When you look at how much you spend on energy to run your household appliances each year, you may notice two important trends.

According to a recent national survey, as much as 77 percent of the energy you purchase each year is allocated to running your heating system (furnace, boiler, heat pump, space heater, etc.). We can’t do anything about the British weather, which delivers more cold weather than hot in an average calendar year. But what if you could do something to control how much you have to spend to heat your home and your water? For this, you may want to learn more about a nifty new appliance called a combination heating boiler!

What Is a Combination Heating Boiler?

A “combi,” or combination heating boiler, is an appliance that can do two things well: heat your home space and provide you with hot water.

Not only is this type of appliance highly efficient — up to 95 percent AFUE (annual fuel utilization efficiency) with some Energy Star-certified models — at converting energy into usable heat or hot water, but it is also quite compact in terms of size. Modern units can free up more valuable space (up to 80 percent more!) inside your home for other uses.

In the past, combination heating boilers were typically recommended only for installation in smaller spaces with just one bathroom, modest hot water demand, and no overlapping hot water usage. Today, the combination heating boiler has evolved to the point at which it can accommodate heating and hot water needs in larger spaces as well. Best of all, a combination heating boiler can often be linked to an additional stand-alone hot water heater for homes and workplaces with high-demand hot water output needs.

What Makes a Combi Boiler High Efficiency?

A high-efficiency combination boiler—one that can achieve 95 percent AFUE or higher—uses a heating method called “condensing.” Instead of venting excess heat energy to the outside as “waste,” a condensing combi boiler recycles that heat energy and uses it to pre-heat water coming into the unit from the mains. This achieves energy efficiency on two levels:

• It means your boiler uses less energy overall to perform its work.
• It means your boiler recycles energy that would otherwise have been wasted.

How a Combination Heating Boiler Works

In essence, a combination heating boiler is a high-efficiency appliance that uses condensing technology to heat water and distribute it for heating and hot water as needed.

A combination heating boiler uses tankless hot water technology to provide heated water on demand. This removes the requirement for a space-intensive hot water storage tank. It also speeds up hot water output and improves water pressure at the output, since the water being heated flows indirectly from the mains.

Some combi boilers now have the option to store excess heat energy in an internal heat exchanger and reuse it later.

How a Combi Boiler Can Save You Money, Starting Now

One cool way to save money from the get-go is to make sure the rest of your home is as energy efficient at conserving heat as possible before you even buy your new combination heating boiler! An energy-tight home can reduce your home’s heating load, allowing you to buy a smaller unit that takes less energy to operate.

Weatherstripping, caulking and sealing, and adding extra insulation around pipes and in between walls, ceilings, and floors can help retain heat and lower energy costs.

Schedule your boiler’s annual inspection and maintenance service

A well-maintained combi boiler will be more energy-efficient to operate. It will also last longer! You don’t need to schedule an inspection and maintenance service more than once per year. But making sure to do this annually can improve your energy efficiency, lower your heating and hot water bills and ensure your boiler does not present any home fire risks!