Tankless or Combi Boilers - the Debate Continues
Are you one of the many thousands of UK householders who spent the better part of last winter trying to keep yourself warm? If you are you will no doubt be scratching your head to make sure that it doesn't happen again this winter, and now is the season where forward thinking people will begin to consider upgrading their water heaters and central heating. You might even be moving into a new home and have the opportunity to specify which type of water boiler you will need to heat your system.
These days the developments in water heating more or less narrow down your choices to just two. A tankless or a combi boiler.
The principal difference between the two is that a tankless water heater, as it sounds, does not store any hot water. Instead it heats it on demand, making them considerably more energy efficient than any form of storage tank water heaters. While tankless water heaters are designed to provide an endless supply of hot water their ability to supply is limited, with most tankless boilers capable of providing between two to five gallons of hot water per minute. Families who need a lot of water will find this quantity very minimal, especially if they use a lot of hot water during certain peak times.
Whether this is an advantage of disadvantage very much depends on the water use of the family, while one of the main advantages is that a tankless water heater requires very little storage space. Taking these factors into account will tell you that a tankless system will ideally suit a small family, and the more the demands for hot water "on demand" the more likely it will be that the combi heater will fit the bill, especially if a central heating system comes into the picture.
A Combi boiler contains all the components and factors required to operate a full house central heating system. Obviously the larger the house and the demands of the family for hot water for washing, washing machines, dishwashers, showers and baths, than the larger the capacity that the Combi heater will have to handle.
That's why it's important that a family should sit down and discuss their requirements for hot water, taking into account several factors. The key ones should be:
- How much hot water will I need at peak times?
- How much hot water will I need at peak times during the coldest winter day?
- How much hot water will I need in five years time?
Many families tend to take the short term view when deciding which boiler will suit their requirements best of all. This will usually turn out to be a mistake, because in most cases demands change. Ideally the decision should be based on anticipated demands for the future and not on short term budget demands, Home owners should never forget that any form of upgrade to their heating system is an investment that will serve them well for the future.
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