Find a Heating Engineer you can trust in Sawbridgeworth.

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.

The size of boiler you need will depend on the size of your home, how many radiators and bathrooms you have and how many people live there. The boiler size refers to its output, which is measured in kilowatts (kW), rather than the actual dimensions. Speak to your boiler engineer about which boiler is suitable for you, as if you have more than one bathroom or a lot of people in your home a combi boiler might not suit you. Other boiler types such as system boilers or conventional boilers may be better suited to larger homes because they have bigger outputs.

How Long Does It Take To Service An Oil Boiler?

Are you about to service your oil boiler and wondering just how long it would take to completion? Well, you should first know that during an oil boiler service, there are a wide range of things that needs to be checked. As a result, the service can actually take some time and even more, depending on the present condition of your oil boiler.

During a boiler service, your qualified heating engineer will carry out the following tasks:

• Detach and clean both the burner and fan.

• Examine the combustion chamber rope seal.

• Wipe clean and descale baffles.

• Wipe clean and descale the main heat exchanger

• Detach, clean and replace turbulators

• Examine the combustion levels after cleaning.

He’ll also perform some tank and system checks which includes:

• Inspecting and cleaning condensate

• Testing the fire valve

• Cleaning or replacing the filter

• Cleaning the condense trap

• Conducting a thorough inspection of the tank and oil supply pipe to identify possible damages, deterioration as well as debris.

• Pressure testing the oil supply pipe at the point where it goes underground.

• Examining the system pressure.

With all the aforementioned activities and more, an oil boiler service may take relatively longer period of time when compared to it’s counterpart - gas boiler. This is mainly due to the fact that the boiler itself requires a thorough inspection as well as the oil tank where the fuel is being stored. You get your gas through the mains supply, however oil must firstly be stored inside the tank then filled up when it’s almost low. The oil tank will be inspected to identify possible leaks, bulging, corrosion as well as water.

So generally, an oil boiler service should take between the range of 1 to 2 hours to be completed.

If you’re thinking about getting a new gas boiler for your home or property, then you might also be wondering how much it’ll cost you so you can set a budget and start planning. As simple as this question sounds, it’s actually very tricky to provide a simple and short answer as the costs of installing a new gas boiler alone varies greatly based on the parts needed, the amount of work required, your location, their availability as well as the company you hire for the project.

When it comes to purchasing a new gas boiler the price you’re expected to pay also depends on multiple influencing factors such as the type, brand as well as your most preferred gas boiler model. However, one thing you should have in mind is the fact that your gas boiler is right at the heart of your home or property and can be a complicated piece of machinery. As a result, you wouldn’t expect gas boilers to come cheap. Generally, it’s going to cost within the range of £500 to about £2,500 to get a new gas boiler. Therefore, it’s always advisable to obtain all necessary details and facts before you decide to purchase a replacement gas boiler.

This price range may seem too high as it’s usually a turn off for most homeowners. However, it’s worth noting that gas boiler replacement costs and gas boiler installation costs are, more often than not, compensated by the saving you’ll make off your utility bills - all thanks to the new and more energy efficient boiler you just installed in your home. And even more importantly, when it has been estimated that roughly half of the amount spent on energy on an annual basis depends on your boiler.

Re-pressurising your boiler means that you allow more water to enter system via the filling loop. It can be easy to re-pressurise your boiler yourself. Always check your manual, but there are some simple steps you can take to restore pressure to your boiler:

• Switch off your boiler and let it cool completely

• Make sure both ends of your filling loop are attached

• Open both valves to allow cold water into the system – you’ll hear it start to move

• Look out for your pressure gauge to show 1.5 bar

• Close both valves

• Switch your boiler back on

• Undo both ends of your filling loop and remove it. Remember some water might come out, so be ready to catch some spillage!

