About High Efficiency

A high-efficiency condensing boiler is by far the most efficient and economical boiler money can buy. Choose wisely and it will prove to be an investment, not an expense.

The term ‘condensing’ is derived from the creation of condensation within the boiler or flue system, which is a natural process when combustion of any kind takes place. A condensing boiler is more efficient due to its ability to extract more heat from the gas used.

Perhaps the term ‘high efficiency’ in is best summed up by this staggering fact: if every home in the UK installed a high-efficiency condensing boiler, the money saved would cover the cost of the annual fuel and power bills of more than two million households.*

The Worcester Greenstar condensing boilers are all rated in SEDBUK Band A – the highest efficiency band achievable. They are more than 90% efficient – which in simple terms means that over 90% of the gas consumed when the burner is firing is converted into heat for your heating and hot water system. So there’s very little energy wastage, resulting in very economical running costs and lower bills. You need less gas or oil to achieve the same heat – so they simply make sense. By comparison, many older boilers in use around the UK operate at as low as 50% efficiency – that’s 50p of every pound of your fuel bill ‘disappearing up the chimney’ – does that make sense? No it doesn’t, and that’s why the Government is acting to stop it. Many others are hovering around 70-75% efficiency, but that’s still a quarter of your bill that is wasted. The good news is that replacing an old boiler with a new high-efficiency condensing boiler could give you immediate savings of around 30% on your heating bills.*

How is this high efficiency achieved?

Like most good ideas, it’s very simple. Unlike all other types of boiler, which allow heat to escape wastefully up the flue, a condensing boiler saves and uses this heat for your benefit. It does this by means of a larger or second heat exchanger. This not only increases boiler efficiency dramatically but also reduces emissions of both CO2 (Carbon Dioxide) and NOx (Nitrogen Oxide) to extremely low levels – good news in the battle to combat global warming and to address climate change.

What types of fuel are high-efficiency condensing boilers suitable for?

All the benefits of condensing boiler technology apply equally to high-efficiency boilers fuelled by gas, LPG (liquid petroleum gas) or oil.

Is there an ideal time to install a new high-efficiency condensing boiler?

There’s never a bad time to cut your fuel bills! However, normally, new boilers are installed in a home for one of two main reasons: as part of a brand new central heating and hot water system, or to replace an old boiler which is either inefficient or prone to costly breakdowns. If you happen to be in the process of improving your kitchen or bathroom, it makes good sense to consider fitting a new high efficiency condensing boiler at the same time. This way you will reap all of the benefits – and at minimal cost and disruption.

What are SEDBUK ratings?

Seasonal Efficiency of Domestic Boilers in the UK (SEDBUK) is the method developed under the Government’s Energy Efficiency Best Practice Programme with the co-operation of boiler manufacturers and provides a basis for fair comparison of different models. SEDBUK is the average annual efficiency achieved in typical domestic conditions, making reasonable assumptions about pattern of usage, climate, control and other influences. Central heating boilers now come with an energy label, as do many white goods appliances – your fridge, your washing machine etc. Building Regulations stipulate that as of 1st April 2005, only condensing boilers rated in Band A or Band B (A being the highest and most efficient) can be installed. If your home currently has a central heating boiler with a SEDBUK rating label, this table will enable you to compare it with a Band A or Band B high-efficiency condensing boiler.

* Source: Energy Saving Trust, 2005