Condensing gas boiler for the house: the nuances of choice

If you type in a search engine “how to choose a boiler in the house”, then in 80% of cases it will be quite standard advice: choose one-or two-circuit, traditional or condensing, floor or wall-mounted boiler. To understand this information is, of course, important. But in practice, other nuances become determinative: for example, the available budget or the need to install a complex heating system. We tell you how to choose the gas boiler for your home depending on the task.

The challenge: To save money on the heating system

The solution: a radiator heating system + shower + double boiler.

The choice of such models will save at least on the purchase of a boiler, since a two-circuit heat generator provides both heating of the house and heating hot water. The use of wall hung boilers will optimize the investment in the boiler room, as they are often delivered ready for installation “out of the box” – with an expansion tank, circulation pump, safety valve and air vent. In this case, you do not have to buy components separately and spend extra money on boiler harness.

Using radiators combined into a single heating circuit will simplify the wiring of the system and reduce the amount of investment. Using the shower instead of the bathtub can save up to 50-70% of water.

Due to the low investment costs and the ability of condensing boilers to save up to 25% of gas, such a system pays off quickly. There are heat generators on the market today that can justify the investment in one and a half to two years maximum, rather than in four to seven or ten years. They can be up to 30 % more expensive than conventional boilers from the manufacturer’s lineup, such as the Viessmann Vitodens 050-W series. This heat generator allows you to minimize the investment, both during installation and during operation. Model efficiency is 97%, 15-17% higher than that of traditional boilers. And thanks to the 1:4 modulation, the Vitodens 050 can operate at one-quarter of its rated output for optimal gas consumption.

Viessmann experts recommend considering investments into a heating system from the point of view of economy in the mid- and long-term perspective. Modern condensing boilers can operate for 15 years with proper maintenance. With a payback period of 1.5 to 2 years, as with the Vitodens 050, the boiler will only optimize the heating budget during 13 of these years.

Tip: If there are doubts that the two-circuit boiler can cope with the production of hot water in the required volume, you can opt for a heat generator with a built-in boiler. Today the market has a model of dual circuit boilers with 46-liter integrated capacity storage for DHW, capable of delivering 18-20 liters of hot water per minute. At the same time they are quite compact – 480 x 600 x 900 mm.

The challenge: To minimise your contribution to the greenhouse effect

The solution: use a hybrid heating system, for example, solar collector + boiler.

According to VCIOM data, 96% of our compatriots think that environmental situation in the place where they live is important for them. The trend of conscious consumption and environmental protection is developing. Its followers pay close attention to harmful emissions when choosing a heating boiler for their home.

Condensing technology a priori emits 40% less carbon dioxide and 90% less nitrogen oxide than conventional. But even these figures are constantly reduced by the introduction of new technologies. One of the latest is MatriX Plus, a burner that produces 40% less nitrogen oxide than the previous generation of burners.

Solar collectors produce no emissions at all – it’s a green technology. Hybrid heating system “manifold + boiler” satisfies the need for quality heating and does not cause irreparable damage to the environment.

“Every third heating system we install is hybrid,” says Dmitry Mikhailov, general director of VIEnergy. Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. – They are not only “green” but also beneficial in terms of capital investment. While the sun is shining, the boiler is not working. Thanks to the energy stored in special hot water buffer tanks, the supply of energy continues uninterrupted even after sunset. We calculate the heat consumption of the building and select the right number of collectors for efficient operation. And “paired goes the boiler”.

Tip: When choosing a hybrid heating system, consider the peculiarities of your region. In some cases, the combination will be optimal: “geothermal heat pump + boiler”. When selecting the latter, the possibility of integration with a geothermal plant must be taken into account.

Objective: to install a complex heating water system

The solution: a powerful boiler with high efficiency and advanced automation system

To “take the lead” in the system “radiators + floor heating + boiler” or “radiators + floor heating + boiler + home spa complex” the heat generator should have a high-tech controller capable of managing multiple heating circuits. Such a heating system is possible, for example, with the new Viessmann Vitodens 200-W.

This requires the installation and connection of separate pump group modules for each of the heating circuits to the boiler. The system is controlled by the integrated controller E3 with a color touch screen or remotely through an application on your smartphone wi-fi module to connect to the Internet is included in the factory boiler . The boiler allows to realize zone regulation in each individual room of the house – through wireless thermostatic radiator heads and control actuators of heating floors provides individual control of the temperature in rooms, for example on the 1st and 2nd floor of the house. It is possible to separately control the floor heating system: for example, to operate underfloor heating in the bathrooms all year round, and in the rooms – only in the heating season.

Underfloor heating is a “soft” and very comfortable heating option – it is a low-temperature, but quite energy consuming system, so it is best to choose a condensing boiler for its heating. Such a heat generator is able not only to maintain low-temperature operation, but also to optimize the consumption of gas in this mode of operation.

To protect a complex heating system from malfunctions, it is important to choose condensing technology with high operational reliability. Signs:

– Solid steel heat exchangers with a large thickness of the walls and a guarantee against corrosion of at least 10 years

– the ability of the burner to automatically adjust to the quality of gas

– Long manufacturer’s warranty on the heat generator – at least 3 years.

Advice: for complex heating systems, choose equipment with the possibility of 24-hour online monitoring of the boiler by specialists of the service center. Such boilers communicate with service engineers with the help of special applications. It is sufficient to ensure the connection of the equipment to the home Wi-Fi network via a router, and give the service center the necessary permits for online access to the settings of the system.

Selecting a heating system for the house – an individual process. And it must take into account a lot of nuances. But the main recommendation is the same for all: the careful selection of high-quality and reliable equipment, which fully depends on the weather in the house.