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How to reduce the fuel consumption of a gas boiler

Most people associate a gas boiler with energy savings. While it is true that gas is cheaper than electricity it doesn’t mean you should get lazy and tolerate an inefficient system. Heating is an expensive process, and responsible owners should always be looking for ways to maximize their efficiency to help keep costs down.

Both home and industrial gas boilers should take measures to reduce fuel consumption. Here’s a short list of a few steps you can take to increase your boiler’s fuel efficiency.

Heat conservation

Heat conservation is the main way to increase efficiency and reduce costs. Conserving heat is the easiest way to reduce fuel consumption. Perform a combustion efficiency test regularly. You can hire an energy efficiency specialist to perform an audit and identify issues with your gas boiler. Regular maintenance and tuning of the burner may seem like a burdensome cost, but it pays for itself in a rather short period.

Insulating hot water pipes is a great way to increase efficiency. Also, insulating the boiler itself is also instrumental in running an efficient system.

Modernize sensors and controls

Boilers can last anywhere between one and two decades. Replacing them is a long and expensive process. Don’t let the fact that your boiler is ten years old stop you from overhauling your controls and sensors. These can easily increase your efficiency while being relatively cheap.

Those sensors can give the energy efficiency auditor important information that can help him identify inefficiencies. A permanent stack thermometer is particularly useful when looking for inefficient combustion.

A water temperature sensor can help you to avoid overheating the water on your home or business. Doing so helps you avoid scalding accidents, and can severely reduce fuel consumption.

General maintenance

Properly maintaining steam traps, air valves, and filters is essential to run a boiler efficiently. These should be inspected at least once a year to ensure they are in good working order.

The importance of maintenance not only applies to the boiler itself but to the building as well. In order to save on fuel, the warm air must remain inside the building. That’s why it’s important to properly maintain windows and doors by replacing seals, gaskets, and recaulking when necessary.

Replacing single glazed windows and french doors with double glazed ones can significantly improve insulation, and they should pay for themselves in less than a decade.

Zone control

Large buildings often have zones that need more heating than others. That depends on many things like if sunlight is heating one side of the building and not another at a certain hour.

Having your heating system divided into zones allows you to send heat only to the part of the building that needs it—Therefore avoiding waste and increasing efficiency. Modern sensors and controls can help you better control or even automate this process.

If you need help to improve your boiler’s efficiency or upgrade to a newer, more efficient one altogether, let us help you choose the right one for you.