Upgrade boiler in new house to Combi?

FreeBear

Eldi_Dos said:

Martyn_H said:

There's only the two of us in our house but our gas consumption for a non combi boiler is a rather high 15000 kWhs per annum. Having said that, our dual fuel direct debit is only £145 per month.

You might be able to lower that consumption by installing a more modern boiler control/thermostat at not too great a cost.

Some researchers claim up to 15% can be saved by fitting a programmable thermostat. In reality, a 5% saving is more likely. A saving of around £40 per year (at 5%) for the OP based on current gas prices.

Martyn_H

Eldi_Dos said:

Martyn_H said:

There's only the two of us in our house but our gas consumption for a non combi boiler is a rather high 15000 kWhs per annum. Having said that, our dual fuel direct debit is only £145 per month.

You might be able to lower that consumption by installing a more modern boiler control/thermostat at not too great a cost.

Boiler is 9 years old

Eldi_Dos

Martyn_H said:

Eldi_Dos said:

Martyn_H said:

There's only the two of us in our house but our gas consumption for a non combi boiler is a rather high 15000 kWhs per annum. Having said that, our dual fuel direct debit is only £145 per month.

You might be able to lower that consumption by installing a more modern boiler control/thermostat at not too great a cost.

Boiler is 9 years old

Sorry misread your post as non condensing boiler which made me think it was older, but even at nine years old improvements might be had by looking into improving control's.

lookbook

You should qualify for a free boiler grant on such an old system.

FreeBear

lookbook said:

You should qualify for a free boiler grant on such an old system.

Highly unlikely. My boiler was even older (installed in 1988). The only grant I could get was for a heat pump if I had an EPC and had done the recommended thermal upgrades (the latter requirement has since been relaxed).

Martyn_H

Steveotwo said:

Martyn_H said:

There's only the two of us in our house but our gas consumption for a non combi boiler is a rather high 15000 kWhs per annum. Having said that, our dual fuel direct debit is only £145 per month.

Do you think it would lower much with a combi?

My friend has a similar size house to me with a combi and his bills are much lower. We usually shower and never have the heating above 20C. It's a 1930s semi with solid walls.

Albermarle

Martyn_H said:

Steveotwo said:

Martyn_H said:

There's only the two of us in our house but our gas consumption for a non combi boiler is a rather high 15000 kWhs per annum. Having said that, our dual fuel direct debit is only £145 per month.

Do you think it would lower much with a combi?

My friend has a similar size house to me with a combi and his bills are much lower. We usually shower and never have the heating above 20C. It's a 1930s semi with solid walls.

Your higher bills are probably more to do with the poor insulating properties of solid walls than anything else.
Heating will normally use a lot more gas than the hot water, with a combi or not.

Martyn_H

Albermarle said:

Martyn_H said:

Steveotwo said:

Martyn_H said:

There's only the two of us in our house but our gas consumption for a non combi boiler is a rather high 15000 kWhs per annum. Having said that, our dual fuel direct debit is only £145 per month.

Do you think it would lower much with a combi?

My friend has a similar size house to me with a combi and his bills are much lower. We usually shower and never have the heating above 20C. It's a 1930s semi with solid walls.

Your higher bills are probably more to do with the poor insulating properties of solid walls than anything else.
Heating will normally use a lot more gas than the hot water, with a combi or not.

His walls are also solid.

Albermarle

Martyn_H said:

Albermarle said:

Martyn_H said:

Steveotwo said:

Martyn_H said:

There's only the two of us in our house but our gas consumption for a non combi boiler is a rather high 15000 kWhs per annum. Having said that, our dual fuel direct debit is only £145 per month.

Do you think it would lower much with a combi?

My friend has a similar size house to me with a combi and his bills are much lower. We usually shower and never have the heating above 20C. It's a 1930s semi with solid walls.

Your higher bills are probably more to do with the poor insulating properties of solid walls than anything else.
Heating will normally use a lot more gas than the hot water, with a combi or not.

His walls are also solid.

Unusual, in that by the 1930’s, most houses were cavity wall( or partly cavity wall.

Steveotwo

ic said:

Have you checked the details of your boiler?  Whilst it might not be condensing, given its age it could still be pretty efficient - and might be B or C rated.  You might find yourself spending £1000s on an upgrade that might never pay for itself - especially if you might then move to a heat pump within the next ten years anyway.

Simple stuff like flushing the system, fitting TRVs if they're not present, upgrading the controls, insulating the tank and pipework to it could offer a far better return.  Also all the usual stuff - is the loft insulated, cavity walls, doors and windows draught proofed?

Its a baxi solo 2004 I think around 80% at the time But I think they say you lose efficiency over time to maybe its around 70-75% now? Loft insulation is pretty decent 

How would I go about a system flush, is it pricey? Would I be best just to run this boiler into the ground and then upgrade?