It’s no secret that if you want to heat water and have central heating in your home, you need to have a boiler.

But few people are really fully aware of everything they might need to know about boilers, and specifically one of the things you should look into is what the different types of boilers are. Knowing this can help you to figure out which you might need in your home, and which you could probably do without.

Let’s take a look at the different types of boilers now, to get to the bottom of this issue.

Combination Boiler

A combination boiler, or combi boiler, is one that does both heating and hot water. It is an increasingly common kind of boiler, and especially useful for smaller properties such as apartments and flats, where there might not be much room for a larger boiler. Because the combi boiler provides heating and hot water from the one machine, it is perfect for smaller homes, and often considerably more efficient for that home as a result too.

Regular Boiler

This is what you might also call a conventional boiler, and it is the more traditional kind of boiler that you would have seen in many homes. You still do, in fact, and it remains a popular choice in many places. A regular or conventional boiler is simply a boiler which only works for heating alone, and not for heating up hot water. If you wanted it for hot water too, you would generally also need a cylinder. A conventional boiler is essentially almost always for larger homes – those homes that have much higher demands for both heating and hot water. You would be unlikely to find one in a smaller home or flat.

System Boiler

The system boiler is, in many respects, very similar to the regular boiler. However, there is one major difference, which is that it is pressurised. This is a useful and unique solution for homes which tend to have a low water pressure, as the boiler itself provides the kind of pressure you need for many uses of hot water and heating around the home. A system boiler is clearly a very useful tool if you have poor water pressure, so it’s worth bearing in mind for such purposes, if nothing else, and it remains a common choice for that reason.

Choosing A Boiler

When you are choosing a boiler, you need to consider a few things. First of all, the size of your home. The larger your home is, the larger the heating system is, and so the bigger the boiler you will generally require. Boiler size is measured in kW, and it needs to be considered within the size of the system. You should also take care with brands to ensure you get a boiler you can trust – generally, Worcester is the number one choice for reliability, easy maintenance and great aftercare. Newer models are designed to look a bit nicer as well, and also designed to tuck into a cupboard out of the way.