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Get The Most Out of Your Boiler

Five Ways to Improve Boiler Efficiency

By Ken D.  |  Product Expert

When purchasing a new boiler for your home, efficiency is the name of the game.

The development of condensing technology and improvements to conventional boilers have dramatically increased efficiency levels over the past decade.

What many homeowners don't realize, however, is that improvements to your home's heating system don't have to stop there!

Let us show you several products and systems that can improve your home's heating efficiency even after a boiler's installation.


Smart Thermostats

Smart thermostats integrate with a user's wireless device and have the following features to varying degrees, depending on the model:


Programmable Thermostat

Dollar for dollar, a programmable thermostat is perhaps the best energy efficiency-related investment a homeowner can make.


Using a programmable thermostat, your home's heating system can be automatically shut down during hours when no heat is needed, such as weekday work hours or when everyone is in their warm bed at night. Likewise, during hours when your home needs to be warm for the family, the thermostat follows its programmed schedule to ensure you have a warm house to come home to.


Once your schedule is entered into the thermostat, this happens automatically without any input required from you at all. These programmable thermostats come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes with each one having a different set of features - there is a perfect thermostat for every home and budget. In some cases, the savings can be so dramatic that the thermostat pays for itself in a matter of months.


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Outdoor Reset Control

During the spring and autumn months, outdoor temperatures can shift dramatically on a day-to-day basis. Some days can be mildly chilly, with others descending to the bitter cold.


Your boiler doesn't know the difference, however, and responds to them all the same: full throttle to the burner until the required indoor temperature is met.


An outdoor reset control works with your boiler to keep overall system water temperature lower when outdoor temperatures are higher. This not only reduces indoor temperature fluctuations but also provides a much more efficient heating process for your home.


Variable Speed Pump

A variable speed pump has a multitude of practical applications in hydronic heating, but for now, let's focus on how it increases your home's overall energy efficiency level.


Having a variable speed pump allows the pump to modulate its speed precisely according to your home's current heating demand rather than switching between a few pre-specified speeds or not switching at all.


It gives you the best of both worlds: a powerful pump that can deliver high throughput when needed, yet can dial back its speed (and, as a result, electrical energy needs) when your home only needs a few degrees of temperature adjustment.


High-Efficiency Combination Boiler

While smart thermostats and variable speed pumps are external components of the boiler system, what about the boiler itself?


For maximum efficiency that will impact both your space and domestic water heating, a combination boiler is the way to go.


A combination (combi) boiler combines a boiler and tankless domestic water heater into one, compact unit. There is no hot water tank. Instead, the boiler circulates hot water through a heat exchanger, which in turn heats incoming cold water on demand. The heated domestic water then flows to fixtures throughout the home.


Combination boilers offer you higher efficiency since water is being heated only on-demand and not throughout the day. They also cut down on the wait for hot water because there isn't a finite amount stored in a tank. Finally, they offer significant space savings by combining two heating functions into one unit.



Indirect-Fired Water Heater

A high-quality, well-insulated indirect fired water heater is an asset to any hydronically-heated home's energy efficiency level. An indirect-fired water heater with high-grade insulation prevents standby heat loss to the outside environment, increasing the speed at which water is heated and reducing the need to reheat water as time passes.


Your water heater is one of the most frequently used appliances in your home, and the performance difference between an aging water heater and a newer indirect-fired model is substantial and immediately noticeable.


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Insulated Boiler Jacket

An insulated boiler jacket keeps the heat from burned fuel inside of your boiler where it belongs. Boilers with a plain metal jacket or a casing with older insulation can release surprisingly large amounts of heat energy to the outside environment, preventing the heat from going where it was originally intended to go: your boiler's heat exchanger.


Here at eComfort.com, most of the boilers we sell already come with well-insulated boiler jackets. Individually purchased boiler jackets should be boiler-specific, though, so make sure you have the right one for your boiler.


There are many additional accessories you can purchase to optimize your boiler's performance. Browse our site or give one of our experts a call today to learn more about accessorizing your boiler. Get everything you need to finish out your install with convenient trim packages.


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