Treat yourself to a cosy home this winter - the best boiler size for your home

The best part of winter is snuggling in front of the TV, with the heating on. Outside, you can sense the cold air, and you appreciate the warmth of your living room even more.

The last thing you want is to be worried about the efficiency of your boiler during the holidays. If you’re thinking of purchasing a new boiler, you need to make sure that it is the right size for your home.

To find out the correct sized boiler for your home, have a read below.

Consider your home’s heating and hot water demand

Many people think that the bigger the boiler, the warmer your home will be, but this isn’t necessarily the case. If the boiler is larger than the property size, this could use far too much energy, resulting in higher energy bills for energy that you don’t really need. This will also release large amounts of carbon emissions that could be saved with the right sized boiler.

Alternatively, if you opt for a boiler that is too small for your home, this could cause the boiler to overwork as it struggles to meet the higher demand for heating and hot water. This would result in increased costs and possible breakdowns as the small boiler works overtime to meet those high heating and hot water needs.

So, if you and your family use a lot of hot water and have the heating on throughout the day, you may need to consider a larger boiler. Taking your household’s lifestyle into account will help you to start thinking about the best boiler size for your home.

Select the correct kilowatt

The usual rule of thumb is the larger the home, the larger the boiler. If you have a high demand for heating and hot water, you’ll need a boiler big enough to meet this demand.

A kilowatt (kW) is the unit that is used to measure the boiler’s heating output. So, the higher the need for heating and hot water, the higher the kilowatt. Boilers have a range of kilowatt options, from 9-50kW.

Usually, a smaller property, such as an apartment or 2 bedroom house, may need a boiler size of up to 27kW.

A medium sized property that has 2-3 bedrooms will usually need 28-34kW.

A large property that has 4+ bedrooms and 2+ bathrooms may need a heating output of 35-42kW.

However, it’s important to note that these figures are just guidelines. It all really depends on your property’s heating and hot water needs. One of our Sales Consultants will be able to advise you on the correct size boiler for your home.

Count how many radiators you have

An important factor to take into consideration is the number of radiators you have. You need to make sure that all of your radiators are receiving the correct amount of hot water to heat each room.

A smaller property that has just a few radiators may benefit from a boiler that is below 24kW.

If you have a medium sized property with around 10 radiators, then a small or medium boiler (24-30kW) would work well.

For a larger property that has up to 20 radiators, opting for a boiler with an output of 35-42kW is a better option.

Test your home’s heat loss

Assessing your home’s heat loss will help you determine which sized boiler you need. This will ensure that your home is sufficiently warm even if there is a lot of heat loss.

One of our Sales Consultants will be able to do this for you. They consider the floor area, the number of radiators you have and check the efficiency of your windows. Other factors such as insulation and draughts will also be taken into consideration.

The amount of heat loss you have will help you to determine the correct kilowatt needed for your new boiler.

Choosing the right sized boiler for your home can be quite overwhelming if you’ve never done this before. Our Sales Consultants are all trained to ensure the correct heating system is installed in your home. Give Swale Heating a call on 0800 731 3344 to discuss your options for the best new boiler for your home, or contact us via our website today.