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How Often To Service Boiler?

A boiler is a vital part of any home especially if you’re in the UK. Not only does provide your entire household with hot water and keep them warm but also adds a good value to your property. Boiler repairs and replacement are both super expensive and stressful, so in order to avoid all these worries, it’s better to have your boiler serviced on a regular basis for your own peace of mind. When you call in a reliable heating engineer, it can immensely raise your boiler’s efficiency while also saving you from more expensive issues down the road.

So if you haven’t had your boiler serviced for quite some time, moved into a new house and not aware the last time your boiler was serviced or perhaps you’re just wondering how often a boiler should be serviced, then you’ve come to the right place! The short and simple answer to this question is a boiler should should be serviced once in a year, and most preferably during the summer months. However, there are a wide range of factors that comes into play so it’s always advisable to check with your manufacturer before you proceed.

According to the law, you’re required to have your boiler services on an annual basis. Failure to do so can render your boiler or home warranty void. Therefore, it’s very crucial to take down the last time your boiler was serviced and also set a reminder to book your next appointment when the time closes in.

If you happen to own an electric boiler you may not need an annual servicing. But you may still be required to perform it annually by your insurance provider.

Biomass boilers can be designed to work with other kinds of heating. The most common of these is solar thermal. This is a popular renewable energy pairing. Solar thermal heating will meet your hot water needs during the summer while a biomass boiler can operate as a backup during the winter when solar thermal panels do not perform as well.

Is Electric Heating Expensive?

Well, electric heating being termed as “expensive is relative to your budget. But we can tell you making use of electric heating will cost you within the range of an additional £300 to £400 per year more than the conventional gas powered systems. Meanwhile the average UK home making use of heating has been found to incur around £550 on an annual basis while those using electric storage heaters will spend almost £900 every year, according to OVO Energy.

However, there are numerous benefits of using electric heating and some of which can contribute to give a lower cost. If you’re considering the installation of an electric heating, here are some of the benefits you’ll derive.

• Safety. The several risks that comes with traditional systems are greatly reduced with an electric heating system. For instance, there’s no risk of carbon monoxide emissions or potential explosions since there’s no use of fuel to run the system.

• Installation. When compared to traditional systems, electric heating quite inexpensive to fit. This is due to the fact that minimal hardware are needed in the installation - no pipes, no flues, no vents and no ducts to be used. As a result, electric heating systems can also be installed within a shorter period of time.

• Environment. Generally, electricity has a positive impact on the environment especially due to the fact that there are no gasses or heavy metals incorporated in the system’s make up.

• Control. Electric heating offers a more convenient and controllable system. What’s more? This does not only make life easier, but can also help save as much as 30 percent on yearly cost of heating as well as helping to minimize toxic carbon emission. Furthermore, there’s a built in Wi-Fi that usually comes with electric heating systems while same can not be said of traditional gas systems.

If you’re building a connected home, a smart thermostat allows you to change the temperature in your home. And not only do several smart thermostats come with touch screens and a user friendly interface, but they’re also compatible with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant and other voice controlled personal assistants. So how does a smart thermostat work? Let’s have a look!

Generally, smart thermostats are connected to the home’s Heating and/or Air Con system via C wire (common wire). Homes that lacks a C wire (especially older homes) will have to install one first before getting a smart thermostat. The C wire is a crucial element in the installation process as it works mainly to wire your smart thermostats into the Boiler system without tampering with the wiring for the other appliances in the house.

The smart thermostats comes with some special temperature setting which you can access by connecting them to your home’s WiFi. These include:

• Mobile Control

Most smart thermostats are specially designed to enable users to control the temperature of their home from the comfort of their couch or car via their unique mobile apps. This feature is just perfect if you particularly like getting the perfect temperature in your home without having to get out of bed.

• Humidity Controls

Although, the humidity of your home can not really be adjusted with a smart thermostat but you can always stay on top of it by monitoring it or setting an alarm on your phone to go off when the humidity changes.

• Geofencing Feature

With a smart thermostat, you can choose the particular times of the day you want it in action. This feature enables you to go on impromptu travels without having to worry about your energy bills - some smart thermostats come with the geotracking feature which determines when you’ve left the house and adjusts the temperature of the home accordingly with your energy usage in mind.

How Much Does It Cost To Move A Gas Meter?

When your gas meter is not in the right location while completing your renovation works or extending your property, it can be a worrying experience.

As a homeowner, you’re not allowed by the law to move your gas meter by yourself - it’s a very dangerous task that’s too risky to undertake just by watching a Youtube video or reading a blog post. Moving of a gas meter can and should only be carried out by a qualified and licensed gas supplier. And this, ultimately, gives rise to the question - how much does it cost to move a gas meter? Before we provide an answer for that, let’s look at what moving of a gas meter entails.

