A combi boiler takes away the need for a hot water storage cylinder. Instead, water is heated instantaneously when you turn on a tap (so you don't have to wait for a cylinder to heat up or keep it on standby and you'll never run out of hot water). Plus you can have a shower at mains pressure. The hot water flow rate with any combi is not as good as with a traditional boiler and cylinder, so it takes longer to run a bath. A couple's hot water needs are likely to be modest, using relatively small amounts, therefore a combi is possibly the best option.

Combi boilers contain more parts than 'traditional' models and are typically much larger than traditional boilers of equivalent output. Nevertheless, most are designed for wall mounting and powered flues mean they can be fitted almost anywhere.

Condensing Gas Boilers

Condensing boilers employ advanced technology to make better use of gas than a standard boiler, burning less of it to produce the same amount of useful heat.

They can be more expensive to buy than standard types, but an extra initial outlay is soon offset by lower running costs. Less gas burned not only means lower fuel bills but also means reduced emissions of 'greenhouse' and 'acidrain' gases and therefore less damage to the environment.