High efficiency boiler?

unkel

I'm contemplating changing my boiler, but I need some figures first.

My current 10 year old wall mounted Ideal Classic LXFF FF50 fanned flue gas boiler is working fine, but I have trouble finding out what its efficiency rating is. Can't find it on the sedbuk database. Anyone know?

How much would the total cost be of having a high efficiency boiler (90%?) supplied and installed?

Joey the lips

I would say its B rated or at most C. They were a great boiler and hardly worth the money of changing

JohnnieK

Your boiler would be about 80% efficient and I think (if memory serves me correctly) it is a C or D boiler.

If you have automatic control's on your system and you replace the boiler with a HE boiler you would save about 10% or 15% at a push depending on how well the system was installed. If there are no auto control's on the system well then to get the best from the new boiler the system will have to be upgraded as well, other wise the savings you can expect to make would be roughly 5% at the most which would be pointless.

It also depends on weather your system is suitable or not. If you have what's known as a summer valve (a valve you use to turn just the rads off in the summer but still use the boiler to heat the water) on the system it should be easier to retrofit control's if not well then the system will have to be split in order to fit controls. SEI give grants toward boiler and control's.

After considering all this the choice is do I stick with my 80% efficient boiler that is working fine or do I have the money to get the work done, or wait and save for another 5 years (when life expectancy of boilers normally start to expire) and get it done then. SEI only give €700 and you must get the boiler and controls.

I hope this sheds some light on this for you. But what ever you decide to do make sure the company you get to do it flushes the system prior to installing the new boiler and adds an inhibitor. Boiler manufacturers will not stand by boilers that have been installed on dirty systems. I have been to boilers that are 15 months installed and the heat exchangers have blocked up due to this.

John

unkel

Really? Well that ends my idea of upgrading

http://www.sedbuk.com/pages/bands.htm

B=86-90%
C=82-86%

Agreed it is a good boiler, never given any trouble. And that's after an attic conversion and a large conservatory extention.

Anyone any link though to ease my mind?

JohnnieK

You will have to contact the manufactures, http://www.idealheating.com
and either ring or email them. they are very helpful with technical questions.

Joey is right though it should be in the eighties.

unkel

I filled out the "Technical Help Request" form on their website. I'll report back here if I get an answer. Thanks all!

Joey the lips

unkel wrote: »

Really? Well that ends my idea of upgrading

http://www.sedbuk.com/pages/bands.htm

B=86-90%
C=82-86%

Agreed it is a good boiler, never given any trouble. And that's after an attic conversion and a large conservatory extention.

Anyone any link though to ease my mind?

You never said this. Your problem is not your boiler your problem might be the size of your boiler. I am guessing you added 2 rads to the attic and its opened meaning you have no door to keep the heat in. As you may have no rad on your landen this might cause drafts.

Also I am guessing you added a double 1mt to your kitchen,

Most of these boilers are rated at a max of 80000 btu you might need 10000 btu. This can be assed by working out all the btus in your rads and allowing 20000 btu for water.

How you work the btu's out is get a table from your plumbers providers. Ask them to circle the btus of the rads for you. Tell them you want to understand what your plumber is specifing for your house and he is getting them from that providers. Tell him you dont want to reveal his name... You catch my drift. The providers will tell you how o read the chart because they will want you happy.

Dont forgot to measure double and singles correctly on the sheet. Add up all the rads and you will have an idea of what you need in terms of btu;s

Do you catch my drift....


I ask you this because I suspect now that your house is a little drafty and your trying to get to the bottom of it. Another simple exercise is to increase the insulation in the attic. If your boiler is 10 years old so is your attic and more insulation might help.

However I suspect this might be a problem as you have a lovely slatted roof.

If you need any more just ask

unkel

I've no problems, the reason I was thinking of upgrading was just to save money!

The current boiler is more than adequate even after the extensions. The attic was insulated during the conversion and it has one medium size double radiator which is more than enough. The conservatory has one large double radiator (about 130cm long), which is fine for during day light hours in winter, but after dark we switch it off and pull over the heavy curtain between kitchen and conservatory. Trying to heat the conservatory after dark in the winter would be like trying to burn money.

We did the conservatory after the attic and at the time I discussed the boiler with the plumber and he reckoned the boiler would be adequate. He was right. A neighbour with the same house, the same attic conversion and a large sunroom (bigger than our conservatory) with 2 rads (and he installed a rad in the downstairs toilet - we didn't) needed a boiler upgrade alright...

Joey the lips

Cool... Sorry for the worrying then.

james finn

im a plumber and you dont save as much as they say you do,

keep the one you have and save your money.

unkel

Crap. Ideal replied to me today:

Hello

The efficiency of this boiler is 68%

Thankyou for your enquiry


Ideal Heating
Technical Customer Services Department
01482 498663 (option 1)

That is one inefficient boiler for a 10 year old one

How come you lads reckoned it was 80%? Are most other 10 year old basic gas boilers that efficient? If so, how come my Ideal boiler is way worse than that?

How much ballpark to change my boiler for a >90% efficient new one? I was planning to do a controls upgrade anyway (€500 grant) so the grant on the upgraded boiler itself is only €200.

Anyway, I'd really appreciate all comments, even if you want to answer only one or some of my questions

JohnnieK

unkel wrote: »

Crap. Ideal replied to me today:



That is one inefficient boiler for a 10 year old one

How come you lads reckoned it was 80%? Are most other 10 year old basic gas boilers that efficient? If so, how come my Ideal boiler is way worse than that?

How much ballpark to change my boiler for a >90% efficient new one? I was planning to do a controls upgrade anyway (€500 grant) so the grant on the upgraded boiler itself is only €200.

Anyway, I'd really appreciate all comments, even if you want to answer only one or some of my questions

Hi unkel

That efficiency is terrible al right. I know the early Ideal's had bad efficiency's al right but I never knew it was that bad.

The grant is €700 for boiler and controls and the price depends on how well your existing installation is installed. If you have a summer valve to turn off the rads in the summer well then it's a bit easier than if you dont. I am an RGI and with out getting into a bidding war you could be looking at €3000 to €3500 minus the grant of course. And before anyone comes back saying 3 grand me a**s this is just a ball park. It would be impossible to give an accurate quote with out a site survey.

If you get it done make sure the system is power flushed with a flushing pump (as per boiler manufacturers requirements) prior to the new boiler being installed and then an inhibitor installed (as per boiler manufacturers instructions). The boiler manufacturer will NOT stand by the warranty if it is not. The flushing should be included im the price. Don't let the installer flush the system out with mains because this is ineffective.

yoshytoshy

unkel wrote: »

Crap. Ideal replied to me today:



That is one inefficient boiler for a 10 year old one

How come you lads reckoned it was 80%? Are most other 10 year old basic gas boilers that efficient? If so, how come my Ideal boiler is way worse than that?

How much ballpark to change my boiler for a >90% efficient new one? I was planning to do a controls upgrade anyway (€500 grant) so the grant on the upgraded boiler itself is only €200.

Anyway, I'd really appreciate all comments, even if you want to answer only one or some of my questions

FYI ,got some figures from people who we've done the SEAI grant jobs for.
Bills for same period last year ,roughly 500. This year 350.

Them figures are for the heating controls and boiler upgrade ,using the worcester bosch greenstar.
This year was a fairly cold year aswell;)