Best Buy Combi Boiler

Combi Boilers

The Viessmann Vitodens 200-W – A top-of-the-range Best Buy Combi Boiler.

Short for Combination Boiler, these compact units don’t need extra storage, and instead provide hot water directly from the boiler itself.  You won’t waste money on storing and reheating a tank full of water.  Instead, the heating will only occur when you need it.  If you’re in a smaller property with 1 bathroom then it’s likely a Best Buy Combi Boiler is ideal.  Installation costs will be much lower, and your valuable time and money will be back with you, where it belongs.

If you’re new to the world of Best Buy Combi Boilers, we’ve published easy-to-understand guides on our blog which may help:

• What is a Combi Boiler?
• How a Combi Boiler Works
• Best Combi Boilers in the UK

A Detailed Guide on Condensing Combi Boilers is also available on our website if you’d like to know more. 

Conventional Boilers

Also known as ‘Standard’ or ‘Open Vent Boilers’, they require a water tank and hot cylinder located within the property.  However, conventional boilers are usually more suited for a larger house which has at least 2 bathrooms.

Sealed System Boilers

With Sealed System units, the heating and hot water components are built into the boiler itself.  Even though you won’t need a storage tank in your attic, you will still need a pressurised unvented cylinder for storing hot water.

The Advantages of Combi Boilers

For Combi Boilers, the water heater and central heating boiler is all that’s needed, which is kept in a single unit.  But what are the advantages?  Let’s take a look:

• You now have a huge amount of free space in your loft since there’s no tank needed.  A growing family could use that for valuable storage space.
• It could open up possibilities for conversion, giving you space to breathe away from the rest of the house.
• The lack of a hot water cylinder or tank storage space means less piping. This helps to eliminate the risk of pipework freezing over winter, when you’ll need it the most.

Combi Boilers are a long-term investment that can easily save you money over several years.  It’s the reliability from models such as the Viessmann Vitodens 200-W that offer the most advantages, making them more than worth it.

When we ask ourselves which is the Best Buy Combi Boiler, we need to consider just how fast technology is evolving.  It may be a different result every year, but because modern condensing boilers can be so similar, every detail counts.  When internal components and quality start coming into play, it’s important to know the difference these components can make on your boiler’s lifespan.

Stainless Steel vs Aluminium Heat Exchangers

Many established brand names in the UK still use aluminium heat exchangers for their Combi Boilers, helping them keep manufacturing costs down while selling their product based on reputation, brand name and word-of-mouth advertising. However, if the transfer fluids and inhibitors in the aluminium heat exchanger aren’t used to maintain a narrow pH range, it will corrode at a much higher rate than stainless steel and become permanently damaged.

Best Buy Combi Boilers from Viessmann last much longer because of their stainless steel heat exchanger.

By keeping corrosion and damage in mind, a Best Buy Combi Boiler would provide heat on an as-and-when basis, and their reliance is significantly improved. Maintenance becomes less of an issue as they’re not overworked and as a result, you can save money simply because repairs will become far less frequent compared to that of an older unit.  This is where all the benefits start to make sense.

The reliance and cost-saving benefits:

• With a Best Buy Combi Boiler, repairs will be drastically reduced or eliminated, along with a 10-year warranty and an on-call repairman.
• According to the Energy Saving Trust, gas bills can be reduced by 40% if replacing an older, inefficient boiler.
• Water won’t be reheated all the time, only when you need it.
• Safety is improved, with several Combi Boilers featuring fitted carbon monoxide detectors to help you save on any replacements or breakdowns.
• Energy Efficiency: Giving you the same results but using less fuel.

Quality of Internal Components

It’s a comfortable mistake to make – relying on the brand name you may have been using for years.  But the important thing when choosing a combi boiler is to do your research, otherwise market leaders will put more money into swaying reviewers or consumer magazines to tell a different story.

