Anyone who has been involved in the planning of a central heating system will know that that system has to have a heart. And that heart is the boiler.

Choosing which boiler best suits your needs, as every central heating system has its own particular task to fill, dependant on the type of property it is being installed in and the needs of the family or individual living there. The basic choices these days are oil, electric or gas powered, with the first two gradually ruling themselves out these days, due to the seemingly never ending instability in the crude oil industry.

These days, most people who are planning a central heating system are inclined to go for Gas as the most sensible option, with either  sealed and vented or pumped systems being the most popular choices among the  types of gas central heating systems currently on the market.

When   installing a pumped and vented central heating system, an expansion tank and a feed need to be added to complete  the package.  This will mean that the  hot water will be able to kept within the  storage tank, and constantly  provide enough warm water  both for showers, baths, dishwashers and daily domestic needs as well as filling up  the central heating radiators. One very important point that needs to be taken into account is that the expansion tank must be installed at the highest level within the house, usually in the attic. For this reason, you will find that most traditional family homes have installed this form of heating, while apartment owners tend to opt for a sealed gas central heating system, which doesn’t need a water tank, saving space and reducing maintenance costs. In addition, installing a sealed system means that all the controls and safety devices already in place

Once the decision has been made which system to go for, the next question being which size of boiler is needed, if the pumped and vented central heating system is the one selected. British Gas, by far and away, the UK’s largest supplier of central heating systems offer a range of  boilers that  come in a wide variety of sizes, and by working with a company such as BG you will be guaranteed the best of objective and professional advice as to which size of boiler best suits your needs.

British Gas work with the best boiler manufactures in the World, with Bosch, Baxi and Burnham being just a few of the companies whose boilers are recommended. 

Piecing all of these details together may seem like a tough task, but not if you do so with the backing of Britain’s leading energy company, British Gas.

Tags: Boiler, Boiler Replacement, British Gas, Combination Boiler, Condensing Boiler

It might be a sign that every cloud (or the lack of them) has a silver lining, and when global warming really begins to kick in in the UK, we will be able to heat our water at least ten months of the year in the not distant future. It would take a very good salesman to sell that concept as most of the nation is standing up to their ankles in snow. But that’s what energy and climate change secretary, Ed Miliband, with his announcement this week of a “green loans” scheme to help people pay for improvements to their homes to make them more energy efficient. That means that it will be possible for UK house owner  to take advantage of some government incentives are about to make installing solar water heating panels a financially feasible project, with the only condition that their roof faces south. That is where the sun is supposed to be.

And these systems are far from cheap, costing from   to around £12,500  and under the Renewable Heat Incentive scheme,  due to will come into force in April 2011, who take the risk in following the sun, will be eligible to incentive payments of around £400 a year for an as yet undetermined period.   Whoever dreamed up the scheme has given it no little thought, and you can see the element of risk written all over it. After solar energy is free, and should never be regarded as a reliable alternative to any form of powered central heating. However a family who lays out £6, 000 on installing solar panels will have their money returned to them within fifteen years, even if they don’t save a penny in energy costs during that period. On the other hand, everything they do save is a bonus, and it might even be considerable.  The scheme, which would see loans remain attached to the house where insulation, solar panels or other green technology was installed, aims to overcome the financial barriers and upfront costs people face when trying make their homes greener.

While the expense of installing solar heating might be considerable, arrangements are in place to allow people to pay back any loans involved in installing central heating to be staggered over several years which will make it a little more attractive.   

The question is could that money be better spent elsewhere, with proper insulation being the first question that springs to mind. And the biggest question of them all, which people have been trying to find an answer to for years, is: can you trust the British weather? 

For more information on heating and eco products visit http://www.britishgasboilers.co.uk/energy-store.htm

Tags: Central Heating, Heating, Solar Power

With British Gas reporting record profits for 2009 much of which is to be re-invested in making UK homes easier and cheaper  to keep warm, it’s easy to understand why one out of two households choose this time honoured British company to be their principal energy supplier.

The inescapable fact that British Gas  has now become by far and away  the UK’s cheapest gas  and electricity supplier after  succeeding once again to cut retail prices in January 2010, is making them ever attractive both to existing as well as new customers, as their ever growing market share indicates. There were many raised eyebrows when British Gas’s parent company adopted a strategy to provide both gas and electricity supplies as well as a full range of home services. These services, such as boiler, plumbing maintenance and home appliance insurance, have made British Gas a highly effective “one stop shop” for all energy services.

 Centrica, British Gas’s patent company, spurred by the success of the package deal intend to expand their service base, by working hand in hand with the UK government to improve home energy and work on the development of renewable energy, which may see UK households actually capable of producing some of their own power needs through the use of small-scale wind power utilisation and solar generation.

