As the cooler season approaches here in Westchester and Putnam, you may be faced with needing to replace your boiler to ensure your family stays comfortable this winter. Choosing a new boiler for your home is an extremely important decision. During your online research, you may have come across high efficiency gas boilers — which are one of the most economical and clean ways to heat your home, reduce your monthly heating bills, and lessen environmental impact.
High efficiency gas boilers are designed to trap the escaping heat and direct it back into heating the home through a process known as “condensing.” This is why high efficiency boilers are sometimes referred to as condensing boilers — they produce heat by burning natural gas or propane fuel.
These types of boilers extract heat from the combustion process so efficiently that the flue gases leave the boiler at a much lower temperature than in a standard boiler. The temperature of these flue gases is low enough that they actually condense inside the heat exchanger, resulting in greater efficiencies.
Advantages to High Efficiency Boilers:
- Save money: The main advantage of high efficiency boilers is the immediate savings on fuel costs. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, a high efficiency boiler can dramatically reduce utility bills by 50 percent. If your existing boiler operates at 70 percent AFUE (the percentage of energy your boiler is actually converting into heat for your home), and you replace it with a 95 percent efficiency model, this represents an increase in the energy efficiency of over 26 percent. If your heating bill averages $100 a month, there is a potential cost savings of $312 annually. Pair your new, high efficiency boiler with a programmable thermostat to achieve an even higher efficiency level.
- Better for the environment: High efficiency condensing boilers are not just good for your wallet. They are also good for the environment. They use less energy to heat your home, so they produce fewer emissions, which benefits everyone!
- Adjusts to your needs: High efficiency boilers come equipped with technology that allows them to modulate and run at intensity levels ranging from very low to very high. Since they are consuming on-demand, these newer models are less wasteful.
- Flexible installation: Since flue gas is cooler than that produced by a conventional boiler, the unit can be vented through plumbing and drainage pipes within the home, and in most cases, even with a flexible pipe. This makes selecting a location to install the boiler much easier than finding a spot for a conventional boiler. Also, because high efficiency boilers have a “power vent” feature (fan assisted), they can be vented through almost any outside wall in the home and do not require a chimney.
- Neat and compact: High efficiency boilers are typically much smaller and lighter than conventional boilers, so they can often be hung on a wall, rather than being mounted on the floor.
Robison, the area’s premier full-service home comfort company, leads the way in innovation when it comes to cost efficiencies for homeowners. That’s why we recommend replacing old boilers with high efficiency Energy Star® models. Energy Star boilers offer great ways to reduce your carbon footprint and your monthly energy bill. In addition, you may qualify for rebates and incentives by making the switch. For more information visits us at www.robisonoil.com/equipment/boilers or call (914) 345-5700.