Reducing your gas bill does not always have to be complicated.
Many people now have smart meters which is a great step forward to monitor, in real-time, what you are actually using in terms of energy. This in turn helps with reducing your gas bill.
Just seeing what you are using however is not always enough to reduce your bill, you need to know where all this gas is disappearing to!
I go into people homes on a daily basis and see simple mistakes being made which add up over a course of a year. These small changes in habits can really add up to a substantial gas-saving without adversely affecting your comfort levels.
We all know that replacing the boiler for a modern condensing type is a big efficiency increase. This post is more about the cheap ways to reduce your gas bill that everyone can do themselves without our help in most cases.
Happy Saving!!
1- Reducing the flow temperature of the boiler
Sounds obvious doesn’t it but so many people I’ve met are not aware you can cool the water that runs around the radiators from the boiler thermostat. You may have to inch it back up again when the weather gets colder outside but in the Spring and Autumn months, there is usually no need to run the boiler at 70 degrees unless your radiators are sized conservatively.
The cooler you run the system the less gas you’ll use!
Please see image above.
2- Check you are not heating rooms that are either empty or not used very often
Again sounds pretty obvious but I still see people heating every single room in the house when they are only living in two or three rooms.
The less radiators you are heating the less gas you’ll use
Either turn these unnecessary radiators off or ask us to price for thermostatic radiator valves which will allow you to control the air temperature of each room independently.
3- Check you have a room thermostat and that it works
A wall-mounted room thermostat provides an electrical interlock with the boiler shutting the boiler down completely when the air temperature is reached
Also Important to see where the room thermostat is located as this can also have a big affect on your comfort levels.
If you have a wireless thermostat try moving it around to an area where you spend more time like the lounge or dining room.
I often see room thermostats in hallways turned right up because the hallway rad is undersized. All the heat goes up the stairs while the family is sitting in the lounge cooking with no control of the air temperature in the most expensive room to heat.
Measure the air temperature of the area you spend the most time in!
If your thermostat is hard wired then maybe it’s time we quoted you for a wireless smart thermostat. A wireless smart thermostat can be put anywhere and is even more efficient than a standard room thermostat.
I will do a post on smart thermostats in the near future.
I hope this was helpful but please do not hesitate to call us if you need further energy efficient advice, my team is always on hand to help.
Blog by Dean Dawe, Cloverleaf
#Cloverleaf
5 tips for designing Underfloor Heating
/in Knowledge Centre /by Cloverleaf PlumbingWe currently have another underfloor heating project in progress in Orpington.
1) Depth of screed above the underfloor heating affects the heat transfer time through the floor, therefore using the correct depth of insulation below the pipe runs is crucial
2) The distance between the pipe loops has a bearing on the overall heat output of the floor. Closer together means more pipe and ultimately more output. Doing a heat loss calculation of the room will determine how much heat output you need…we will do this for you
3) The flow temperature running through the pipe also has a considerable effect on overall heat output. If you are planning to heat the floor with an ASHP these run more efficiently at cooler temperatures. Closer together loops will be preferable to ensure the room reaches temperature in the depths of winter
4) Underfloor heating thermal conductivity is affected by the finished floor surface. Stone and tiled floors are favourable for UFH, they soak up the heat and stay warm for very long periods of time. Carpet is a very bad conductor of heat, wood is somewhere in the middle. My advice to customers is to work backwards from the finished floor surface and discuss whether their chosen finished floor is actually suitable rather than leaving this as an afterthought.
5) We talk to customers about how they want to control their underfloor heating and how the zones are split up. VERY IMPORTANT. We use a lot of smart systems as they can also control the radiators within the same AP. You cannot just connect your UFH into your radiator circuit as we have seen lots of builders do on many occasions.
So there we go, 5 considerations to think about
Mega Flow Project – Hartley
/in Latest News /by Cloverleaf PlumbingRecently we completed a Mega Flow System in Hartley.
One of our existing customers moved into a new property and came to us for advice on a new Vaillant Mega Flow system.
Due to the age and condition of the existing system, there was really no salvaging any part of it.
Electric Boiler Installation Dartford
/in Latest News /by Cloverleaf PlumbingRecently we have found electric boilers are becoming a more viable option to a gas boiler.
We completed an electric boiler installation in Dartford where we converted from the original gas boiler which had become unreliable and uneconomical to repair.
3 Steps To Reducing Your Gas Bill
/in Knowledge Centre /by Cloverleaf PlumbingReducing your gas bill does not always have to be complicated.
Many people now have smart meters which is a great step forward to monitor, in real-time, what you are actually using in terms of energy. This in turn helps with reducing your gas bill.