Smart controls such as Hive are the next generation technology with more and more people now converting their houses into smart homes to control multiple devices in the homes remotely. Smart technology can be incorporated with several household devices such as security, lighting, entertainment and more. But what if there’s an oil boiler installed in your home, can you still connect your Hive with the your heating? Well, simply read on to find out.

The answer to this question is yes, most oil boilers are compatible with Hive and can substitute for either an existing conventional programmer or thermostat. The smart technology works to help derive more benefits from your heating system and they usually come with apps which can be used to control your home’s heating from anywhere with just your mobile device. Hive, however, cannot work to replace the functions of smart oil boiler heating controls to modulate your heating as they only work on an on or off basis. To make use of the modulating technology in an oil boiler, the cost of manufacture would be considerably higher while offering little advantage in efficiency for the home or property owner. Ultimately, this implies that you can’t incorporate smart technology to control the output in a similar way as a gas boiler, but there are still some ways to utilize smart technology with your oil boiler in such a way to boost your efficiency and lessen the energy bills.

Do you want to use your Hive with your home’s oil boiler? We’d advise you get in touch with an OFTEC qualified engineer if you wish to install Hive Active Heating on your oil boiler, as British Gas engineer do not offer this service.

What Size Of Electric Boiler Do I Need?

If you’re thinking about installing central heating in your home or property, you’ll be shocked by the plethora of options that’s currently available in the market as regards the boiler type that can be installed. Being a very good alternative to gas boilers or an oil or LPG boiler, electric boilers are here to stay. They usually feature different power outputs which tends to lead to one of the most frequently asked questions about electric heaters - what size of electric boiler do I need? Here, we’ll give you a good insight into sizes of electric boilers available to help you make the right decision.

The importance of getting the perfect size of electric boiler for your home can not be over-emphasized. If your electric boiler size is too small, it won’t be able to provide the level of heat and hot water required. And on the other hand, if it’s too big, it’ll definitely consume more electricity which would be a total waste of money.

To determine the correct size, if you have a wet central heating or water radiators in your home, you’ll need to calculate the boiler’s capacity required to operate them and allow 1.5kw per radiator. To be more accurate, it’s advisable to talk to a professional installer to avoid making a costly mistake. Every professional installer should have an idea of the appropriate size of electric boiler that’ll be needed given your special requirements and home size.

Generally, with a 12k kilowatt boiler, you should be able to operate up to 7 to 8 radiators which is good for smaller properties. For apartments and flats, getting a smaller electric boiler would be the best option.

To ensure your boiler is functioning efficiently and to keep your home warm, it’s important to see that your boiler is serviced on a regular basis by a licensed boiler engineer. Failure to do this can result in sudden boiler breakdown which can be a hard hitting blow to one’s financial power especially when there’s no boiler cover to cushion the blow or totally avoid it all together.

When your boiler is covered, it implies that you’re protected in the event whereby your boiler or it’s controls malfunctions or break. Several boiler cover will include the servicing cost, while some may not so it’s advisable to always go through the details, no matter how small, before entering into a boiler cover agreement. Typically, a boiler cover will cost between £60 to £100 per year and the payment is made on a monthly basis. Various boiler insurance companies have varying cover cost, however, here are the common boiler cover policies:

• Homeserve charges from £13 per month

• EDF Energy costs from £13.29 per month

• British Gas from £12 per month

• Scottish Power from £13.13 every month

• CETRI UK charges from £13.50 every month

• 24/7 home rescue costs from £9.60 every month

• Gorgi Home Plan costs from £6 per month plus 3 months free

• Your repair charges from £9.60 per month

• NPower Boiler Cover costs from £10.92 every month

• SSE Boiler Breakdown Cover charges from £4.95 every month

It’s important to note that sometimes you have the option of adding your boiler cover to your existing home insurance, if you do not want a standalone policy for your boiler cover. In many scenarios, this is referred to as an extra or add on service referred to as “Home Emergency Cover. When compared to the standalone boiler policies, this is usually a lot cheaper as it comes in around £5 per month.