What is it and why choose a condensing boiler

What is a condensing boiler and why choose it?

In recent years, the need to reduce energy consumption and environmental pollution has been the driving force behind research and development of new technologies, with the definition of a precise number of hours of operation for heating buildings and offices, depending on the location of reference.

In addition to the usual existing boilers today there is a tendency to purchase the wall-mounted condensing boilers.

The latter constitute a notable innovation and are currently completely replacing standard boilers.
During the winter period, heating costs imply higher gas and electricity bills. To heat water at lower costs than we are normally used to, we can use the Condensing wall-mounted boilers.

Ariel Condensing Wall Boilers

First, however, it is necessary to explain what the latent heat freed from boilers. To meet the heating and domestic hot water needs of a standard apartment of about 100 square meters, occupied by four people, with reference to mild climatic conditions, a standard boiler of 24 kW is sufficient.

The Condensation technology It allows the heat produced during the condensation of the exhaust fumes to be transferred to the water to be heated, through an exchanger.

Il latent heat of condensation is supplied to the boiler return water, i.e. the water to be heated. Furthermore, a lower temperature of the fumes exiting the condensing boiler, generally 80 °C compared to approximately 100 °C for standard boilers, also allows for a reduction in the amount of heat lost through the boiler casing.

The lower value of the fume temperature compared to standard boilers allows the use of PVC flue systems, which are cheaper and easier to handle during installation.

Installation or replacement of a wall-mounted condensing boiler

Install a Ariel Energia wall-mounted condensing boiler is much simpler than a common boiler. By replacing a standard boiler with a condensing wall-mounted one and respecting the legislative references mentioned above, it is possible to take advantage of the 65% deductions of the expenses incurred.

Installation of Ariel condensing wall-mounted boilers

However, when replacing an old boiler, it is necessary to take into account the fuel type available. In fact, the advantages of condensation are greater when using methane as a fuel gas, compared to other fuel gases.

Installation of Ariel condensing wall-mounted boilers

Each fuel has its own calorific value defined as the heat produced following its complete combustion.

Condensing boiler operation: the principle of condensate disposal

Lo condensation disposala substance which has an acidic profile, produced by wall-mounted condensing boilers constitutes a threat to the environment.

The most common solution for condensate disposal is to convey used water into the drains of buildings. The latter, thanks to the presence of soaps and detergents and their basic profile, should neutralize the acidity of the condensates.

The evolution of the current regulations on condensation has taken a complicated path over the years with indications that are not easy to implement.

For systems with power lower than 35 kW, on average there are no high levels of particularly poisonous substances in the condensate discharges: in fact, in general, the regulations permit their direct discharge into the sewage and surface water collection systems.

How wall-mounted condensing boilers work

With reference to the UNI 11071/03 standard, the adoption of a condensate neutralization or passivation system before introducing it into the sewage or surface water collection systems would be mandatory for powers starting from 116 kW.

However, even in this case the possibility of neutralization with soapy discharges and with everyday detergents is not excluded. Even in Europe, if we consider systems with power lower than 200 kW, the directives to follow are not clearly indicated.
The lower power limit below which the use of a neutralizer is not mandatory according to European regulations is 25 thermal kW compared to the 35 kW in force in Italy.

Practical example of savings with a condensing wall-mounted boiler?

As much as we may be environmentalists, if we do not find a purely economic advantage in things, we will hardly change the boiler, bearing a much more burdensome expense.

Save with Ariel condensing wall-mounted boilers

For an apartment of about 100 m2, considering about 80-100 W per m2 of thermal power needed for heating and domestic hot water, with a methane boiler and with the references described above, the cost would be in the order of €500 per year, while with LPG it would be about €600.
The corresponding savings with condensation would be in the order of €150 and €180.

Efficiencies of wall-hung condensing boilers

To evaluate the higher efficiency of condensing wall-mounted boilers compared to standard ones, the calorific value of the fuel used is considered, which defines the quantity of heat produced following the complete combustion of a volume of combustible gas.