Just seeing what you are using however is not always enough to reduce your bill, you need to know where all this gas is disappearing to!
I go into people homes on a daily basis and see simple mistakes being made which add up over a course of a year. These small changes in habits can really add up to a substantial gas-saving without adversely affecting your comfort levels.
We all know that replacing the boiler for a modern condensing type is a big efficiency increase. This post is more about the cheap ways to reduce your gas bill that everyone can do themselves without our help in most cases.
Happy Saving!!
1- Reducing the flow temperature of the boiler
Sounds obvious doesn’t it but so many people I’ve met are not aware you can cool the water that runs around the radiators from the boiler thermostat. You may have to inch it back up again when the weather gets colder outside but in the Spring and Autumn months, there is usually no need to run the boiler at 70 degrees unless your radiators are sized conservatively.
The cooler you run the system the less gas you’ll use!
Please see image above.
2- Check you are not heating rooms that are either empty or not used very often
Again sounds pretty obvious but I still see people heating every single room in the house when they are only living in two or three rooms.
The less radiators you are heating the less gas you’ll use
Either turn these unnecessary radiators off or ask us to price for thermostatic radiator valves which will allow you to control the air temperature of each room independently.
3- Check you have a room thermostat and that it works
A wall-mounted room thermostat provides an electrical interlock with the boiler shutting the boiler down completely when the air temperature is reached
Also Important to see where the room thermostat is located as this can also have a big affect on your comfort levels.
If you have a wireless thermostat try moving it around to an area where you spend more time like the lounge or dining room.
I often see room thermostats in hallways turned right up because the hallway rad is undersized. All the heat goes up the stairs while the family is sitting in the lounge cooking with no control of the air temperature in the most expensive room to heat.
Measure the air temperature of the area you spend the most time in!
If your thermostat is hard wired then maybe it’s time we quoted you for a wireless smart thermostat. A wireless smart thermostat can be put anywhere and is even more efficient than a standard room thermostat.
I will do a post on smart thermostats in the near future.
I hope this was helpful but please do not hesitate to call us if you need further energy efficient advice, my team is always on hand to help.
Blog by Dean Dawe, Cloverleaf
#Cloverleaf
Solar Thermal Installation in Sittingbourne
/in Latest News /by Cloverleaf PlumbingSolar Thermal Installation in Sittingbourne
We completed a solar thermal installation at The Sittingbourne School recently following a phone call from Glen Baker Roofing.
Shifting Thermal Energy, Generating & Storing
/in Latest News /by Cloverleaf PlumbingShifting Thermal Energy, Generating & Storing
Click here for a great piece from the Fully charged team!
How Old is My Vaillant Boiler?
/in Knowledge Centre /by Cloverleaf PlumbingDo you know how old your Vaillant boiler is? If you were the one to have it fitted, you can probably remember when that was. But if you have moved into a property that has a Vaillant boiler fitted, how can you tell and why do you need to know?
Find the age of your Vaillant boiler
All boilers have serial numbers. You will find this on the big white label either underneath your boiler or on the inside of the flip down plate, depending on the type of boiler you have. There are a lot of numbers here, but don’t worry, it’s easy to identify the date.
The Vaillant serial number is the long number at the top of the label, 20 to 28 characters long. The 3rd and 4th numbers show the year the boiler was manufactured. The next two numbers show you the week in which the boiler was assembled. So in the image above, the 3rd and 4th numbers are 12, which indicates 2012. The next numbers, 14, show that the boiler was manufactured around the 14th week of that year, so March 2012.
Why do you need to know how old your Vaillant boiler is?
Age is a good indicator of how efficient your boiler is. Anything more than 10 years old will be using more energy and less efficient at heating. That means it will be costing you more money to do a less good job. Older boilers also have a higher chance of breaking down (and they never do that at a convenient time), and it costs more to maintain an old, inefficient system. So it might be time – and cost-effective – to consider replacing it.
What if you can’t find the serial number on your boiler?
If you can’t locate the serial number, don’t panic. There’s a handy list on the Building Energy Performance Assessment website where you can search by make and energy type. You could always check with Vaillant too.
Cloverleaf can help with all aspects of your Vaillant boiler, from finding the serial number and age, to fixing it or replacing it. We have been installing Vaillant boilers for more than 10 years and highly rate their reliability, performance and innovation. Call us today with your Vaillant or other boiler questions, or take a look at our Boiler Quote Wizard to get an idea of the cost of a new boiler.
