Commercial-boiler market shows steady growth
Major changes in the commercial boiler market are highlighted in figures from the UK Commercial Boiler Group, a sector of the ICOM Energy Association. The figures are based on information from the group’s member companies, which represent over 95% of commercial boiler sales in the UK.
The majority of commercial boilers installed have aluminium or stainless-steel heat exchangers, and all output ranges have seen increases — particularly mid-size boilers with outputs from 73 to 109 kW, which showed a 17% increase on 2009. Overall, the market for non-cast-iron boilers has risen by 7%, and 95% of units sold utilise condensing technology.
Another substantial change in this sector is the penetration of wall-hung boilers, which now account for 75% of product sales.
The market for commercial cast-iron boilers has seen some incredible swings — from a 20% reduction in sales at the lower-output end of the market, mid market static and a 21% increase at the top end. Overall sales of commercial cast-iron boilers fell by 5%, but this sector is only 20% of the total commercial-boiler market. David Pepper, chairman of the UK Commercial Boiler Group, comments, ‘This is an excellent trend for the industry and an encouragement to continue installing more efficient boilers. Despite the emergence of renewable technologies, modern condensing boilers still have a very major role to play in meeting carbon-emission targets. The Government and supply drive for higher efficiencies should continue to assist market sales within the built environment, so we are reasonably confident that 2011 should result in a steady flow of orders for our industry.’