Centrica have gone ahead, confident that the British public is behind them, to cure some of their well documented problems with dealing on shortages of own gas and electricity supply. This shortage forced Centrica to top up supplies, especially during peak demand times, on the open market, which meant the company often being forced to pay high prices.

With the £1.3 billion acquisition of North Sea gas producer, Venture Production, and the purchase of a 20 per cent stake in the UK nuclear generator British Energy for £2.3 billion, these problems will soon become history, and the UK public will be able to enjoy the full power of British Gas.

Tags: British Gas, electricity and gas, electricity suppliers, Fuel Bills, gas supplier

Just a few weeks after it was announced, the UK government’s boiler scrappage scheme continues to create loads of interest. Till now more than fifty five thousand of the maximum 125,000 grant vouchers have already been claimed.

This means that the government’s Department of Energy and Climate Change have already given around £12.5 million in grants, leaving around 70,000 worth £28 million still to be claimed. The Energy Saving Trust whose role in the project is to process grant applications, are reportedly receiving thousands of 5,000 calls a day at their nationwide call centres.

Householders who are eligible to apply for a grant that will cover a reasonable percentage of the cost of the replacing ‘G’ energy rated boilers need to have a boiler that is more than ten years old and, for the moment, the offer applies to homes in England. Any grants received must be used to replace the old boiler with an ‘A’ rated boiler or equivalent. Any funds due to be refunded will only be remitted by producing the voucher along with a receipt for work carried out by an accredited tradesman.

The scheme, reported to be the brainchild of Prime Minister Gordon Brown was planned not only to reduce costs for the UK householder but also to cut carbon footprints.  The boiler scrappage scheme will provide eligible households £400 towards replacing their aging boilers with new energy efficient ones.

Initially with price estimates of around £2400 being the norm, it began to appear that many UK householders looked like they would have to pass up on the offer. However the Goverment offer began to look a lot more viable when British Gas came in with a dramatic announcement that all of the 125,000

Eligible to be awarded a £400 voucher against the purchase of a new A-rated gas boiler will be granted a further package of discounts and gifts to a value of £852. Stage one is an additional £400 discount, rapidly followed up by the gift of a set of radiator controls valued at £248 as well as Homecare 200 boiler cover for repairs, to a cost of £204. This means that more than half of the cost of replacing the boiler has now been covered.

There is no doubt that these very generous  offers by  British Gas spurred on many to make the decision to take up the  gas boiler replacement offer, and it now only seems like a matter of time before the rest of the grants are snapped up.

For more information on boiler, heating cost  and all your energy needs visit http://www.britishgasboilers.co.uk/

Tags: Boiler, Boiler Replacement, Boiler Scrappage Scheme, British Gas, Climate Change, Department of Energy, Energy Saving Trust

If you were to ask a UK homeowner, especially during these freezing cold winter months, what was more important: their car, their television or their central heating system, the chances are that they would answer that the central heating system wins it. If you were to follow up your first question with “so why it is not insured against breakdown?” they might find it difficult to come up with an answer, apart from perhaps saying “I didn’t know there was such a thing!”.

While the central heating system is one of the most important domestic appliances you will find, faced with the task of providing hot water for showers and baths, laundry as well as a wide variety of other uses in the home, and the doubly important task of keeping the home warm during the winter months, it is often taken for granted. And when something does go wrong, it comes like a bolt from the blue, as if central heating systems are not supposed to break down. Only a family that has been left without hot water and heat for a few days will tell you what a difficult situation that can be. And according to Murphy’s Law, when do central heating systems break down? During the coldest winter days, when you need them the most. 

And with central heating repair men usually working flat out to service other clients with the same problems, the chances of getting one to come out to help you get your heating system operational again within a reasonable time frame is as cold as the ice on your duck pond.

That’s when you realise that taking out central heating insurance is a good idea, and something that you should have done a long time ago. And if your repair is big one, you also realise that you could have covered the cost of a good few years of central heating insurance ahead of time. You flash back to the moment when the company that installed your central heating system offers you a chance to extend your guarantee, and you gave out that most cynical of replies “I’ll think about it and get back to you”. Now you wish you had. 

If you had paid for a central heating insurance service, you would have been eligible to receive a complimentary annual service call, before the winter kicked in, to make sure that your system was functioning as it should and would be ready to cope with the extra strains of the winter.

And in the case of a breakdown, you have a name and an address to call out, and that means around the clock, and a licensed engineer will be dispatched immediately to carry out repairs.

So if you do not have central heating insurance, don’t freeze yourself out. Contact your local Corgi service center and make sure you won’t be left out in the cold.

