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The Baxi Advance system

Seeing the re-tun of BBC’s DIY SOS The Big Build at Ottery St Mary (You can watch it again here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b013pm0d) has prompted me to post the case study we wrote on the installation.

Ian and Morny Wright have installed the new Baxi Advance heating and hot water systemas part of a major refurbishment of their Devon home.  The couple, along with their three sons, moved into a small two-bedroom bungalow to be close to local schools and have converted the property into an impressive four-bedroom home for their growing family.  They have added a loft conversion and a large two storey extension, housing two bedrooms and a shower room upstairs and extra living space downstairs.

The additional bathroom and a fast growing family meant that the ageing, inefficient boiler and hot water cylinder needed replacing.  To satisfy the increased hot water demand, without the associated increase in energy bills, the old system was replaced with a state of the art Baxi Advance system, which fits neatly into a full height cupboard in the kitchen.  The installation was done by Newton Abbot based heating engineers, Cooks Plumbing and Heating.

The Baxi Advance system comprises a Baxi Duo-tec 40kW combi boiler, a GasSaver passive flue gas heat recovery device and a 50 litre HeatSaver thermal store.  And to make the system even more energy efficient, the system has been equipped with a small solar PV panel and plug-in heating element that pre-heats the system using renewable energy from the sun.  Finally, a plug-in weather compensation kit was mounted on an outside wall.

Morny commented that although they don’t consider themselves to be ultra green, the family has concerns about the environment and are very conscious of rising energy and fuel costs.  “The new Baxi system keeps the home very snug and warm now, and we always have plenty of hot water.  Everybody loves the super powerful hot showers.  We are delighted as it seems perfect for our new, improved home and we are enjoying all the benefits, including smaller gas bills,” she says.

The Baxi Advance system saves energy in several key areas.  The Baxi Duo-tec Combi 40 HE is SEDBUK(2005)>90% rated, compared to the old standard efficiency boiler it replaced.  The GasSaver technology, developed by Devon based Zenex, recovers virtually all the heat that is normally lost through the flue, and stores the heat energy for re-use.  The system uses a small 50 litre Multifit HeatSaver, which is much more compact than a traditional 200 litre hot water storage cylinder and offers excellent hot water performance.

The addition of the optional easy fit ‘plug-in’ solar PV panel takes advantage of solar energy to power an element in the HeatSaver which pre-heats the water in the system.  The Multifit Weather Compensation Kit monitors the outside temperature and adjusts the boiler’s performance accordingly.      

For the Wright family, this technology means a compact, practical and affordable state of the art heating and hot water system, complete with a renewable component, which delivers a combination of maximum comfort and class-leading efficiency.  As Morny adds: “We’re delighted!”