We’ve had customers who wouldn’t buy anything else except Worcester Bosch because:

1. That was their previous boiler.
2. Their plumber buddy recommended it.
3. Their friend/family member recommended it.

We’ve also had customers calling us to replace a 6 year old Worcester Bosch boiler simply because of low efficiency or a damaged/blocked heat exchanger with debris and sludge.  This is in part due to Worcester Bosch’s use of an aluminium heat exchanger which can become corroded over time, but the Viessmann Boilers avoid this due to their heat exchangers being made out of stainless steel.

Energy Efficiency of a Best Buy Combi Boiler

There are many reasons why you might be saving money with a Combi Boiler, but one of the best reasons is to no longer require a water storage tank.  Your boiler would no longer be working overtime to keep that water heated, and only heat it when you need it.

Beyond that, imagine you’ve had your old boiler for years.  It’s no longer running at its initial efficiency and with time, it’s only going to get worse.  You’ll be prone to more repairs which would add to the overall cost and ultimately put you in the difficult position of needing a replacement.

As many regular boilers do, the quality of your current installation would likely start its life running at around 85% efficiency, and decline over time.  As this happens, the remaining 20% wastage would increase, and the wasted pennies would grow exponentially.  With a Best Buy Combi Boiler starting on a much more reliable 90%, not only is the quality of service more consistent, but you could improve that further when compensating for seasonal weather as well as programmable thermostats.

Best Buy Combi Boiler for Your House

All of Viessmann’s Best Buy Combi Boilers come highly recommended.

With the wide range of boilers that we provide, there is no single type best suited for all situations.  A typical Best Buy Combi Boiler is best for smaller properties, and standard/conventional system boilers suit larger homes.

If you’re currently choosing your next boiler – you’ll want it with you for at least another decade – it’s naturally a big and important decision to make. A positive with most modern condensing boilers is that if you get hold of one with a larger capacity, it can modulate energy usage between 5kW and 30kW depending on the load.  Bear in mind that if you’re moving from a flat to a detached house, then your old boiler will no longer be a viable option.

Let’s take a look at the types of boilers suitable for your property type:

Flat/1-2 Bedroom House – 1 Bathroom

If your property size is small with 1-2 bedroom and 1 bathroom, which is the best buy combi boiler?

Best Buy Combi Boiler is the best choice for a property with 1 bathroom.

You definitely won’t need a high capacity boiler, but if you currently have a system boiler, we’d suggest you’d be far more comfortable converting to a Combi.

This is down to two very simple reasons: you save space, and you save energy.

But how exactly does it save energy?

Because it operates on an ‘as-and-when’ basis, producing hot water only when required.

Below are the best boilers in this category:

Boilers featured in the table above are mains gas boilers but with the help of a conversion kit, offer the option to be used for LPG (Liquified Petroeum Gas).

On a side note, one of the best things about the high-end Viessmann Vitodens 200-W is that it’s the only boiler that does this automatically between any fuel type.

Semi-Detached, Mid or End Terraced House – 3 Bedrooms – 2 Bathrooms

A Storage Combi Boiler is ideal for a larger property with multiple bathrooms.

With most 3-4 bedroom houses, there would usually be one bathroom, an en suite and maybe a toilet. To cater for a property of this size, a boiler with a higher capacity between 28KW to 35KW would be much more suitable.

However in more recent years, Storage Combi Boilers have become more prominent in the industry, offering a viable solution for larger properties. As the name suggests, it’s essentially a Combi Boiler with a built-in storage tank. If you’re after reliability, a Viessmann 111-W Storage Combi Boiler is a good example of a Best Buy Combi Boiler – and it can give you up to 20 litres per minute easily.

So Where do You Go from here?

The best thing you can do is to find out exactly how much your new boiler would be.  Consider getting a free online boiler quote from us to help you make a choice on which unit you should have installed.

Whether it’s the high-end boilers we have on offer or an upgrade to your current model, they ultimately benefit from being significantly cheaper to run, with far greater reliability, saving you thousands of pounds in the long run.