First and foremost, moving of a gas meter typically involves switching off the gas source to your home or property. The pipeline about 2 metres away from your property would be cut into for safety reasons and diverted into another position. Furthermore, you can as well apply that your meter should be re-fitted and re-linked to the inner copper pipeline, but that’s if the inner copper pipeline happens to be within two metres of the new location of your gas meter.

The time involved in the completion of a gas meter re-location project depends largely on the complexity of the job as each project is unique. Typically, the standard timescale from preparation to the final stage of moving a gas meter will take between 4 to 8 weeks. Finally, how much will it cost to relocate your gas meter?

As there are no government funds to subsidize gas meter relocation costs, this can be a very expensive work to carry out. Generally, the price to move a gas meter of about 5m will start within the range of £640 to £670.

Condensing boilers are the in-thing when it comes to modern heating systems in UK businesses and across the globe for a good reason. This is primarily due to the fact that condensing boilers happens to be highly efficient as it enables the fuel you’re burning to heat up your home go a lot further. Having a new high efficiency condensing boiler rather than an old G-rated non condensing boiler will not only enhance your heating controls, but also save you a lot of money annually. In this article, we’re going to take you through the basics of a condensing boiler. Let’s take a closer look!

If you’re interested in getting a greener and more efficient boiler, you simply can’t afford to look beyond a high efficiency condensing boiler. This is purely due to the fact that these condensing boilers happens to make a better use of the heat they’re able to produce from burning fuels like oil or gas ( in other words, they require less heat from the burner, which makes them a lot more efficient).

So how does a condensing boiler work? Unlike a non-condensing heat-nly boiler, some heat will be wasted in form of hot gases which are released from the flue. Meanwhile a condensing boiler captures some of the heat from these gases and puts them to use for heating up water that’s coming back from your central heating system. As a result, it requires just a minimal heat from the burner which make the boiler more efficient.

You should take note that all new modern boilers are condensing boilers. Therefore if you’re planning to replace an old boiler with a new one, you’ll definitely be buying a new condensing boiler and benefit from all the efficiency and savings that comes with it.

In recent times, home and property owners are constantly looking for ways in which to enhance both energy efficiency and sustainability especially as the world draws closer and closer to energy-efficient technology. The Nest thermostat is a great example of this fact as its designed in such a way to save energy while also cutting heating and cooling costs. And an interesting fact is, you’re not limited to using just a single Nest thermostat in your home as multiple of the device can successfully run together to maintain a consistent level of temperature monitoring as well as energy efficiency. What’s more? You can add up to 20 Nest thermostat and 18 temperature sensors in a home.

It’s very unlikely that you’re going to need this many thermostats in your home, but if you’d like to add a second the process is quite straightforward. However, we’d recommend you employ the services of a seasoned professional especially if you lack the required training or experience to pull this off to save yourself some time and money.

To get started, simply download the associated Nest app to add Nest devices. Now let’s have a look at the processes involved in adding a second Nest thermostat to your home.

• Open the app.

• Go to the top left corner of the main screen and click on the menu button.

• Pick the location or home you’re adding the device to.

• Go to the top right corner and select the “settings.

• Once done, then click on the Add Product “Plus button.

Upon a successful addition of the second thermostat, the app will guide you through the initial set up steps. Google also offers a very helpful guide if you’re unfamiliar with the initial configuration.

How To Install A Gas Cooktop In An Island

Are you thinking about installing a gas cooktop in your kitchen island? If yes, then you must know that there are clearance requirements that must be met (before you proceed) between the cut out and the countertop’s edge. Basically, there are incremental requirements for island installation due to the fact that it does not make an assumption that the product is going to be fitted against a rear wall that acts to protect the back of the unit. As a result, while doing an island install we must put the safety of the product into consideration much more that we do a standard install. What’s more? This island clearance requirement develops from a third-party agency and is a standard with all brands. So how do you install a gas cooktop in an island having the aforementioned requirements in mind?

• Use a foil tape to line the inside edges of the cut out. The function of this is to prevent heat damage as well as countertop’s discolouration. Put the cooktop top on a secured surface.

• Identify the pipe coming out of the cooktop’s side or bottom and brush onto the threads of the manifold entrance.

• Pass the pressure regulator onto the entrance of the manifold and make use of a wrench to tighten it.

• Brush the pipe joint compound onto one of the flare union adaptor’s threads and pass it into the regulator’s open end. Make it slightly tight with a full turn of the wrench.

• Connect the flare union adaptor’s open end with the flexible appliance connector hose, upon brushing on pipe joint compound.

• Put foam tape on the cooktop underside’s edges, if your cooktop comes with a glass burner plate.

• Turn the cooktop to set it into the cutout.

• Apply pipe-joint compound onto the flare union adaptor left and secure it firmly into the gas shutout valve.

• Connect the flexible hose connector’s free end with the flare union adaptor.