus wrote: »

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/545245/PFGHR_Report_-_FINAL__1_.pdf

Be wary of men citing statistical savings. It is not 30% off your gas bill as standing charges are fixed. Moreover, the biggest savings in gas usage are in households that use a lot of DHW when the gas flue heat recovery system has a thermal store.

marshall009 wrote: »

This is the Eco-Tec I have been offered midlandsrenewables.co.uk/ecotec (I am not allowed to post a link

I see from their website that midlandsrenewables is situated next to a district called Botany Bay but don't let that put you off.

marshall009

I reckon it just over-rides the internal boiler stat and only allows the boiler to run when there's a preset temperature difference between the incoming and out going water. Although it probably needs the pump to run to work properly.

You'd be a lot better off splashing out a few bob on a wireless programmable thermostat so you can adjust the the temperatures and times that the heating comes on to suit your lifestyle a bit better, cost around £100 installed.

Reduce the temperature of yor hot water and if you've got a tank, make sure it's properly insulated - add another jacket to it and optimise when you heat it - ideally for an hour or so before you get up for morning ablutions and if necessary an hour before bedtime if there's not enough hot water left. There's no advantage it keeping the tank hot all night or all day if you aren't using it.

Do other stuff like reducing the amount of hot water you use/waste and make sure you've got sufficient insulation in your loft. A bit of draught proofing might help as well.

TRV's on your rads are also worth considering and nowadays you can get programmable sensor heads which will turn the valve on & off at preset times/temperatures to give you a bit more control - they'll even fit your existing TRV's

All of that will probably cost you less than a couple of hundred quid and could easily save you 20%[/QUOTE]
Thanks Matelodave, the consensus is agains the eco-wotsit so I will not be going ahead with that.
mine is a combi-boiler so no tank to worry about. My radiators are single-panel with fins and do not heat the house enough in winter so I will probably invest in new double rads, and yes, they will have thermostatic valves though I hope modern ones work!
I have valves on most of my current radiators and they have never really worked - I can turn them right down yet the radiator remains hot

marshall009

My response got a bit messed up trying to quote the previous so I'll repeat the relevant bit here:

Thanks Matelodave, the consensus is against the eco-wotsit so I will not be going ahead with that.
mine is a combi-boiler so no tank to worry about. My radiators are single-panel with fins and do not heat the house enough in winter so I will probably invest in new double rads, and yes, they will have thermostatic valves though I hope modern ones work!
I have valves on most of my current radiators and they have never really worked - I can turn them right down yet the radiator remains hot