With so many different types of properties in this country, small and large. What is the best solution when thinking about changing your boiler or heating system? Expert advice will guide you to the right solution for your home and individual requirements. Unfortunately, that expert advice is very much dependant on the experience of the engineer or salesman.

For example, some houses that have a boiler and cylinder are replaced with a combination boiler as the go to solution even if that is not the best option for the both the hot water or home owner. As a homeowner the decision ultimately comes down to a few key factors, but as an engineer we are always looking to give you the option that you will still be happy with 10 years down the line.

Is the Cost of a Storage Combi a Better Option?

The cost is always key and when talking about a storage combi that price can be a £1000 more expensive than a combination boiler. So why the extra expense and what benefits are there to having a storage combi?

Space is the first benefit as basically you have a mains pressure cylinder and boiler in one unit, so you end up gaining a kitchen cupboard or more room in an airing cupboard if replacing an old conventional boiler and gravity cylinder. Pressure and better quality hot water with flow rates of 20 litres a minute is double the flow rate of a 24kw combination boiler and even a larger boiler will only give you about 16lpm and a reduced drop off in flow rate when using multiple outlets.

Servicing and maintenance costs are also slightly reduced because the cylinder and boiler are in one unit so over its lifetime that could be a saving in excess of £500.

Quicker Reheat Times

Quicker reheat times with this type of setup again allow for lower energy bills and a plentiful supply of hot water equivalent to having to heat a 180 litre cylinder.

Even once the store is depleted it will revert to combi mode and still outperform most other combination boilers.

We recently installed a Viessmann 111-w 26kw for a customer who was looking towards future proofing his home with a solution that gave great hot water flow to multiple outlets including extra bathroom further down the line. For now, it is connected to a bathroom and ensuite with fantastic results.

Two basins running at the same time with no drop off. Bath and shower running with little pressure reduction. Admittedly the customer put in a brand new 25mm mdpe main as part of a whole house renovation which allows the boiler to work under optimal conditions.

The good news is that, if you are in a house built in the last 20 years you will already have good pressure and mdpe main up to 32mm for great flow. If you need a new boiler in Lichfield on the various estates built in this time frame then this might well be the right option for you.

There are so many estates and houses that really could benefit from this solution, but I don’t think it gets promoted enough or the budget dictates the solution even if not the right one.

There are only a few manufacturers that have a storage combi as an option. Worcester bosch, Vaillant and Viessmann are the main 3 but only Viessmann and Vaillant are wall hung options, the Worcester high flow is a very heavy floor mounted option which can suit certain types of upgrades.

Whatever solution you decide to go for when the time comes, having all options available will at least put you in a position to assess your needs and choose what suits both budget and requirements.

I hope this will help when the time comes to get a new boiler upgrade.

If you are looking at getting your boiler upgraded or need some general advice then please get in touch.