Warm Front £300 Heating Rebate Now Available From Kwikplumb.

We are delighted to comfirm that We can now offer WARM FRONT
£300 Heating rebates For Boiler Replacements or complete Systems To Help all Homeowners or Private tenants aged over 60 to make their homes warmer and more energy efficient.

NEW Worcester Bosch 550 cdi

90.4% A

The Greenstar Highflow 550CDi boiler is a market leading energy-saving floor standing combi. It can deliver 25 litres of domestic hot water per minute, making the appliance ideally suited for use in large sized family homes, incorporating up to three bathrooms.

Greenstar condensing boilers deliver this energy-saving performance by recycling exhaust gases to extract and re-use latent heat - a highly efficient use of energy which also significantly reduces carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

SEDBUK* A-rated efficiency - environmentally friendly
41.1kW DHW (domestic hot water) output, delivering 25 litres/minute flow rate**
Suitable for larger family homes with multiple bathrooms
Hot water and central heating temperature controls – consumer comfort and flexibility
Floor standing boiler
Multi-directional fluing including plume management
Mechanical, digital and radio frequency (RF) control options all available
Optimising 7-day programmable room thermostat available
24 hour programmable room thermostat available
2 year warranty on boiler with 10 year warranty on primary heat exchanger (subject to conditions)


*Seasonal Efficiency of Domestic Boilers in the UK
**Provided minimum mains water pressure at 1.7 bar is available

COMING SOON SOLAR & GROUND SOURCE HEAT PUMPS
(NO MORE GAS BILLS)

FAQs
What is sustainable energy?
Sustainable energy is best thought of as energy which can be replenished within a human lifetime and which causes no long-term damage to the environment.

Solar energy, wind energy, and geothermal energy, amongst others, are all self-sustaining. They all have sources that cannot be depleted. Extended use of these energy sources aids the conservation of other non-renewable energy sources such as fossil fuels.

How does a heat pump work?
The technology inside a heat pump works on similar principles to the way domestic fridge works. Heat pumps take advantage of the principles of thermodynamics in order to achieve their results. The diagram below offers pictorial explanation.

A water and glycol mixture is pumped around the collector circuit and causes the refrigerant in the evaporator to turn to a gas. This refrigerant passes through the compressor, causing the temperature to rise significantly. The hot gas moves to the condenser where it condenses and the latent energy is released into the heating circuit.



How is energy collected from the ground?
There are three options to obtain the energy from the ground.

In a horizontal collector lengths of pipe are buried underground to a depth of around 1 or 2 meters. This is a good solution if the property in question has enough land to accommodate the collector.

Worcester will be offering compact collectors which reduce the amount of space required for the collector.

An alternative to the horizontal collector types above is the vertical collector. A bore hole is drilled to a depth of between 60 and 200m and the collector is fed into the hole. A vertical collector minimises the amount of land required on the surface for a collector.

What is the COP?
The performance of a heat pump is often shown as the COP or Coefficient of Performance. This relates to the amount of energy that is extracted from the ground for each unit of energy used to run the pump.

A heat pump could provide between 3 and 5 kW of heat for each kW invested. The return is affected by the temperature achieved from the source and the heat required from the appliance to heat the property.

As an example if 3kW is provided by the electrically driven heat pump and 9kW is provided by the ground source the COP would be 4. This equates to the total energy provided, in this case 12kW, divided by the electrical energy from the heat pump, in this case 3kW, giving the COP of 4.

What types of heat pumps will be available?
Worcester will launch a heat pump system model for use with an external cylinder. The heat pump will be available in 6, 7 and 9kW variants.

Do I still need a boiler?
In contrast to solar thermal which requires a boiler back-up a heat pump, in most circumstances, should be able to provide all of the heating and water required for the home.

Can I keep my existing radiators?
Unless the radiators have already been oversized they will probably have to be replaced by larger ones.

What heat delivery method gives the best results?
Ideally a heat pump should be used with underfloor heating to maximise the efficiency of the system.

Is there any government funding available?
The Department of Trade and Industry is funding an initiative called Clearskies with which entitles home owners and not-for-profit organisations to financial help with a heat pump. Householders can apply for a grant of £1200. From April 2006 onwards the Clearskies scheme will be replaced by the Low Carbon Buildings Programme with similar funding levels available.

...Read more

Martyn Bridges, Director of Technical Support

Bosch Group offers five good reasons to replace an ageing boiler

The boiler has traditionally been an ‘out of sight, out of mind’ product. As long as it keeps working most homeowners give it little thought.

Only when our boilers stop working do we leap into action and our first instinct is usually to send for a heating engineer to arrange a repair.

However, homeowners with standard-efficiency boilers should pause for a moment before going for the repair option.

Here are five good reason to bite the bullet and go for a new replacement boiler.

