When it’s time to invest in a new heating system for your home, there are many options out there to choose from. A desirable one for many homeowners is a boiler. To ensure that you get the appropriate boiler for your home, there are a few key tips that you’ll want to follow.
The Importance of Properly Sizing a Boiler
Getting the right size boiler for your home will ensure optimal operating efficiency and comfort. However, if you get a boiler that’s undersized, it won’t be able to heat your home up to a comfortable temperature. However, if the boiler is too big, that won’t be good either. The boiler will create too much heat and run in short cycles, which will ultimately waste excess energy.
Understanding Boiler Capacity
Boiler capacities are given in BTUs, known formally as British thermal units. Each BTU represents how much energy it takes to increase the temperature of one pound of water by one degree Fahrenheit. A professional HVAC technician will be able to take multiple unique factors of your home into consideration when determining the appropriate BTUs that your new boiler system will need to have. Some of these factors include your home’s square footage, geographical climate, the amount of insulation that’s in your home, how many doors and windows you have, and so forth. We’re going to dive a little deeper into many of these factors below.
Radiator Count
Boiler systems are typically used alongside radiators to disperse heat throughout your home. The number of radiators in your home is going to have a significant impact on the size of your boiler. Your boiler needs to be powerful enough to create heat for each radiator unit effectively at the same time.
Home Size and Layout
Larger homes obviously have more space that needs to be heated up. The layout of a home can greatly influence its heating needs. For example, let’s say that your home has an open concept where air can freely travel throughout most of the rooms in your home. You can get away with a smaller boiler setup than a home that’s sectioned off with many different walls where air is unable to travel well.
Heat Loss
Determining a home’s heat loss comes down to using a specific calculation. It takes into account numerous features, including the home’s insulation type, floor area, windows, doors, and so forth. Basically, all household attributes that can contribute to heat loss are necessary to consider.
Other Factors of a New Boiler to Consider
Apart from choosing a proper-sized boiler unit, there are various other factors that you’ll want to take into account when selecting your new unit. One of the most important is the system’s fuel type. Boilers can be designed to run on natural gas, electricity, heating oil, or propane. Typically, natural gas and propane are the cheapest fuel to run, while electricity is the most expensive.
Another factor to consider is operating efficiency. A boiler’s efficiency will be given in the form of an AFUE rating. Standard boilers have an operating efficiency below 90% and are the most affordable option. High-efficiency boilers are another more expensive option that operates at an efficiency level above 90%. The more efficiently your boiler operates, the less money you’ll need to spend on utility bills. Plus, some high-efficiency boiler systems come with a tax rebate from the federal government.
There are three types of boiler systems that you can purchase for your home, which include combi, system, and conventional. Combi boilers are ideal for smaller homes where there’s not a lot of space. This system doesn’t require any tanks or cylinders to do its job, which gives it a space-saving design. It also requires less upkeep than other boiler types, and far less compared to the ongoing professional maintenance needs of furnaces.
A system boiler is best for mid-sized homes that have a high demand for both heating and hot water. This type of boiler implements a water cylinder to do its job. Last is the conventional boiler. These are typically ideal for larger homes and have a separate cylinder devoted for hot water. These are also called open-vent boilers, regular boilers, and heat-only boilers.
Expert Boiler Installation Service
OnTIME Service offers expert boiler installation service to the Henderson, KY area. We can also help with all your heating needs as well as air conditioning, plumbing, geothermal, indoor air quality, air duct cleaning, and commercial HVAC services. Contact us to book your next service consultation today.