Authors Box

British Gas Boiler & Controls Insurance Cover provides protection in the event of the breakdown of your boiler and controls. What’s more, it’s available from just £7 a month! Please note this product does not include an Annual Service of your boiler for more Information Visit http://britishgasboilers.co.uk/homecare-from-british-gas.htm

Tags: Boiler, Boiler Replacement, British Gas, Central Heating, Central Heating Insurance, central heating system, Combination Boiler, Condensing Boiler, Insurance

When Chancellor Alasdair Darling in his pre-budget speech hinted that a £400 boiler replacement scheme was in the offing, many UK families rubbed their hands, not only because it was freezing outside but also because at long last they could replace their old, noisy and highly inefficient “G” category boiler with a brand-new “A” category model. The advantages of the scheme which will be felt by many, not only the 120,000 English households who hopefully will be taking part in the scheme as well as the rest of the UK public who will enjoy considerably cleaner air as a result. The UK heating industry, which has experienced a considerable downturn in demand over the last couple of years in recession hit UK look likely to enjoy the benefits, especially as, if expected, the government extend the scheme to the rest of the country.

When the scheme was officially on the 5th of January, those “G” category boiler owners who before were rubbing their hands began scratching their heads, wondering how they would raise the more than two thousand pounds they would need to replace and install their new boilers. However it was only a matter of minutes after Ed Miliband wound up his announcement of the scheme when the smile was returned to their faces with the news that British Gas were to match the UK government’s subsidy with a further £400 discount to those who would be replacing their existing boiler to one from British Gas.

The smile on their faces became even wider with an announcement from British Gas just a few days later that they will be coming in with an
additional package of discounts and gifts to a value of £452. For all those who decide on British Gas to replace their boiler, a gift of a set of radiator controls valued at £248 as well as Homecare 200 boiler cover for repairs, to a cost of £204 will be awarded.

So if you have a G class boiler which could be eligible for replacement, then you should waste no time in taking advantage of BG’s offer. Click on the link below to make enquiries to participate in the scheme. If you are not sure how to go about it, why not contact British Gas on 0845 074 5991 to arrange an informal discussion with one of their highly trained experts.

Tags: Boiler, Boiler Replacement, Boiler Scrappage Scheme, Chancellor Alasdair Darling, Combination Boiler, Condensing Boiler, Scrappage Scheme

Chancellor Alasdair Darling’s pre-budget speech in December 2009 produced very few surprises. One of the most exciting was that the UK Government intended to launch a £400 boiler scrappage allowance which 120,000 families in England would be eligible to take advantage of. The scheme was designed to allow homeowners to replace their existing “G” class boilers with the new ” A” class which are both less expensive to operate and more friendly to the atmosphere and the environment.  The downside for many of those eligible was that to buy and install one of the new a level boilers would cost around £2500. And with Britain still in the grips of a recession, raising more than two thousand pounds looked like being too high a mountain to climb.

No sooner than UK Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change Ed Miliband finished presenting the official launch of the boiler scrappage allowance scheme on January 5^th, than British Gas added some icing to the cake with by matching the UK Government’s offer with a further £400  discount scheme of their own. For many English families, at that moment their dream of replacing their old and inefficient G Level boiler with a newer model suddenly became much more of a reality.  

And just a few days later British Gas  came up with a further offer which now means that around half of the cost of buying and fitting a new gas boiler has been met before those eligible have had to raise a penny.

The improved British Gas offer means £452 in cost savings for families and individuals who will be replacing their boilers, coming in two separate packages

a.)  A set of comprehensive radiator controls for the home or office valued at £248.

b.)  Homecare 200 boiler cover for repairs, to a cost of £204

So if you are one of these homeowners that have a G class boiler calling out to be replaced then now there is no reason to waste any more time in getting the ball rolling in taking up this generous offer. Click on the link below to make enquiries to participate in the scheme. If  there is anything you are not sure about, you should contact one of  British Gas’s highly trained experts and advisors on 0845 074 5991 or click on http://www.britishgasboilers.co.uk/government-scrappage-scheme.htm

Tags: Boiler, Boiler Replacement, Boiler Scrappage Scheme, Chancellor Alasdair Darling, Combination Boiler, Condensing Boiler, Scrappage Scheme

When Chancellor Alasdair Darling announced in his pre-budget speech in December 2009, that the UK Government were establishing  a £400 boiler scrappage allowance for the 120,000 English families who are currently dependant on rickety,  inefficient  and decidedly un-environmentally friendly ” boilers to heat their home, the news was greeted with a certain lack of enthousiasm. To many the £400 was just a drop in the ocean, less than twenty percent of what it would cost the average UK family to pay for and install one of the new a level boilers, which would run into costs of around £2500.

Yet thanks to the generosity of British Gas reaching the goal of having a new and efficient boiler just got an awful lot closer. First of all these warm people at British Gas followed up on Ed Miliband’s opening offer  by  matching the UK Government’s boiler replacement subsidy with a further £400 match discount scheme of their own.  However as those eligible to receive the subsidy and matching discount were still scratching their heads as to how to raise the remaining  £1700, British Gas have come up with another offer that certainly put the icing on the cake. .

