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Our Healthy Heating Standard

The vast majority of boilers underperform.

We have developed the UK's first higher installation standard to ensure new boilers run efficiently and reach old age.

WHY WE NEED A NEW HIGHER EFFICIENCY STANDARD

99% of installers have not been trained to setup condensing boilers to run at their higher efficiencies.

This leads to shorter lifespans and reduced fuel savings that cost households £1000s.

We have developed the Healthy Heating Standard to deliver properly designed and correctly setup boiler installations.

When our Elite Installers fit to our higher standard, they fit more efficient, longer lasting heating systems.

THE HIDDEN COSTS OF INCORRECTLY FITTED BOILERS

The health of our heating systems has deteriorated following 15 years of design and installation practices that have not been updated for modern boilers. In the vast majority of UK homes we find an oversized boiler, incorrect set up and ineffective controls, including many smart controls.

So little is understood about the damage this causes that we have come to believe a boiler should be replaced as early as 7 years, when it should last 22 years. As a result we have one of the highest replacement boiler rates in Europe.

Whilst a high turnover of boilers is good for boilers sales, it is not good for consumers. As the indicative timelines below demonstrate, premature replacement and lower efficiencies cost households thousands of pounds compared with correctly specified and setup heating systems.

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HOW OUR HIGHER STANDARD WORKS FOR YOU

When choosing a new boiler we naturally fixate on its efficiency, but few of us appreciate that a new boiler is not A-rated out-of-the-box. Even 'the best' boiler is only as good as the installer that fits it. For modern boilers to run at their higher efficiency the whole system needs to be set up correctly, but 99% of installers have not had the training needed to do this.

The good news is that pitfalls of poor installations can be avoided with the right knowledge and the right installer, but it is a minefield. So we have developed the UK’s first higher design and installation standard – the Healthy Heating Standard – to deliver optimum systems for your budget.

With the help of our Expert Panel, we have shortlisted the best boilers, specified the best installations methods and handpicked the best installers to overcome the industry failings the undermine 99% of new boiler installations and cost consumers £1,000s. You can access our expertise via our pioneering, hand-holding Hero Support service.

The hidden problems in domestic heating

  • The majority of installers do not know the difference between a high-tech and a low-tech boiler. Most rely on brand strength and familiarity to ‘sell’ their preferred boiler models. Consumers get a poor deal when they unwittingly end up with an expensive low-tech boiler.
  • Boilers are forced to operate on a less efficient setting than they were designed for when paired with a basic heating control that does not speak the same language. This is the case for the majority of controls, including many smart controls, because basic controls have not been banned under building regulations.
  • The majority of boilers are oversized for the home and are not adjusted to accurately meet the heat requirements of the property.
  • Many boilers age prematurely due to incorrect boiler and thermostat selection and incorrect system set up.
  • Online fast track one-size-fits-all boiler installations ignore the individual requirements of your home and use incompatible products.

We put it right with our Healthy Heating Standard

  • We have done the research to find the best boilers based on a thorough technical assessment and ignoring brand authority. Only high-tech boilers, which have been impartially assessed by our Expert Panel, make it onto our shortlist of boilers. The good news is, there are excellent boilers for every budget.
  • We only use heating controls that we know are 100% compatible and will operate our shortlisted boilers on their most efficient setting.
  • We pick the correct size boiler for your home and configure it to make sure it will operate efficiently all year around.
  • Our boiler packages are made up of perfectly matched products and fitted by the top 1% of gas engineers in the industry who understand correct system design.
  • Our handpicked network of the UK’s top heating engineers fully understand system design and provide a bespoke solution
Jo & Caroline - Heating Heroes

Hero Support

We get it right for you with our expert, managed installation service
1 in 4 boilers replaced

Are we replacing our boilers too soon?

  • The UK has one of the highest replacement boiler rates in Europe*.
  • We fit 1.75 million boilers every year in the UK, which equates to 6.4% of all fitted gas boilers (around 22 million).
  • Germany has a much lower turnover of boilers, replacing just 3.4%.
  • The difference sounds small, but in fact 1 in 3 boiler replacements could be avoided if our replacement rates were in line with Germany’s where heating systems commonly last twice as long.
  • Why is this happening? Low-tech boilers, incompatible controls, poor advice and low standards of technical competence amongst installers mean we have to, or we are wrongly advised to, replace our boilers long before the end of their predicted lifespan. This leads to boilers being replaced as soon as 7 years, when they should last 22 years. This means we are paying out for three new boilers over the course of their predicted lifespan instead of once at the end of their predicted lifespan.
Pollution close the gap

Are we mislead over energy savings?

  • Fuel savings of up to £350 per annum are regularly claimed on the internet, but actual energy savings are closer to £40 per annum.
  • Due to design and installation failings, 99% of new condensing boilers do not achieve the A-rated efficiency banding in the home because 99% of installers have not been trained to setup condensing boilers to run a their A-rated label efficiency^^.
  • Our research indicates that the efficiency shortfall for the vast majority of homes is 10-25%:
    • A field study of A-rated boilers found the achieved a B-E energy rating in the home****.
    • A recent study into the problems of boiler oversizing found an efficiency reduction of 6-9%+.
    • The difference between an on/off control and compensation control is 4% according the heating control erp classes++, likely even higher in practice.
    • Whilst unbalanced systems can reduce efficiency by upto 25%+++.
  • As outgoing boilers are often under 15 years old, and also A-rated, so the efficiency improvement will be negligible.
  • Why is this happening? The industry wants to convince you to buy a new boiler on the basis it will ‘pay for itself’ in a short period of time. What they do not tell you is that new boilers hardly ever reach their efficiency potential. Only a properly designed and correctly set up heating system will deliver true efficiency savings. This takes knowledge and skill, both of which are currently missing from 99% of installers.

References

References

* Visit our dedicated blog on Boiler Lifespans.

^^ In 2020 we undertook some research with training provider Heating Academy. Approx. 1000 engineers have attended their heating system design training course over the last 2.5 years, equivalent to 1% of 108,000 Gas Safe registered engineers. NB not all have gone onto to practice correct heating system design. 133 gas engineers were questioned on their training history and 99% had not undergone any prior training in heating system design during their careers. 86% said they felt "let down" by an industry that not up-skilled them to understand the requirements modern boilers.

**** Final Report: In-situ monitoring of efficiencies of condensing boilers and use of secondary heating - View Report

+ Effect of boiler oversizing on efficiency: a dynamic simulation study - View Article

++ ErP control classes - View Article

+++ Time-saving installation and hydronic balancing - View Article

Female Plumber

Bitesize steps to decarbonising your home & reducing fuel bills

Keeping your existing gas boiler running as efficiently as possible, for as long as possible, so that your next purchase is a heat pump, is Step 1 in our plan to decarbonise your home.

Decarbonise tips

Smart control phone

Why are advanced heating controls are not mandatory?

Boiler Plus came into effect in 2018 and requires an advanced energy saving measure with a new combi boiler but it left the back door open for still fitting basic heating controls to new boilers.

Controls

House energy rating

Are we being misled over boiler efficiencies?

Condensing gas boilers are not A-rated out of the box. Most are C-E-Rated in the home. 

Explore here