Trustmark Accredited Solar Thermal Installer
/in Latest News /by Cloverleaf PlumbingCloverleaf is proud to be a Trustmark accredited solar thermal installer. What does this mean? Well, we’ve been busy working towards accreditations to enable us to fit solar thermal panels. That involves being Trustmark accredited and MCS certified installers.
We achieved both just in time for the government to close the Green Homes Grant – literally the next day! But never mind, our accreditations still stand. And if you had already had a Green Homes Grant voucher awarded before 31 March 2021, you can still redeem it (within three months of its issue).
Are there any alternative green energy incentives?
Thankfully, yes. The government has an ambition that by 2020, 12% of heating comes from renewable sources. So it has extended its Renewable Heat Incentive scheme (RHI) until 31 March 2022. The aim of this is to encourage homeowners to install renewable heat technologies through financial incentives. Because of our recent accreditations, Cloverleaf is now qualified to design and install solar thermal. We are very relieved that there is an incentive still in place for the sakes of both the environment and us – it would be a total waste of all that training if we didn’t install any solar thermal!
What does it mean for you?
Any homeowner that has solar thermal heating fitted, and various other heat sources, is eligible to apply for an RHI. Take a look at the criteria to make sure you qualify. If you do, you will receive a payment every quarter for seven years for the amount of clean, green renewable heat your system produces. You can calculate the payments you will receive and the money you’ll save.
Ofgem have produced these tariffs at a level designed to compensate for the difference between installing and operating costs of renewable heating systems and fossil fuel systems, based on 20 years of heat produced.
We’re really excited to be able to start installing solar thermal heating. You will need to use a Trustmark accredited solar thermal installer to qualify for an RHI so please give us a call to find out how we can help. We can give you a basic idea of cost and help you decide if solar thermal is right for you.
Underfloor Heating Installation in Kent: Case Study
/in Latest News /by Cloverleaf PlumbingUnderfloor heating really is the future!
At the end of last year, we were contacted by Border Oak, one of our regular clients who build bespoke oak framed houses. One of their clients had requested this heating in their beautiful new home and so Border Oak got in touch with us. This particular project was in the lovely village of Sissinghurst in deepest, darkest Kent.
Installing underfloor heating in new build properties is an absolute no brainer! We get a lovely empty space to work in and there’s no upheaval for the homeowner. Plus the floor is prepared as part of the build. That means no additional stripping out or building works involved, which keeps the cost down.
What are the benefits of underfloor heating?
Its Important to mention there are two types, electric and water-based. We are talking about water-based systems because that’s what we fit.
Running costs: Cheaper to run than radiators due to the lower operating temperates required.
Versatility: Can be powered by a gas boiler very efficiently but ground source and air source heat pump technology are also a great match due to the lower flow temperature required. This means you do not need to be on mains gas to have wet underfloor heating.
Efficiency: Very efficient way to heat your home. Radiators heat the air around them but underfloor heating warms the entire floor surface, creating an even and ambient temperature throughout the space.
Aesthitics: Lets be honest, not all radiators are pretty. Underfloor heating can easily be designed to heat the entire space without the need for back up radiators at all. Leaving more wall space for what ever you choose.
We fit the systems, leaving them under pressure at 10 bar while the screed is laid. This allows a small expansion gap for the pipe to expand in the screed without causing cracking. Then it’s time for the flooring specialists to come and advise on the best floor surface for your room.
If you would like more information on underfloor heating, please read our post on Underfloor vs Radiators in the Knowledge Centre or call us for a free non obligation quotation which will include free design and consultation.
There’s no doubt this is the future, especially in new build properties.
Blog By Dean Dawe
Working our way through installing the Underfloor Heating.
Making sure every inch of the floor is covered.
The very orderly water fed pipes.
Perfect Underfloor Heating project – a new build!
Covid-safe Boiler Quote with the Boiler Quote Wizard
/in Latest News /by Cloverleaf PlumbingIntroducing the Boiler Quote Wizard!
There’s never a convenient time for a boiler to breakdown. And when it breaks down beyond repair, you will need a replacement as soon as possible.
Our Boiler Quote Wizard has been designed for people who are looking for an accurate boiler quotation, but without the disruption of a home survey.
Perhaps you can’t have engineers in your house right now. No problem. Use our Boiler Quote Wizard to get a quote without a site survey. It’s quick, efficient and accurate. We are one of the few boiler companies who can do this without a site survey. And we will honour the quote for up to 3 months.
You need just 10 minutes to complete the 10-step Boiler Quote Wizard and we will get back to you within 24 hours with a fully detailed quotation.
This quick and efficient process will fast track you to your new boiler before you know it.