Choosing the most suitable boiler for your home might appear challenging because of abundant layouts. The boiler type you buy is rated to last up to fifteen years and will provide heating and hot water all year round.
Choosing a boiler appropriate for your home’s heating and hot water needs is essential since this helps you achieve energy bills that are necessary without high energy-consuming bills.
Selecting the right size boiler is important
The term ” size of the boiler” isn’t about its physical size. In this case, what we refer to is not the input but rather the kilowatts (kW) output showing how much heat energy the boiler generates.
The ability to decide on the optimal size of boiler for your home means you are using energy and money effectively. The more heat and hot water that need to be provided, the larger the equipment should be. In addition, multiple other factors influence the decision to select the correct size.
Number of radiators
While choosing the perfect boiler size for your home, the radiators help determine a substantial factor. Regarding the size of boilers, small flats, and apartments can often be served by a smaller boiler unit. More energy is not required to heat the space and provide hot water.
To heat a regular three or four-bedroom house with 15 radiators, you could use either small or medium boilers (with a capacity of about 24-30 kW). Homes with more than the average number of radiators or private bathrooms need a more substantial boiler of about 30-35kW.
When it comes to larger houses(10 radiators or even more), the combi boiler(35-42kW) is more suitable for heating the whole house effectively. The other option may be to change the system boiler, which may fit the size requirement for better efficiency.
Consider dimensions, Layouts, and heating demands
The size of the boiler for larger properties should be more powerful enough to heat the entire building and maintain the right water pressure.
The number of bathrooms and how often they are used for showers and baths also affect the size of the boiler needed. The high demand of hot water and heating especially in individual homes requires more kW for boilers.
Heat loss
In contrast to the old dimensions of boilers, which were entirely based on the area of the premises, now when deciding on the boiler size, the desired efficiency of heating takes over another important role.
Nowadays, heating engineers use a better method: estimating the thermal leakage of your home. This formula includes floor area, number of radiator windows, insulation, and other aspects that reduce heat loss.
Fuel type
The available fuel type can affect boiler selection size since each fuel type’s efficiency also varies.” Gas boilers are highly efficient and are used in almost all UK houses.
Those not connected to the gas mains typically use oil-fired or LPG (liquid petroleum gas) instead.
Moreover, they incorporate solar panels that will be connected to the boilers. We need to look at the case (boiler size) when choosing the correct boiler for your home.
Type of boiler
If you want to go for boiler size, first you need to choose the suitable boiler type for your home as well. You may find different types of boilers, each with upsides and efficiencies based on your available space and the boiler system you already own.
In the following short paragraph, we talk about the three most common types of boilers.
Combi Boilers:
Combination boilers, mainly used by households in the UK, are combi boilers. They can produce hot water whenever necessary and do not need to store it.
Combi saves space by compressing the water heater and central heating boiler into one compact package. They are always ready and quickly warm water if needed.
Conventional Boilers:
They are also known as ‘Standard,’ ‘Traditional,’ or ‘Regular varieties’ and use storage tanks for the hot and cold water to heat them.
They utilize fuel such as gas and oils to boil water cans, which are then moved to the hot water tank. When the hot water is turned on or heated, it flows to taps or showers.
System Boilers:
System boilers are compact for larger spaces or houses with higher hot water requirements. They take the main water and use it to heat them in the storage system with a cylinder for household use.
With the connection to the main water supply, the system boilers remove the necessity of the cold tank and instantly give hot water at multiple outlets with no water pressure drop.
Boiler Right Size Calculator:
That’s the boiler type that suits your house, and it’s time to get the correct size. The following details the types of boilers suitable for the three most common types of boilers.
On the other hand, we have a guide for boiler buying to help you make a reasonable choice when replacing a boiler or buying a new one that is entirely suitable for your home and subject to central heating.
Here’s a quick overview of boiler sizes:
Apartment/Flat or Home with Up to 2 Bedrooms:
- Bedrooms: 1 – 2
- Number of Bathrooms: 1
- Radiators: Up to 10.
- Recommended Boiler Size: 24 to 27 kW.
Apartment/Flat or Home with 2-3 Bedrooms and 1 Shower:
- Number of Bedrooms: 2-3
- Bathroom number: 1
- No. of Radiators: 3-15
- Recommended Boiler Size: 28kW -34kW
House with 4+ Bedrooms and 2 Showers:
- Number of Bedrooms: 4+
- Bathrooms numbers: 2+
- Radiators: From 1 through 28.
- Recommended Boiler Size: 35KW – 42Kw.
FAQs
What size combi boiler for your home do you go for?
Combi boilers are compact units that provide both home heating and instant hot water from one device, saving space without the need for extra tanks. They have two separate output ratings:
- Central Heating (CH) contains the output.
- DHW output by families/households
The radiators, tower, and system boilers produce only central heating outputs as the hot water is stored in a warm water cylinder. The number of radiators in your home accounts to the extent of deciding the appropriate combi boiler size.
Here are the recommended combi boiler sizes based on the number of radiators:
- Up to 10 Radiators: Combi Boiler Size (CH output) Recommended is 24-27 kW.
- 10-15 Radiators: An estimated Combi Boiler Size (CH output) is 28-34 kW.
- 15-20 Radiators: CH output CH Output Size suggested is 35 to 42 kW.
What size system boiler do you need for your home?
It is an easier task for you to determine the suitable size system boiler for your home compared to combi boilers, which require a separate hot water cylinder to heat and store domestic water.
To find the suitable system boiler output rating, simply count the number of radiators in your home, similar to how it’s done for combi boilers:
- Up to 10 Radiators: Recommended Unit’s Output is 9-18 kW.
- 10-15 Radiators: Proposed System Boiler Size is 18-26 kW
- 15-20 Radiators: Suggested System Boiler Size is 26-40 kW
