WWW.HPMMAG.COM The potential for oil-fired boilers is huge Martyn Bridges, director of marketing and technical support at Worcester, Bosch Group, gives an insight into why oil-fired products have a strong future, and how feedback from installers is helping to guide manufacturers to new technological innovations... 42 Got a story? Ring us on 01732 748041 or e-mail twood@unity-media.com DOMESTICHEATING The oil-fired boiler market is commonly viewed as slightly overshadowed by the gas market, as it plays a much smaller role than natural gas in terms of overall sales, for example. Despite this though, there is still a lot of potential for the oil-fired market, as proven at the end of 2013 when oil-fired boiler sales reached their highest levels for five years. Additionally, with a degree of uncertainty surrounding renewables, oil remains one of the best fuels for domestic heating and hot water in off-gas mains areas. Previously, we’ve seen a slowing of the oil-fired boiler market, which is due to a range of reasons. Firstly, oil-fired boilers can be seen as victims of their own success having proved extremely durable and long-lasting, therefore, replacement requirements for reliability reasons are low. Secondly a boiler replacement typically only takes place if an oil-fired boiler becomes unreliable, leaking or parts can no longer be obtained. Often we find homeowners haven’t understood the money saving benefits of an energy efficient condensing boiler, leaving them reluctant to pay for a new model until something goes wrong with theirs. GOVERNMENT INCENTIVES One smaller, but equally important impact on sales of oil-fired boilers, has been the arrival of new ‘Grand Designs’ style “off mains gas” properties. These new developments make it understandable that many homeowners will often opt for renewable technologies to take advantage of the long-term return on investment, not to mention the government’s incentives and the upcoming addition of the domestic section of the Renewable Heat Incentive. Added to that, the favourable SAP rating that a property is awarded if they choose a renewable technology like a ground or air source heat pump, and the fuel penalty factor incurred with kerosene within SAP, makes it unsurprising that new build property installations for oil-fired boilers are getting rarer. Manufacturers, such as Worcester, are increasingly looking to work more closely with installers for the benefit of product development and innovation in the oil market is particularly crucial to keep the sector moving. As a manufacturer with an established heritage as the biggest supplier within the oil-fired boiler market, the aim is to maintain this title by Worcester, Bosch Group works closely with installers on oil-fired boiler product training and development serving installers and ultimately their customers. Installers are the ones who are regularly fitting our products and product development is gradually being moulded according to their feedback. Efficiency and space, for example are key considerations for installers and this has led to the development of primary heat exchangers and component layouts that make servicing as straightforward as possible. Serviceability is improved as installers are able to gain access to the boiler’s interior components even easier than before. INCREASED PRESSURE Consistency of installation and servicing is another instrumental issue. Installers are under increasing pressure to keep on top of accreditation courses and training courses, consistency throughout a product range can help to lift some of the pressures that affect the day to day. Once installers have mastered a certain type of installation, if shouldn’t be too difficult for them to apply this to another across the same range of products. Industry developments also have a crucial effect on the oil market. Updates to the ErP Directive are set to raise the minimum standards required from heat producing appliances, and it FEBRUARY 2014 HEATING & PLUMBING MONTHLY is important for manufacturers to bear this in mind during product design. There are quite stringent efficiency levels to meet and from 2018 significantly lower NOx emissions of 120 mg/kwhr will be required. It would be fair to say that homeowners are becoming more adept at using their different technologies, yet boilers have typically always been an ‘out of sight, out of mind’ feature of the home. By educating their customers on the impact a well-run heating and hot water system can have on bills, installers can make a huge impact. Electronic control systems fitted within modern oil-fired boilers allow for more precise temperature control than before, as well as reducing unnecessary cycling of the burner. These innovations have the potential to help the homeowner to manage their heating system, which will in turn help the installer to capitalise on sales. By coupling the improved performance of the latest generation of oil-fired boilers with an abundance of installer-friendly features, we hope the industry’s manufacturers and suppliers can continue to invest in the potential of the oil-fired boiler market. enquiry number 129
HPM February 2014
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