With so many different boiler manufacturers available; each offering their own large range of models, choosing a boiler can be a daunting task.
And it’s not like you can just pop into a shop and pick one up off the shelf. You have to rely on the recommendations of heating engineers; who may have been incentivised to recommend certain manufacturers.
Rest assured, that here at The Heating People, we don’t receive any financial incentives to recommend brands.
And although we’re accredited installers of lots of different manufacturers, we’re not tied to any one of them.
So, you’ll always get our honest, expert advice on what’s right for you and your family.
Today we want to look at ATAG. Because they’re a bit of a dark horse in the UK domestic market, but in our view, they shouldn’t be!
We’re proud to be ATAG Selected Partners, for the reasons we’ll walk you through below. And hopefully, if you’ve not yet considered an ATAG boiler yet – this will give you some food for thought.
You might like our related blog: 6 Top tips for buying a new boiler.
How important is the brand of boiler?
We often get asked: ‘which brand is best?’ by people looking for a new boiler.
This is totally understandable; because a boiler is a big investment, and not the sort of purchase you make every day.
People will often seek out the big brands when it comes to buying mobile phones and other gadgets. And want to know whether this is a tactic they should use when getting a new boiler.
But just as there’s no ‘one-size-fits-all’ boiler for everybody, there’s no ‘right’ boiler brand either.
Each brand (and individual model within the brand) has their own pros and cons; which need to be weighed up for your needs.
But it’s definitely a good idea to do a bit of research; so that you can make an informed choice.
After all, your boiler will be the hardest working appliance in your home for at least the next decade!
Who are ATAG?
First off, let’s start with the manufacturer.
What you’ll notice when you research ATAG boilers; is that they’re much lower-key compared to some of the other well-known brands, such as Worcester Bosch; but don’t let that put you off!
ATAG is a manufacturer that you can trust.
We’re proud to be ATAG Selected Partners because their boilers are renowned for their outstanding engineering, reliability, and energy efficiency.
They use the highest quality stainless steel and brass components – and boy, do they stand the test of time!
ATAG isn’t a new brand either. They’ve been designing and manufacturing boilers for almost 70 years.
They’ve combined the strict engineering standards from the many countries that they operate in. And design boilers that they call: ‘the most efficient in Europe’ or their i range of boilers.
If you’re looking for engineering excellence and energy efficiency that’s built to last, you should be considering ATAG.
Why should you consider an ATAG boiler?
Let’s look at some of the other reasons why an ATAG boiler is a great choice:
1. Safety first
One of the (many) reasons that we love ATAG; is the fact that they’re helping to raise the standard of boiler installations in the UK.
ATAG insists that their boilers are installed and commissioned to the highest standard. So you’ll derive the maximum benefits from your new boiler.
They do this by only supplying their boilers to a hand-picked network of legally qualified Gas Safe registered installers; known as ATAG Selected Partners.
This means that when you opt for an ATAG boiler; it can only be installed by an engineer who is legally qualified to work on gas. And it will be commissioned in such a way that you get the best out of it.
2. Built to last
We’ve mentioned it already, but ATAG boilers stand the test of time. ATAG boilers are precision engineered in Holland and they don’t skimp on the materials.
ATAG uses the highest quality stainless steel and brass components, whereas lots of other manufacturers have boilers full of plastic.
It would be remiss of us to fail to mention ATAG’s revolutionary iCon heat exchanger here.
The heat exchanger is a vital component in all boiler. And ATAG’s patented design is manufactured from high grade stainless steel by ATAG themselves.
It has unrivalled performance and, uniquely, maintains 98% of its original efficiency levels throughout its lifetime. They’re so confident in it, it’s got a lifetime guarantee!
It’s so good, the Energy Saving Trust has given ATAG its ‘Endorsed Product’ status.
3. 14-year guarantees
The fact that ATAG boilers are built to last; means that they come with hefty guarantees of up to 14 years. This covers all aspects of the boiler, so should anything go wrong, it will be repaired free of charge.
But remember that you’ll need to have your boiler serviced every year; to maintain its guarantee; whichever manufacturer you go with.
4. Highly rated by customers
Customers who choose ATAG rate them extremely highly. If you look at Trustpilot, you won’t find better reviews!
5. Large product range
ATAG has a large range of boilers, to suit different homes and lifestyles.
