Which are the best environmentally friendly boilers? Do they even exist? In this guide we explore the topic in full.
Curious to learn more about boilers that are better for the environment? Want an eco-friendly boiler for yourself?
In the following guide, we’ll explore these boilers in more detail by explaining what they are and what makes them less harmful to the environment.
We’ll also discuss eco-friendly heating systems in general, as well as alternatives to gas boilers.
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What is an Eco-friendly Boiler?
An eco-friendly boiler/heating system is designed to have a low or zero carbon footprint.
They tend to rely on renewable and green energy sources instead of fossil fuels. Popular examples of eco-friendly boilers include biomass boilers and electric boilers.
Of course, if green energy sources fuel your boiler (e.g., solar panels or via a renewable energy provider such as Ecotricity, Octopus Energy or Green Energy UK), this can ensure you have an environmentally friendly heating system as a whole.
Condensing boilers are also worth considering since even with natural gas, many combi condensing boilers are highly efficient and thus relatively green. In addition, you may be interested in hydrogen boilers.
Different Types of Eco-friendly Boilers
We’ll now take a look at the various types of eco-friendly boilers and the various ways you could achieve an eco-friendly heating system.
Biomass Boilers
Unlike an electric boiler, biomass boilers are generally guaranteed to be relatively eco-friendly without needing a green energy external energy provider.
This is because biomass boilers are fuelled directly on-site using organic material as fuel. Such fuel would include timber pallets, logs and wood chips.
This fuel is then burnt to provide energy for heating and hot water.
Biomass boilers still pollute, just not to the same extent as a gas boiler
There are some key disadvantages to biomass boilers, however. Having one installed, to begin with, can be costly and they require manual work to run, in a way that most boilers simply wouldn’t.
This is because you’d have to feed the wood matter to the boiler itself manually. If you're a hectic go-go life, then a biomass boiler is probably not for you.
Also, they do still pollute to a certain degree but not to the extent as gas boilers would.
Electric Boilers
Another way of making your heating system environmentally friendly would be with an electric boiler.
Preferably, you should go with a relatively energy-efficient option, particularly if your energy provider sources their electricity from multiple sources (some being renewable and others being non-renewable).
If you want a heating system that is almost guaranteed to be 100% carbon-free, you should power an electric boiler with energy from a green energy supplier.
Green, electric boilers are great. But, they're only great if they're powered by green energy
This is probably the most effective and practical solution to making your heating system better for the environment.
You’d need to spend a bit of time looking around at the various green energy providers on the UK market before making a choice.
Here are some of our recommendations:
Octopus Energy.
Green Energy UK.
Bulb.
Ecotricity.
Good Energy.
The recommendations above may or may not cover your region, so ensure you double-check whether they supply to your local area.
One downside to electric boilers is their relatively low energy efficiency, so they can be a bit expensive to run.
One way of countering this is to think carefully about the type of boiler you purchase in terms of availing of a relatively high-efficiency electric combi boiler.
An alternative to powering your electric boiler with energy from the right provider would be to produce renewable energy by yourself.
For instance, by having solar panels installed on your roof or in your back garden, you could use the energy produced to partly or entirely fuel your electric boiler.
While expensive to set up, you could save a lot of money in the long run. Self-sufficiency could reduce or even eliminate your heating bills.
Of course, you would need the correct number of solar panels required to meet your heating demands in order to totally eliminate such bills.
Condensing Boilers
Another way of approaching your search for a greener boiler would be to have a modern A-rated condensing combi boiler installed.
The more efficient a boiler is, the less energy it consumes. Switching an old non-condensing boiler for a modern condensing boiler might reduce your carbon footprint by 1,220 kg of CO2 annually.
Hydrogen Gas Boilers
These boilers employ hydrogen gas instead of natural gas. The good news is that burning hydrogen only results in water vapour being emitted and is carbon-free.
The actual production and supply of hydrogen gas is not a carbon-free process, however. So as with the other options discussed here, there are pros and cons to weigh up.
Advantages of an Eco-friendly Boiler
There are various benefits to having an eco-friendly boiler/eco-friendly heating system, albeit it would depend on the exact type you go with.
Benefits of Any Eco-friendly Boiler
Some of the reasons to go with an eco-friendly boiler:
Low-carbon or zero-carbon boiler.
A good step for making an eco-friendly heating system.
Can help toward making your entire home carbon-free.
Benefits of Biomass Boilers
Here are some advantages specific to biomass boilers:
Can allow for a near zero-carbon heating system without availing of a particular green energy supplier.
The cost per kWh is relatively low at about 4.2p/kWh which is cheaper than electricity and oil and similar to that of gas.
Benefits of Electric Boilers
As for the advantages specific to electric boilers:
A virtually 100% eco-friendly heating system is possible using an electric boiler if using the correct energy sources (i.e., renewable energy electricity provider or on-site solar panels).
Less hassle than a biomass boiler while still allowing for an eco-friendly solution to your heating needs.
Benefits of Condensing Boilers:
The benefits of these boilers include:
Can help you lower your carbon footprint and heating bills without spending as much as you would for solar panels with an electric boiler or a biomass boiler.
Make a noticeable reduction in carbon footprint over old non-condensing boilers.
How Much Does an Eco-friendly Boiler Cost?
We’ll now discuss the pricing of electric and biomass boilers. On average, electric boilers tend to cost between £1,000 and £2,000.
As for biomass boilers, however, these are far more expensive, costing around £5,000 to £10,000. Whether or not a biomass boiler would be worth it would depend on your budget, preferences and energy needs.
Condensing combi boilers tend to cost somewhere in the range of £1,000 to £2,500. As for hydrogen gas boilers, they are generally priced between £800 and £1,500.
Eco-friendly Boilers: Verdict
All in all, an environmental-friendly boiler is a great of reduce your carbon footprint.
If availing of an electric boiler, having your energy sourced by renewable means could allow you to have a totally zero-carbon heating system at home.
Eco-friendly boilers are ideal for those who want to invest in a way of reducing their carbon footprint.
Indeed, if you have the budget for the initial installation, a biomass boiler could keep your energy costs low or by having solar panels at home to power an electric boiler, you could erase your heating bills entirely in due course.
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