Why does no gas boiler installer recommend weather compensation

stiophan

I am looking to replace my old 15 yr old gas boiler. System or combi. Based on the chats I have had so far with RGI installers, none recommend weather compensation to cut gas use. Yet in the UK its nearly mandatory. Most require smart (not apps based but smart) thermostats, TRVs and then weather compensation sensor. Their weather (bar the south of England) is not much different (on the coast at least) and gas is not dead cheap there either.

Yet when I ask installers here, I'm told its only useful for "large homes or commercial installs or heat pumps". Even getting them to consider a Combi seems quite advanced (I have a hot water cylinder and attic cold tanks for my old boiler set up). As much as I'd like more space from a combi install removing the cylinder etc, most recommend very big combis (3 bed semi with 10 rads, 2 showers and 6 hot water taps in total incl shower feeds) or just system ones. Am I wrong in thinking the compensator will boost the boiler efficiency further more than the cost of the sensor cost. In asking even about load compensation integration - few ask why bother when the gas boiler is so much better than what I have now. Yet few condensing boilers ever condense properly from what I read/research. There are no requirements here for any controls to any new boiler from what I see. I've seen so many mates get new boilers and its the same thermostats as previous, no rad balancing, no power flushing and just pull out old one- install new one- add condensate pipe and job done. Many of the installers were provided by the boiler manufacturer and not just a local reference...

I realise some boilers only work with some thermostats but I see many install Hives or just programmable thermostats that are just fancy on-off thermostats that can be set to a schedule (even if done witha phone app). Modulating the system to minimise flow temperature, load compensation, heat profile curves, house heat evaluation. Its not star trek stuff but it seems to be alien questions I am asking in order to minimise gas use for what is a 10yr system (at least in warranty terms).

Doolittle51

Lack of knowledge, too much hassle etc. As with most trades, they just to do things the quickest and easiest way. In and out, take the money, on to the next job. Start making things awkward and you'll never hear back from them.

antoinolachtnai

thats about it. And to make weather compensation work, the hot water cylinder circuit has to be isolated from the rest of the heating, which may not be a simple thing to plumb.

stiophan

I could understand if they were just "we install any boiler brands" but most focus on one brand so I presume they are registered and trained up to install them and thus understand how to fine tune the boiler to condensate correctly, set the flow temp as low as possible and integrate the heating controls and work around each homes typical DHW and CH needs. But I might as well be speaking in Klingon.

al2009

Buy the boiler and get the weather comp kit yourself and install it. Might be worth using heat geek or similar and doing a heat calc yourself and size gas boiler to suit, adjust flow temps yourself after install. Surprised you can't find a boiler company or plumber interested in it as something different.