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A terrible day would be walking into your home to discover your boiler is broken - nobody prays for that and even more so, when you’re fully aware a broken boiler can be one of the most expensive things to repair. However, when this occurs, a boiler plan is ready to help cover the repair cost - and that’s only if you’ve gotten one. Generally, cover plans feature only a monthly price which is quite affordable when compared to paying a huge lump sum at once. Furthermore, depending on your cover level, you may not be required to incur call out charges or any other expensive services rendered. And in the event whereby your boiler can’t be repaired, there’ll be plans in place to get a replacement unit. As a result, getting a boiler cover is a great way to give yourself a peace of mind and see to it that you’re not left in the cold when the worse happens.

So the answer to whether or not you should get a boiler cover is totally a positive one. The purchase of a new heating system can be quite costly, but it would even be costlier when you have to repair it ceaselessly throughout it’s service years. With several modern combi units being a complicated heating system to repair, getting a cover plan with unlimited call outs, zero excess as well as cover parts and labour would be a truly wise decision.

In addition, an annual service of your heating system is required by manufacturers in order to make the warranty valid. Therefore, just a basic service plan is very crucial if you do not buy the idea of having to fork out at least £70 for each 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.

Can You Replace Storage Heaters With Electric Radiators?

The short answer to this question is yes. If your outdated storage heater is not heating your home the way it should, you’ll find a better replacement in electric radiators.

Being more modern and efficient, electric radiators offer a wide range of benefits which storage heaters can only dream of. Let’s have a look.

• Unlike storage heaters, electric radiators do not need to be charged up the night before which makes it totally controllable as you do not have to guess what your heating needs will turn out to be the next day.

• The above benefit leads to an even better one as the controllability quality of electric radiators makes them a lot more efficient than storage heaters. Electric radiators usually comes with programmable timers and thermostats which allows you to set various heating schedules for each of your rooms, meaning you’re only heating when and where its needed.

• Unlike some storage heaters, electric radiators do not cause wall blackening and also happen to more elegant and stylish.

• Electric radiators are not tough on allergies like storage heaters as they do not depend mainly on convection to heat

• Electric radiators also have an easy installation process with all you need to do to switch from storage heater to one being the removal of the former and inserting the radiators into the sockets.

However, if you want to make a switch to electric radiators, there’s the need to change to a standard electricity tariff from your economy tariff. And while the standard electricity tariff rates may be more expensive than the night time rate provided by Economy 7, the standard tariff rates are a bit cheaper than the daytime Economy rate. You’ll also get to use much less of electricity while also saving money on your heating bills and more.

A boiler is simply the most important part of a central heating system as it generates the heat that warms up the home or property. Basically, the appliance or small furnace makes use of gas, LPG or oil in order to fuel its operation. However in the UK, most boilers are usually fuelled by natural gas which is supplied automatically from the national gas grid. And depending on how it operates, there are various types of boilers.

Typically, a gas central heating boiler will have multiple pipes entering from underneath. While one pipe supplies the boiler with gas from the mains gas supply, another pipe allows cold water to enter the boiler to be heated, the last pipe then enables hot water to exit the boiler so it can be distributed around the home.

✓ There are fuel jets and heat exchangers inside the boiler. When the heating is turned on, a valve is opened to allow the mains supply gas to enter a sealed combustion chamber in the boiler. There are multiple little valves which permit the entry of the gas before being ignited by an electric ignition switch. These jets heat a metal component in the boiler known as a heat exchanger which works to transfer the heat to the cold water pipe and heat up the water.

✓ Once the water has been heated to the target temperature, it’s then pumped through a circuit of pipe which runs around your home by an electric pump.

✓ The heated water enter each radiator, is then transmitted via a closed loop and radiates heat into each room.

