You probably know from talking to your customers that homeowners love condensing gas boilers for their high efficiency.
However, here are some things you may not know:
4 Things You May Not Know About Condensing Boilers
#1. Condensing Boilers Can Produce Endless Hot Water
These systems can provide domestic hot water in one of two ways:
- A combi condensing boiler can produce endless hot water like a tankless water heater. Unlike your average boiler, a combi condensing boiler can provide two household needs— space heating and hot water—in one compact unit. Using the mains to heat water, a combi boiler is a great way to save energy and space, since it doesn’t need to store water in an external hot water cylinder or cold water tank…and it is endless hot water when needed.
- A condensing boiler that isn’t a combi can be connected to an indirect tank to make endless hot water. Not currently working on a combi installation? You can still hook up a heat-only condensing boiler to an indirect hot water tank to produce a generous amount of hot water for your customer, even if the boiler itself is not a combi type.
#2. Condensing Boilers Save More Space than You’d Think
Did you know that on average, condensing wall boilers are 60% smaller than conventional boilers? A typical combi or heat-only condensing wall boiler has a footprint of about two square feet, which is roughly the size of a carry-on suitcase. A conventional boiler measures about 6 cubic feet and sits on the floor, wasting valuable space. Add in a 40-gallon water heater at 4 to 6 square feet and that is 12 square feet of basement to heat a home and make hot water. Though small, a combi system can take the place of both a conventional boiler and a 40-gallon water heater! Condensing boilers save space in your customers’ homes and save you time on installation, too.
Speaking of installation, condensing boilers are much lighter than traditional boilers. We have crunched some numbers for you here—the difference may surprise you!
#3. Condensing Boilers Save Energy through Outdoor and Indoor Resets
Outdoor reset allows a condensing boiler to adapt its output based on the season. Using an external temperature sensor, a condensing boiler will modulate automatically depending on the outdoor temperature. The higher the outside temperature, the lower the boiler water temperature, thus saving energy. After all, homeowners will likely appreciate the extra burst of heat on a snowy January night more than they would say, on a sunny spring day in April.
Of course, there are those people who always seem to run cold no matter what season it is. Here’s where indoor reset makes sense. Some condensing boilers, including the Bosch Greenstar Boiler, offer this feature for greater accuracy. When indoor reset is enabled, the boiler uses the indoor temperature as a reference point in order to customize its output for ultimate homeowner comfort. It still modulates, but now looks at the room temperature as a way to decide if more or less energy is needed to reach the targeted setpoint of the thermostat.
Aside from the outdoor and indoor reset features, we know your customers are looking for as many ways as they can to save energy and money on their gas bills. Simply by having a condensing gas boiler, they will more than likely qualify for energy rebates and tax credits. Be sure to share the good news far and wide!
#4. Some Condensing Boilers Need Less Maintenance
When we say that condensing boilers are low maintenance, we really mean it. Take the Bosch Greenstar Boiler as a prime example. Due to its unique heat exchanger, this product only needs to be cleaned every five years. To put that into perspective, many boilers need to either be replaced entirely once a decade or have to be cleaned annually to avoid issues.
Less maintenance is a win-win for everyone. It saves your customers money and saves you time, since repeat call-backs for maintenance issues will be less likely than usual.
Based on recommended service intervals, Greenstar has the lowest cost of ownership and longest life of any residential condensing boiler on the market.