Central Heating & Hot Water

Whether you’re upgrading to a more energy-efficient boiler, installing a new heating system or making changes to your existing system, the choices you make about the system or boiler you choose and how you use it have never been more important.  Thinking about replacing an old central heating system, changing radiators or installing a brand new system from scratch, we can provide all of the necessary parts and equipment to ensure that you can enjoy a warm house and hot water all year round. We have agreements in place with all major manufacturers that mean we can install high quality systems at competitive prices.

If your current central heating system is over 10 years old you could be wasting money on your heating bills compared to newer efficient systems. By replacing your old central heating system with one of our new energy efficient systems you could cut up to 40% off your heating bills.  We will calculate the correct radiator sizing for each room in your home giving you comfortable heat and efficient running costs.

A more efficient central heating system can save money and add more heat

Combi boilers are an efficient and effective means of providing heating and hot water. They negate the need to take up space in the loft or bathroom with a hot water cylinder or hot water tank and they deliver hot water to the taps on demand when required.

As well as central heating systems, we are also experienced in the installation of heating systems that use renewable energy sources such as Solar Panels and Air Source Heat Pumps, please view our other services pages for more information. Call today or click ‘Contact Us’ and complete our online request form in order to receive a free, no obligation central heating quotation to suit your needs.

Save Energy And Reduce Costs Even More

Advanced heating controls on our boilers prevent wasted gas, heat and CO2 emissions by regulating your boilers usage. Rooms can be kept at a comfortable temperature and hot water provided without unnecessary waste by tailoring your central heating system to suit your needs.
Separate heating controls include the programmer room thermostat, the hot water cylinder thermostat and the thermostatic radiator valves (TRV’s); all control options which were previously unavailable on older boiler models.

Unvented Hot Water Cylinders

Operating efficiently under higher pressures, unvented cylinders are suitable for homes with a new or existing sealed heating system or open vent boiler. Ideal for larger properties with multiple bathrooms, heating systems using an unvented cylinder can often provide a higher level of hot water than a combi boiler.  Unvented hot water cylinders were only made legal in the UK in 1986, but have since grown rapidly in popularity. In an unvented system there is no cold water tank – instead, the sealed hot water cylinder is fed directly by the cold water mains. Since they are operating at mains pressure, they offer much better flow rates, meaning your shower and bath performance should be higher.

Since water increases in volume as it gets warm, unvented cylinders need to include a mechanism that allows the expansion to take place, thereby keeping the cylinders operating at a safe pressure.  There are two methods of allowing this expansion to take place safely. The first is the bubble top unit, which uses an internal air bubble that is produced and trapped at the top of the cylinder when it is installed. The other type is the external expansion unit that utilises an expansion vessel to contain the expanded hot water.

The major issue with unvented hot water cylinders is that since hot water flow depends on the cold water main pressure; if for any reason the mains water is turned off, your home will be without access to any hot water.

Since unvented hot water tanks operate at higher pressure than vented systems and have additional safety features installed, these cylinders need to be installed by boiler specialists who hold a qualification that complies with G3 of building regulations. This means they tend to be far more expensive to install than traditional vented hot water systems.

Vented hot water systems

Vented hot water tanks are still the most common type of hot water system found in the UK. Unlike newer unvented tanks, these copper tanks are fed by cold water from a header tank (normally located in the loft) and they use gravity to drive the hot water around the home. A vent pipe links the vented hot water cylinder and the cold water in the header tank.

As with the unvented system, expansion of warm water is still an issue, but in this case the expansion simply takes place via the vent pipe and in the header tank.

The hot water pressure tends to be governed by the height of the water tank above the tap or shower feed. This means that although on the ground floor of the home the pressure might be excellent, in rooms on upper floors the pressure will be lower. As a result, many showers in homes with vented hot water tanks use electric pumps to drive the hot water to the shower at increased pressure.

Vented hot water cylinders are far less complicated than the pressurised vented systems and for this reason they are much simpler to maintain and install. This makes them a far cheaper option when compared to the unvented system.