✓ Once done travelling through all radiators, the water then returns to the boiler at which it must have been cooled. Therefore, the boiler will have to reheat following the same process before circulating. The water can only be drained by a professional Gas Safe engineer

If you’re interested in deriving maximum benefits from your central heating system while also being a tech-enthusiast, a smart thermostat is just the perfect option as it allows you to control both your boiler and heating system via your mobile device. It also offers a plethora of features which enables you to heat your home more efficiently while also cutting your energy bills. Here, we’ll be taking a deeper look at the Tado smart thermostat (a user friendly smart thermostat with multiple impressive features such as a great design, self learning and LED interface).

A Tado smart thermostat is a relatively small piece of kit which is perfect for tech-lovers looking to get a first experience of the smart thermostats’ world. Although the appliance might feature just a basic design with a bit less advanced features in comparison with other thermostats like Hive, Nest and more, it however, still comes with some fantastic features which you can’t afford to miss out on. These includes geofencing, Smartphone or tablet control as well as heat scheduling. As you would have expected with any good smart thermostat, the ability to remotely control your heating is a top priority for several smart thermostats’ owners and Tado offers you this and more. Therefore, no more worries during the Winter months and wishing your home should be warm and perfect for your return. Aside this, a Tado smart thermostat also goes a long way to ensure efficient energy use and as a result, reducing the money paid on energy bills.

Overall, Tado is a nicely designed smart thermostat which is relatively easy to use and a perfect option for homeowners interested in having a taste of the world of smart thermostats or looking to replace their existing device.

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 short answer to this is no! Smart thermostats can still be used without WiFi, however, they’ll be deprived of some certain capabilities and innovative features that comes mainly due to their ability to connect to the internet. As a result, the smart thermostat will only be functional for basic task such as heating and cooling control. In other words, making use of a WiFi connection will be in your best bet to enjoy the multiple juicy benefits that comes with a smart thermostats such as remote monitoring, ability to connect to other devices and display local weather conditions and much more. And what’s the use of purchasing a smart thermostat if you’d not be able to enjoy these remarkable features?

However, even when you have a WiFi, it’s expected for the connection to fail at times. When this happens, what will be the impact on your smart thermostat? Let’s have a closer look!

• As you would have expected, when your smart thermostat is disconnected from WiFi, features that are controlled with the mobile app would all be impacted. And this might be a big headache when you wish to access these features and control remotely when far away from home.

• When your smart thermostat connection to WiFi fails, all live updates and alerts would be affected. This implies that you’d stop seeing updates, reports and notifications on your mobile device. As a result, you’ll not be notified in case of an emergency like electricity cut-outs, water leaks, humidity and temperatures exceeding the set levels as well as thermostat’s low battery.

• The lack of a WiFi connection might have taken away all the juicy advantages of having a smart thermostat, but one function that remains unaffected is the basic one - the control of your home’s heating and cooling system. In other words, if your smart thermostat is offline, your home will still be heated and cooled to the thermostat’s set temperature.

How Much Do Electric Radiators Cost?

If there’s an age-long question that doesn’t seem to go away any time soon it’s how much do electric radiators cost? Although it would be perfect to offer an exact figure you can actually work with as the cost of running your heating system, but unfortunately you’ll have to consult a clairvoyant individual to get that. The question is almost synonymous with asking to know what your utility bill will be this month or the next. This is an answer that’s specific to each household, so it would be impossible to provide an answer that applies to all households in the UK. This is because there are several influencing factors that affects what the final cost of your household’s electricity bill will be. Let’s take a look at these factors!

• The size of the room you want to heat. As you would have guessed, the larger the room, the higher the amount of energy that’ll be incorporated, which means a greater electricity bill.

• The age of your house. There’s a high possibility your household ( if it’s an old one) lacks sufficient insulation which makes it less energy efficient, except you’ve already made some necessary changes.

• Your individual needs. Depending on your personal requirements, you electricity bill may be greatly influenced to be higher or lower. And the more people you have in your home, the more the energy you’re likely to consume.

• Time of the year. During the winter months, you’re likely to use a lot more electricity and heating because the weather tends to be colder.

• Your property’s exposure to natural elements. For instance a terraced home with houses on either side will be able to retain heat much longer and there less electricity and heating than a fully detached home.