Our natural fuel resources, such as oil and gas, are running low, and as a result, heating a household is becoming more expensive with each passing year.

The majority of modern boilers are of the highly efficient ‘condensing’ variety, which use an extra heat exchanging element to conserve heat by capturing the condensation produced by the act of burning gas in a boiler. This type of design reduces energy consumption by over 10%, while still providing the same levels of heat that older designs can produce.

The flexibility and accuracy of modern controls allows you to make a few changes to your energy consumption without necessarily feeling the cold If you turn your thermostat down by a mere 1°C in order to reduce the average temperature in the house by a barely noticeable amount, you can reduce your overall consumption by 10%. You can also save a further 6% by having your heating on for two hours less each day.

By replacing a boiler that is over 15 years old with even the most basic of new models

will not only help your home to be more energy efficient, it could also save you a pretty penny in the long run when it comes to boiler repair. Since April 2005, all new boilers installed in the UK have had to measure up to strict new energy efficiency standards, making the high efficiency condenser boiler the most common type of new boiler installation in the UK almost overnight.

By installing better controls in your heating system, your boiler will be able to provide different levels of heat to different rooms, maintain a constant temperature by reacting to atmospheric changes, and turn the water heater on and off according to a pre set schedule. Used correctly and with energy efficiency in mind, the cost of installing modern controls will have been wiped out by fuel cost savings within a period of five years or so.

Switch to British Gas’ dual fuel tariff and save on your electricity. Compare gas and electricity prices and slash your electric bill.