With the rising costs of gas and oil, you may find your heating bills escalating out of control. (In fact, some homeowners in the northern part of the United States spend as much as half of their annual energy bills just on heating and cooling.) But if your boiler is 15 years old or more, you may not have to simply accept this fate. You can actually lower your monthly expenses simply by upgrading to a more energy efficient model. With a new energy efficient boiler, not only will your energy bills be less, but you will also minimize how much energy you waste.
Newer Is Better
Many Americans rely on boilers to heat their homes. The typical models are made with cast-iron, steel or copper heat exchanges and have different style burners and venting systems. Regardless of the type you have, a boiler will generally work by transforming natural gas, oil or electricity to heat water or produce steam. The hot water or steam then travels via the piping system in your home to reach your heating element (such as radiators and baseboard convectors).
While both the older and the newer models work on the same premise, how efficiently they perform their job can vary greatly. If your boiler is an older model, the energy rating on it is probably much lower than the current standards. In fact, many of the boilers from days long past have an energy efficiency rating of only 60 percent. What this means is that a full 40 percent of the heat you are paying for is wasted in the end. Compare this to the new energy efficient boilers, which are between 80 and 95 percent energy efficient, or use between 80 to 95 percent of the energy for what it is intended with only a small percentage lost. This is a significant difference, both in terms of dollars and also in environmental impact.
Size Matters
If you’ve decided to invest in a new energy efficient boiler, you should determine the size you need before you start to shop. Since the average life span of a boiler can be two to three decades, this investment must last for quite a while, so it is crucial that you find the right fit for your setting.
The rule of thumb is that people who live in milder climates will be able to spend less on a moderately efficient boiler, while people who live in colder climates should purchase the most efficient boilers they can afford. You can find out how efficient your current, and potential, boiler is by reading the yellow Energy Guide label that is required by law to be displayed on many appliances. The label should list the boiler’s Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency (AFUE).
Every home is different, so your best bet is to call in an expert to assess your situation to make an appropriate recommendation. Most contractors can do a heat-loss, heat-gain assessment to determine the most cost-effective size for your setting. Some of the things he or she will take into account include:
- Size and setup of your home.
- How well insulated it is.
- Number of windows and their efficiency level.
- How much sun your home gets on a daily basis.