FAQs

Upgrading to a condensing boiler can offer the following benefits:

• Cheaper heating bills
• A more energy efficient home
• Better for the environment
• Increased reliability and performance
• Easier control of your heating

Combi boilers by contrast produce hot water at mains pressure, which means they are compatible with either a mains pressure balanced or thermostatically controlled shower. If you are replacing a traditional boiler and hot water cylinder with a combi boiler, your existing shower should be examined to see if it is suitable. If it is pump assisted and designed for low-pressure systems, it will need replacing.

There are times when a white plume or discharge can be seen coming from the flue terminal on a condensing boiler. This is because the flue gases are cooler than they would be in a non-condensing boiler. The flue gases of a condensing boiler exhaust at around 55°C. They cool quicker in the atmosphere and in certain outside temperatures cause a plume similar to your breath on a cold morning.

In a non-condensing boiler flue gases are hotter. They cool down further away from the terminal and dissipate differently.

The water from combi boilers is heated directly from the mains, so the only time the water is released to the atmosphere is when it comes out of the tap. This means that during heating, the calcium bicarbonate which is present in the water changes to calcium carbonate.

This creates carbon dioxide, which is seen as millions of bubbles when viewed close up. It is not sediment and is not harmful. If you run some hot water into a glass and let it cool, it will slowly clear.

The Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) is a Government-backed financial incentive scheme to encourage homeowners and businesses to make the switch to renewable heating.

There are two separate schemes available – one for businesses and one for domestic properties. Whichever is right for you, BASI can take care of your complete RHI application from start to finish so you can simply sit back, relax and watch the payments go into your account. Once your application is complete, you are guaranteed the tariff which was available at that point, for the duration of your RHI agreement.

The non-domestic RHI is paid quarterly for 20 years and payments are dependent on the actual measured usage of a system. Use our calculator below to work out how much you could earn.

The RHI is paid quarterly for seven years and payments are dependent on the heating requirements of each individual property as stated on the EPC. See our RHI calculator for an estimate on the payments you could receive.

*These RHI calculations are for guidance only and should not be taken as a guarantee, particularly if figures from an energy bill are being used.

BASI recommend wood pellets for increased efficiency and control. Wood pellets are a low-carbon, highly combustible wood fuel which can provide heating and hot water for domestic, commercial and industrial users. Wood pellets provide superior control, similar to that of a fossil-fuelled boiler such as gas.

Wood pellets are sourced locally in the UK and are readily available for bulk and bagged delivery. It is also a considerably cheaper fuel when compared to fossil fuels such as LPG and oil. See our fuel saving calculator for an estimate on what you could potentially save.

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Whether you are looking to install a biomass boiler for your home or business, you could benefit from huge savings on your heating bills.

Many businesses have already installed biomass boilers at their office, store, warehouse or factory and taken advantage of the non-domestic RHI. With the domestic scheme now under way, homeowners can earn rewards too.

For businesses, a biomass boiler brings the potential to save thousands of pounds a year and receive quarterly payments for 20 years. All this of course, whilst meeting sustainability and environmental targets with a ‘green’ approach to business.

Homeowners can also benefit from lower heating bills, together with guaranteed RHI tariffs over a seven year period.
Biomass really is the smarter choice for your home or business.

A condensing boiler is a high efficiency, modern boiler that incorporates either a larger heat exchanger or even a second heat exchanger. It produces lower flue gas temperatures, lower flue gas emissions and reduced fuel consumption – all resulting in lower heating bills for the homeowner.

By recovering and using heat that would otherwise be lost up the flue, condensing boilers are over 90% efficient, which means they use over 90% of the produced fuel to heat the home.

A standard efficiency boiler, such as those installed 10 years ago, are usually only around 60 – 70% efficient. This means that for every pound you put in, up to 30 pence is wasted. In some cases, the cost of installing a new condensing boiler can be repaid in just a few years’ worth of fuel savings.

Your heating engineer will treat your property with the most respect and aim to keep any disruption to a minimum. They will cover carpets, protect work surfaces and use dustsheets in all areas they work. Please try to remove furniture, ornaments and other items from the working area around the boiler and radiator positions.

Your gas, electricity and cold water supply can normally be isolated in the areas where we are working, so you should be able to use these utilities for most of the time.

We do not need you to be present when the work is being carried out, but we ask that you make yourself available for at least one hour at the start and end of the work. This will enable our heating engineer to confirm all the details of the installation before we start and show you the benefits of your heating system when it is finished.

This will depend on how complex your heating system is, but we will give you an estimate before the work begins.