The improved British Gas offer means that a further £452 in cost savings has been extended to those eligible to replace their boilers, that comes in two separate packages

1.     A free set of comprehensive radiator controls for the home, with a £248 value.

2.     Homecare 200 boiler cover for repairs, to a cost of £204

So if you have a G class boiler which is due to be replaced category then waste not a moment longer, Set the wheels in motion to take advantage of this one-time opportunity to save money and help the environment. Click on the link below to discover what you need to do to take part in the scheme. If you are not sure how to go about it, give British Gas a call on 0845 074 5991

Tags: Boiler, Boiler Replacement, Boiler Scrappage Scheme, Chancellor Alasdair Darling, Combination Boiler, Condensing Boiler, Scrappage Scheme

With the coldest winter in almost a quarter of a century has been recorded and with much of it still in front of us, it no wonder that  the principal consideration in many English households have been in the last few weeks, how do we make sure that our house will be me much warmer next winter .  .

No one could ever accuse Chancellor Alasdair Darling of being a clairvoyant, yet when he announced in his pre-budget speech in December 2009, that the UK Government would be awarding a £400 boiler scrappage allowance and that any English house-owner with a “G” class boiler will be eligible to receive it, the more than one hundred thousand who fell into this category sat up and took notice.

While it is too late to take advantage of the offer for this winter, any of those eligible did some initial homework and were shocked to discover that  to purchase and install one of the new “A “level boilers would cost around £2500. And with Britain still in the grips of a recession, that is a lot of money, even as the excellent  long term investment that it is, and possibly too much to expect for many to take on.

When you speak about mind reading, you have to  give British Gas a lot of credit. For no sooner than Ed Miliband officially announced the launch of the scheme on a freezing cold 5^th of January day, than they  came in with a offer to those who want to take part in the scheme, yet feel that it may be too much to take on. British Gas just made the whole deal look a lot more attractive by  matching the UK Government’s offer with a further £400  discount scheme of their own. No sooner had the excitement died down on that generous gesture, when , just a few days later  British Gas came up with a enhancement of their offer which together will now cover around half of the cost of buying and fitting a new gas boiler.

The improved British Gas offer means that a further £452 in cost savings has been extended to families and individuals who will be replacing their boilers, coming in two separate packages

1.     A set of comprehensive radiator controls for the home or office valued at £248.

2.     Homecare 200 boiler cover for repairs, to a cost of £204

So if you are one of these people who still have a G class boiler then waste no more time in taking advantage of this exciting offer. Click on the link below to enquire how to go about taking part in the scheme. If you have any questions, contact British Gas on 0845 074 5991 for a free consolation from one of their highly trained advisors, or click on the link below.

http://www.britishgasboilers.co.uk/government-scrappage-scheme.htm

Tags: Boiler, Boiler Replacement, Boiler Scrappage Scheme, Chancellor Alasdair Darling, Combination Boiler, Condensing Boiler, Scrappage Scheme

If you find that you constantly need to clean your electric kettle of limescale, the chances are that you live in a part of the UK where the water is “hard”. Living with hard water is a problematic issue for home owners, which manifests itself in many ways. Build-up of limescale deposits is more than just a nuisance, and can be very costly if left untreated, especially within a closed water heating system such as central heating. 

The reason for this is that the accumulation limescale deposits in your central heating system will reduce its efficiency and increase full costs by up to forty percent. This can add up to a lot of money when taken annually, and at this time of the year all of us want our central heating systems to work to their maximum efficiency.

To prevent the buildup of calcium in a water heating system in hard water regions, homeowners are faced with little option but to consider various forms of treating and filtering their water before it enters into their domestic system either for consumption or domestic usage.

Filtering water is usually the most effective way of acquiring acceptable levels of cleanliness, and yet one that is much less common than using chemical methods of scale reducers and inhibitors. The reason being is that installing a home water filtering system involves a relatively high one of expense, whereas chemical treatments are more localised and accordingly less expensive in the short term. In the long term, filtration systems will work out to be much more cost effective and will generally disallow the need for the intrusion of chemicals into the water system. A recent and possibly viable alternative that has come on the market are magnetic and electronic anti-lime mechanisms, which may become a reasonable compromise for many families.

If water with a high limescale concentration is allowed to flow through a central heating system indefinitely, the result is that corrosion will set in and this will be more pronounced if metals such as aluminum or brass are connected together in the system. The calcium will simply build up at these points and will eat away at the pipes, causing considerable damage and upheaval.  This is the reason why all gas connections and installations should done by a company who have been CORGI registered.

If you fail the “kettle test” you shouldn’t delay in finding a solution to your hard water problem. In the long term it will only save you money!

Tags: Boiler, Boiler Replacement, British Gas, Central Heating, Combination Boiler, Condensing Boiler, Corgi