Is the Ferroli LEB 9 a regular, combi or system boiler?

The Ferroli LEB 9 is worthy of consideration if you're looking for a electric Flow boiler for your flat or house.

Boilers traditionally required the installation of one or more large tanks around your property. These were filled with water that was either being heated or was to be heated later. British homes are among the smallest in the world so, to solve the space problem, manufacturers introduced combi boilers in the 1970s to offer homeowners the warmth and hot water supply they needed while taking up much less space.

A combi boiler is designed to heat both radiators and taps on demand and at the same time. Water from the mains passes through a combi boiler and the boiler's technology instantly turns it into hot water. Your boiler then distributes the hot water throughout your home.

The main disadvantage of combi boilers is that they have a maximum water volume capacity. What this means is that, if one person is using the shower while another uses a hot tap simultaneously, less water gets to each area, resulting in a fall in water pressure at both points.

Is a Ferroli LEB 9 electric Flow boiler suitable for my apartment or house?

It's best to choose a boiler whose size or "output" is right for your property. With boilers, however, size does not mean how big a boiler is, it means how much power it has.

A boiler’s output indicates the amount of power it can use when heating the water which it then sends to your taps and radiators. The higher the output rate, the more water it can heat.

If a boiler’s output is too low, there will be times when your hot water might not be as hot as you want it to be. If it is too high, you’ll likely be paying more than you need to for your gas.

Measured in kilowatts, the Ferroli LEB 9 electric Flow's output level is 9 kW, so which types of property would this Ferroli LEB 9 Electric Flow boiler be an appropriate choice for?

An experienced heating engineer would say that this Ferroli LEB 9 Electric Flow boiler's level of output makes it a suitable installation for smaller homes and apartments with up to 10 radiators and one bathroom.

The size of the Ferroli LEB 9 in millimetres

The size of the Ferroli LEB 9 boiler is 740 mm high, 440 mm wide, and 265 mm deep.

Is the Ferroli LEB 9 condensing or non-condensing?

As a large proportion of the greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere come from people's homes, the Government passed a law in 2005 requiring all manufacturers to make gas and oil boilers "condensing". What this means is that they must include a secondary heat exchanger, which recycles the warmth contained in exhaust gases normally expelled via the flue so that they're more efficient. Because electric boilers like the Ferroli LEB 9 don't actually burn any fuel, there are no exhaust gases to recycle and they are exempt from the requirement to include a secondary heat exchange.

Is the Ferroli LEB 9 electric Flow boiler environmentally friendly?

How we heat our homes has become a pressing issue of concern for many homeowners worried about climate change and the environmental impact of their personal choices.

Dangerous levels of nitrogen dioxide emissions in larger UK cities are caused by gas boilers in domestic properties, and 14% of the UK’s greenhouse gas production is as a result of central heating.

Would choosing a Ferroli LEB 9 electric Flow help the environment? Let’s see what the performance figures suggest.

All boilers manufactured and supplied in the UK must achieve an energy efficiency rating of at least 92% (SEDBUK score of "A"). This is higher than the 88% that was the legal requirement prior to April 2018.

The energy efficiency rating is used to work out how much energy a boiler both uses and wastes when it's switched on and working normally - its standard functioning and operation.

The Ferroli LEB 9 is rated as 99.5% energy efficient, equivalent to a "D" SEDBUK rating.

ERP assessors are however not keen that the boiler is powered by electricity.

The Energy Related Products Directive, also known as ERP, is European legislation intended to reduce energy consumption related to products, from the initial manufacturing process right through to their eventual final disposal.

The purpose of the directive is to encourage manufacturers to create new products that are kinder to the environment and which result in lower overall harmful gas emissions through a product's entire life cycle.

The ERP rating for the Ferroli LEB 9 is "TBC".

Why is it so low? It's because it uses electricity - this is considered carbon-intensive since fossil fuels are burned in its generation. Operationally, the energy efficiency of electric boilers is nearly always 98% or 99% so we feel this is a misleading comparison that unfairly reflects the actual performance of electric boilers.

Will I be covered if the Ferroli LEB 9 electric Flow breaks down?

The Ferroli LEB 9 boiler is covered by a parts and labour warranty of 2 years.