Combi boilers are the most common type of boiler in the UK. They're very popular because they're compact, highly energy efficient and provide hot water on demand. Unlike regular and system boilers, combi boilers don't require any water storage tanks so take up a lot less space.
What Determines the Size of a Boiler?
Although the title of this article is 'Which Combi Boiler is Best for a 3 Bedroom House', it's not the number of bedrooms which has an effect on the size of the boiler that is needed - it's mostly the number of bathrooms a property has.
A property could have one or five bedrooms but if it has one bathroom, the same sized boiler (size meaning output or kW) will be fine for both homes, even though one is a larger build.
The larger the hot water demand a property has, the larger the boiler it needs.
As a guide:-
- A property with one bathroom requires a 25kw - 30kW combi boiler
- A property with two bathrooms requires a 30kW - 36kW combi boiler
- A property with three bathrooms requires a 36kW to 42kW combi boiler
- A property with more than three bathrooms is better suited to a regular or system boiler
How to Pick the Correct Combi Boiler
As well as thinking about the output size of a combi boiler, these are the other factors that need to be taken into consideration when picking your next combi boiler:-
- Pick a Good Boiler - do your research and pick the best boiler and model of boiler you can with your budget. It's recommended that you go with trusted manufacturers such as ATAG, Alpha, Worcester Bosch and Navien.
- Energy Efficiency - check the energy efficiency rating of the boiler you're buying. All the boilers that Heat My House install are A-rated energy efficient boilers, this means they're the most efficient boilers you can buy.
- Manufacturer's Warranty - get a boiler with the largest warranty your budget allows. A manufacturer's warranty can be seen as a measure of the quality of a boiler. Stay away from a boiler with a one year warranty.
Top Combi Boilers for a 3 Bedroom House with 1 Bathroom
Here are a few examples of combi boilers that are great for 3 bedroom properties:-
1) ATAG IC 28kW
- Market leading 18 year warranty
- It has a stainless steel heat exchanger which comes with a lifetime guarantee
- It's an A-rated energy efficient boiler
- Prices for the boiler, associated parts and installation start at £2695
2) Alpha Evoke 28kW
- It has a very compact design which allows it to fit inside small kitchen cupboards
- It has a stainless steel heat exchanger
- It comes with a 9 year manufacturers warranty when installed with an Alpha Premier Pack
- It has an easy to use interface
- Prices for the boiler, associated parts and installation start at £1930
3) Navien NCB 300 28kW
- It's an A-rated energy efficient boiler
- It has a stainless steel heat exchange
- It comes with a 5 year manufacturers warranty
- Prices for the boiler, associated parts and installation start at £1595
4) Worcester Bosch Greenstar 4000 25kW
- Known for being very quiet when running
- It comes with 8 years manufacturers warranty
- It's an A-rated energy efficient boiler
- It's compatible with smart thermostats to reduced your energy consumption further
- Prices for the boiler, associated parts and installation start at £2385
Summary
When picking a new combi boiler there are a lot of factors such as brand, model, length of warranty and energy efficiency to take into consideration. However, the main factor when picking the best boiler is to look at how many bathrooms your home has and pick the correct sized boiler for your home.