And if you’re short on space, ATAG offers compact sized combis which can fit inside a kitchen cupboard.
Their i series of boilers are available in:
- iC Economiser combi boilers;
- iC combi boilers;
- iS system boilers;
- iR regular boilers.
ATAG’s premium boiler (and one of our personal favourites) is the iC Economiser Plus.
It has an in-built flue gas heat recovery system (FGHRS). This makes the boiler more efficient; because it captures and recycles the heat that you usually lose through the flue to preheat your incoming mains water.
But with a premium boiler, comes a premium price tag. If this one isn’t quite within your budget; the iC is still a fantastic choice (despite not having FGHRS), and also comes in smaller sizes.
But don’t worry if you’re not sure what type of boiler you’re after. The Heating People are specialists in finding the perfect boiler for your needs.
6. Energy efficient
ATAG really has gone the extra mile when it comes to energy efficiency. They have the most efficient boilers in Europe, which have the lowest NOx emissions.
Efficient boilers are a must because they cost you less on your energy bills, and are kinder to the environment.
All ATAG boilers are A-rated for energy efficiency. And adding an ATAG ONE or TADO V3+ internet-connected smart controller; can further boost your heating system efficiency; to an impressive 98% (also known as A+).
ATAG boilers also have OpenTherm technology (more on this later). This means that they offer increased energy efficiency when paired with third party controls.
ATAG really is beating the competition when it comes to energy efficiency; because they also offer weather compensation as standard. And built-in FGHR (flue gas heat recovery) on some models…
7. Weather compensation as standard
So, we’ve mentioned that ATAG offers weather compensation as standard, but what is it?
Weather compensation is an energy efficiency device approved under the Boiler Plus Regulations. It monitors both the temperature inside your home, and the temperature outside, and adjusts your boiler’s operation accordingly.
Thee outside temperature matters; because the speed at which heat is lost from your home changes depending on the temperature outside.
Weather compensation tells the boiler to alter the temperature of the radiators; to match the extra heat loss caused by a cold day. Leading to a more comfortable and consistent environment.
This saves energy because it wont generate more energy than you need.
8. Built-in FGHRS
We absolutely love the ATAG iC Economiser Plus. It’s described by ATAG as: ‘the combi boiler of the future’; because it has an in-built flue gas heat recovery system (FGHRS).
This makes the boiler more efficient. Because it captures and recycles the heat that you usually lose through the flue to preheat your incoming mains water.
It’s great that it’s built-in because it would otherwise be a very expensive and bulky add-on to your boiler.
It also means that the Economiser is automatically compliant with Boiler Plus Regulations.
Having this feature could save you a significant amount of money on your energy bills. Prior to the Boiler Plus legislation being passed; independent tests presented to the Government concluded that if half a million FGHRS were installed in homes; 56,209,150m3 of gas would be saved; and 114,734,118kg of carbon dioxide emissions saved!
So having built-in FGHRS will cost you less to run, as well as helping the planet.
9. OpenTherm technology
Another special thing about ATAG boilers is that they have OpenTherm technology. This isn’t offered by most of the competition.
This means that they can communicate more effectively and efficiently with third party heating controls.
Whilst boilers from other manufacturers will still connect to third party controls; they use a basic ON/OFF control. This is a simple one-way communication that isn’t very efficient because there’s no temperature feedback to the boiler.
But when an OpenTherm compatible boiler, such as an ATAG; is paired with an OpenTherm compatible control such as Honeywell; there’s two-way communication taking place. And the boiler’s water temperature will be continuously adjusted.
This increases the efficiency of the heating system. It also reduces boiler cycling, and all the problems associated with it.
To find out how smart heating saves money, read our related blog here.
How much do ATAG boilers cost?
The iC range of boilers start from approximately £1950.
The iC Economiser is ATAG’s premium boiler due to its increased efficiency, and built-in FGHRS. And there’s a price attached to that. It costs approximately £2,200.
We hope that you’ve found this guide useful.
To find out whether an ATAG is right for you, call us today to book your free survey.
Final thoughts…
We hope you’ve found this article helpful. You might also like to check out our related blog: The best combi boiler 2022.
Useful Links:
Energy Saving Trust article on the ATAG iC combi boiler
Government factsheet on Boiler Plus