We speak of lower calorific value without taking into account the phenomena of condensation of the water vapour in the exhaust fumes and the heat recovery associated with them, while the higher calorific value also takes this heat into account.

For a fuel, the greater the difference between the lower heating value and the higher heating value, the greater the quantity of heat that can be recovered with the condensation technique and the greater the efficiency of a condensing boiler, compared to a standard one that uses the same fuel.

For the main fuels the difference between higher and lower calorific value is:

• methane (11%);
• diesel (6%);
• butane (8.4%).

Heat recovery from condensation can be exploited, compatibly with the operating temperatures of the heating system, taking into account that the greatest advantages are obtained by making condensing wall-mounted boilers and low-temperature systems work in symbiosis, with flow water at 40/45°C and return water temperatures at 30/35°C, lower than the temperature that allows the condensation of the steam in the exhaust fumes, which for methane is around 60°C.

Advantages of Ariel condensing wall-mounted boilers

For older heating systems, designed to operate with flow and return water temperatures of 80/85°C and 70/75°C respectively, condensation technology can be used in the less harsh winter period, when the hot water production system can operate with temperatures significantly lower than the design temperatures.

The possibility of using condensation technology also for old systems is made possible by the fact that such systems were generally oversized in terms of the number of elements, therefore they offered and offer a larger surface area than necessary for the design temperatures. Such systems can therefore work at lower temperatures since, in general, the heat produced is proportional to the temperature of the radiant surface and its extension.

The ideal system for fully exploiting the potential of a wall-mounted condensing boiler is a radiant panel system, the most common of which are floor-mounted ones. These systems, thanks to the considerable extension of the radiant surface, allow the temperature of the water in the flow to be reduced to about 35°C, thus minimizing methane gas consumption and maximizing heat recovery from the condensation of steam in the exhaust fumes.

Condensing wall-mounted boilers: prices and tax incentives

The price of normal boilers varies between €500 and €1000. The wall-mounted condensing ones have a slightly higher cost: in fact, depending on the power, prices can vary between €1000 and €2100. Among the companies that offer an excellent quality-price ratio we find Ariel Energya company with which it is possible to enjoy advantageous tax deductions depending on the case.

It is known new Ariel Energia condensing boiler is installed in replacement of a old boilertogether with a simultaneous fine-tuning of the heating system, it is possible to obtain a 50% tax deduction.

Ariel gas condensing wall-mounted boilers: prices

This percentage can reach the 65% as energy requalification if thermostatic valves are mounted on each radiator, also allowing further savings and always personalized heating in each room, avoiding unnecessary waste.

Furthermore, Ariel Energia is already in line with the new Italian directives for the production of gas heating appliances.

In fact, all the Condensing wall mounted boilers installed comply with the regulations that came into force on 26 September 2015, which made it mandatory to place on the market and install only condensing boilers, capable of reducing environmental impact and energy consumption to a minimum.

The new model of Gold Boiler with gold dashboard

The Gold Boiler It has an anti-corrosion nanotechnology coating, which is also why we ensure a 10 year warranty on the heat exchanger. It is the quietest compact boiler on the market, thanks to the <40 DB soundproofing technology.

GOLD wall-mounted condensing boiler by Ariel Energia

It is also possible to control it with the WiFi Chronothermostat tramite Smartphone.

End of Article

THE EDITORIAL TEAM RECOMMENDS

A company that promotes products of this type that aim to reduce the phenomena of pollution and air stratification by eliminating thermal jumps or gradients in environments that are heated uniformly is Ariel Energy

With the Eco Wind condensing wall-mounted boiler models, offered by this company, the combustion phenomena of air dust, frequent in the presence of high-temperature radiant bodies such as old cast iron radiators, are eliminated, in addition the phenomenon of air dryness is eliminated in the case of radiant panel systems, since the heat is transmitted by radiation.