1. Money
The modern condensing boiler is significantly more efficient than its standard-efficiency forerunner. Condensing boilers are the most efficient available as they convert more of the fuel used into useful heat, in comparison to old standard efficiency boilers.

Research suggests that high-efficiency boilers are up to 35% more efficient (depending on the age of your boiler), which, with an average fuel bill of £1,200 per year, equates to potential savings of up to £275 per household, per year.

Also, older boilers are likely to have a standing pilot light which could cost in the region of £50-60 per year just to keep going.

2. Peace of Mind
Standard-efficiency boilers are inherently safe, but the fact of the matter is, modern high-efficiency boilers are even safer.

The modern boiler is of the ‘room-sealed’ type with all the equipment enclosed within the boiler cabinet. If anything goes wrong, the problem is enclosed within the cabinet and there is no danger to the rest of the household.

A significant number of standard efficiency boilers were ‘open flue type’ which meant the combustion chamber and flue system were in effect ‘open’ to the room in which they are sited. They rely on a fresh supply of combustion air being available in the room generally provided by purpose made air vents to outside or into another room with air vents to outside.

It is essential for the safe, ongoing operation of these types of appliances that they are serviced annually.

3. Reliability
It is inevitable that over time an ageing boiler will become less reliable.

Emergency calls to heating engineers, who will probably have to re-arrange other appointments, are costly as are spare parts which are becoming scarcer for older boilers as time goes on.

4. Household space and layout
A further motivating factor in replacement rather than repair is household space and layout.

Replacement is an opportunity to get your boiler off the floor and out of the way to free up space for more cupboards or worktops.

What’s more, if you choose a condensing combi boiler you will have instant hot water, so there is no need for that hot water cylinder or airing cupboard which can be taken out. If they are housed in the bathroom, you will probably free up ample space for a walk-in shower.

5. Energy Performance Certificates
EPCs are now a mandatory part of the Home Information Pack.

If a move is on the horizon, the quickest way to improve the energy rating of your home is to have a new high-efficiency boiler or cavity wall insulation installed.

This is a guaranteed way of jumping one clear band in the energy ratings, say from Band D to Band C, in the process making your home significantly more desirable.

Repair remains an option for a broken boiler, but the potential savings available by replacing with a new high-efficiency boiler are leading many households to ask themselves the simple question: can we afford not to do it?

The last Ice Age

The last Ice Age was approximately 15,000 years ago - the Earth has been slowly warming ever since, due to natural climate variations. Natural changes in climate take place over very long timescales. But since the industrial revolution the rate at which the Earth is warming has risen dramatically.

The 1990s were the warmest decade since records began

Most scientists agree that this is largely due to human activity, mainly the increased use of fossil fuels. This affects us all. The 1990s were the warmest decade since records began and 2003 was the third hottest year on record. In August of that year UK temperatures reached 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
It might seem that this man-made climate change would be a positive thing for the UK, giving us warmer summers and fewer cold winters. But hotter summers and less rain in the south and east would mean water shortages, forest fires and damage to crops and wildlife. In the north and west there could be much heavier rain and more flooding, and as the polar ice caps continue to melt, rising sea levels will threaten many coastal communities.
Rising temperatures could lead to an increase in insects, with bloodsucking ticks, scorpions and poisonous spiders becoming a feature of life in a hotter UK. There could also be an increase in pest infestations (fleas, wasps, mice and rats) and diseases. Mosquitoes carrying diseases such as Dengue fever and West Nile virus have already invaded the US because of rising temperatures.

Overall, the cost to society, the environment, our health and the economy is likely to far outweigh any benefits.

The Greenstar 42CDi

90.1% A The Greenstar CDi boiler series is part of a market-leading range of energy-saving condensing gas-fired boilers from Worcester. They can cut heating and hot water bills by between 15-20% - and they’re up to 30% cheaper to run than an older boiler.

Greenstar condensing boilers deliver this energy-saving performance by recycling exhaust gases to extract and re-use latent heat - a highly efficient use of energy which also significantly reduces carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

SEDBUK* A-rated efficiency - environmentally friendly
42kW domestic hot water output (27, 30 and 37kW outputs also available for this boiler - a product to suit all property types)
Hot water and central heating temperature controls - consumer comfort and flexibility
Mechanical, digital and radio frequency (RF) control options all available
Multi-directional fluing
Optimising 7-day programmable room thermostat available
24 hour programmable room thermostat available
Holiday function – frost protection and economic to run while you are away from home
Keep hot facility - instantly available hot water
Wall mounting frame housing pipes behind it - no exposed pipework
Fully condensing in both central heating (CH) and domestic hot water (DHW) modes
Low NOx and CO2 emissions - environmentally friendly
5 year** warranty with 10 year** warranty on primary heat exchanger

Getting the best out of your system

The boiler is the heart or the engine of any central heating system however, all the other components i.e. radiators, radiator valves and programmers etc., are all vital to the overall comfort levels required in the home.