AM Detector, A Real Hot Performer

[Yorkie]

The cost of a running a permanent pilot is more than you might expect. I haven't got the figures to hand but ISTR it was of the order of £50 per year at current gas prices. I realise that while the main burner is running, it contributes towards useful heating and may contribute a small amoutn at other times but it's still a waste.

Yes, it's easily £50 a year and it's wasteful. It contributes little in the way of useful heat because it simply sets up a convection current in the boiler heat exchanger, the heat rises and introduces cold air into the boiler combustion chamber via the flue. Also, many boilers (mine included) are in locations where any adventitious heat given off by the pilot is in an area not occupied - utility room, garage, roof space etc.

Under Gordon Brown's short-lived 'greenwashing' £400 grant scheme to upgrade older boilers to a modern condensing boiler, if your boiler had a permanent pilot it qualified, as did ours. Before the old boiler was removed I asked the guy to test its efficiency, which was measured at 58% so for every £100 we spent on gas, £48 was going out into fresh air, plus the amount wasted by the pilot. The Worcester-Bosch Greenstar that replaced it was 96% when tested. We don't economise on heating - 20C when we're out and about, and we put it up to 22C when we come home. (£200 'old fogey' winter fuel allowance goes a long way towards our winter heating costs).

I find it surreal that back in the mid 1960s when gas central heating began to become popular, at BG we used to design systems to provide 15C in living rooms, (60F) and 13C (55F) in bedrooms, halls etc. Do what?!! Customers used to be more bothered that it would be 'too hot and stuffy' rather than not hot enough. ('"we only want it in the background"). Back then we lived in Nottingham, which had five open air unheated lidos which were open from March till October! How times change - the lidos are all long gone of course.