What's in this article?
Boiler sizes, or outputs, are measured in Kilowatts, or ‘kW’ for ease.
For an interactive way of calculating the size of boiler that your home requires, use our online quoting tool. You'll see fixed prices on boilers which are the perfect power for home's needs.
Choosing a suitable size boiler is super important for two key reasons:
#1 - It won’t meet your homes heating requirements if you undershoot it.
An underpowered (undersized) boiler will struggle to meet the heating demands of your home, resulting in a shortfall of heating to your radiators, hot water to your taps/shower or worse – both.
Picture Ronnie Corbett pulling a horse drawn carriage uphill. He’ll try alright, but his tiny body would undoubtably fail him.
#2 - You could easily waste hundreds of £££’s by burning extra gas
An overpowered (undersized) boiler won’t provide you with additional benefits and although modern boilers will modulate down to meet the lower demands, you’ll have spent significantly more money on a boiler model that you don’t need.
If the boiler you decide to buy isn't swanky, you'll potentially be wasting a wedge of money on burning unecessary gas (and giving climate change a boost).
Note: It can be worth considering a higher power (kW) boiler than necessary if you’re planning a home extension that would include additional showers or bath units.
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What size combi boiler does my home need?
We’ve established you don’t want a boiler that’s too low powered or unnecessarily powerful, for the sake of saving money (and the planet). You need one that’s just right. It’s the Goldilocks conundrum of boilers.
Here's what size combi boiler your home will need based on it's bathrooms (or if you don't like reading, use our online tool):
* For homes with 3 or more bath/shower outlets that could potentially be used at the same time (particularly very large properties), the boundaries of a combi boiler will be pushed, and a conventional boiler will likely be more suitable (with a hot water tank).
However, the Viessmann Vitodens 111-W is a beastly hybrid – a combi boiler with a built in water tank too that is certainly worth exploring.
To get a quote on a 111-W hybrid combi boiler, use our online tool.
What size combi boiler by house type:
Really, you should be calculating boiler size by the number of bathrooms/shower (as above), or, use our online quoting tool.
However, as a rough guide, check out the below:
| Minimum kW Size | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| What size boiler for... | 1 Bath/Shower | 2 Baths/Showers | |||
| 2 Bedroom House | 26kW | 29kW | |||
| 3 Bedroom House | 29kW | 35kW | |||
| 4 Bedroom House | 29kW | 35kW | |||
| 5 Bedroom House | 35kW | 35kW | |||
Not sure on the best model? Read our article on the best combi boiler or go straight to our two favourites:
→ Viessmann Vitodens 050-W Review
→ Viessmann Vitodens 100-W Review
Have a large house with plenty of bathrooms, but have your heart set on a combi boiler?
Viessmann have managed to propel us some way into the future and made a hybrid boiler – the Viessmann 111-W.
The Germans have essentially gone full Jurassic Park here, controversially merging the DNA of a conventional boiler and a modern combi boiler to create their very own monster. Viessmann finds a way.
How much are boilers anyway? We’ve broken it down into an article so digestible and moreish, it made half of our readers clinically obese. Eat it up.
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How to calculate what size system or regular boiler your home needs
Regular (or conventional) and system boilers are also referred to as ‘heat only’ boilers.
So it’s radiators we’re more interested in here, as opposed to bathrooms.
As a rule of thumb guide, account for:
1.5kW per every radiator in your home + 3kW for your water cylinder.
Or, for ease, use our online tool and you'll also see a range of fixed price quotes, win-win.
| What size boiler for... | Boiler Size Calculation | Minimum kW Size | Recommended Model | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 Radiators | 6x 1.5kW + 3kW | 12kW | Ideal Logic 12kW | ||
| 8 Radiators | 8x 1.5kW + 3kW | 15kW | Viessmann Vitodens 100-W 16kW | ||
| 12 Radiators | 12x 1.5kW + 3kW | 21kW | Ideal Logic 24kW | ||
| 15 Radiators | 15x 1.5kW + 3kW | 26kW | Viessmann Vitodens 100-W 26kW | ||
| 20 Radiators | 20x 1.5kW + 3kW | 33kW | Viessmann Vitodens 100-W 35kW | ||
What about converting? From a conventional to a combi…
Combi boilers are remarkably more efficient, cheaper to run and provide instant hot water without delay from your taps, shower of bath.
It’s no surprise that converting to a combi boiler is the UK’s most common New Year’s Resolution.
It can be quite an expensive job, but, at Heatable, we're offering unbeatable fixed prices on (the right size!) boiler conversions from just £2,495.
If you hadn't already guessed, what size combi boiler you would require if you’re converting from a regular boiler is no different to if you already had a combi boiler…
You’d simply have to take into account your hot water demand as displayed above.
Considering buying a new boiler, but haven't a clue what size you need? Use our online tool which'll do the hard work for you.
How to get the best price on a new (correct size!) boiler
How? Without boasting, buy from us.
We're an online, nationwide boiler installation business with 500+ 5 star reviews from a shed load of happy customers.
Because we're online, our overheads are low which means we pass those savings on to our customers, ensuring they're always getting the best deal on a new boiler. Plus, because of the volumes that we install, we're able to access exclusive warranty lengths from our partner manufacturers. For example, we can offer 10 years of protection on the Viessmann 050-W range, whereas your traditional installer can only offer you 7. Boom.
To get the best deal on a new combi boiler, answer some quick online questions and we'll give you an instant fixed price.
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