How to use heating and hot water systems efficiently
Checking boiler efficiency
Heating engineers checking commercial and domestic boiler efficiency can get useful information from several sources, including the:
- Seasonal Efficiency of Domestic Boilers in the UK (SEDBUK) boiler efficiency database
- Council of Registered Gas Installers
- Institute of Domestic Heating and Environmental Engineers (IDHEE)
- Heating and Ventilating Contractors Association
Efficiency ratings (domestic installations)
The energy efficiency of boilers intended for domestic use is rated in bands:
- A - 90 per cent and above
- B - 86-90 per cent
- C - 82-86 per cent
- D - 78-82 per cent
- E - 74-78 per cent
- F - 70-74 per cent
- G - below 70 per cent
Boiler efficiency database (domestic installations)
To check the efficiency of a particular model of domestic boiler, you can consult the boiler efficiency database. This contains efficiency data for current boiler models, and is updated monthly.
Boiler checklists
Step-by-step checklists for monitoring boiler energy efficiency are available online for:
- homeowner gas-fired heating installations - you can download a checklist for domestic gas-fired heating installations (PDF, 501K)
- homeowner oil-fired home heating installations - you can download a checklist for domestic oil-fired heating installations (PDF, 501K)
Gas boilers and space heaters below 100 kilowatts should be assessed every four years. Oil-fired or solid-fuel boilers, and space heaters larger than 100 kilowatts, should be assessed every two years.
Energy Performance Certificates
Boiler efficiency forms part of a building's overall energy performance, which must be displayed in the form of an Energy Performance Certificate.