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Central heating only became mainstream in the late 1960s. The choice was between a hot air system or a wet system with radiators. Hot air systems were installed mainly in new build houses whereas wet systems were installed in both new build and existing houses. Conventional gas boilers were floor mounted and almost the size of a washing machine so could be difficult to install. An alternative was a back boiler fitted into a hole in the wall behind a gas fire.
Baxi launched the Bermuda back boiler in 1966 which revolutionised central heating, and millions were installed between the late 1960s and the late 1980s. They were very popular for the following reasons:
1. They were small and unobtrusive as they were hidden in a hole in the wall behind a gas fire.
2. There were a large number of houses with redundant coal fires that already provided an ideal hole to contain a back boiler.
3. They were found to be very reliable.
The success of the Baxi Bermuda resulted in other manufacturers also producing back boilers but Baxi held an estimated 80% of the market.
Sales of back boilers fell into decline in the late 1980s because conventional boilers had shrunk in size and the market for them had decreased due to an increase in the number of houses with redundant coal fires having central heating. Conventional boilers were almost always chosen for new builds after 1980.
Back boilers always require a hot water cylinder so demand for them fell even further when combi boilers became mainstream around 1990. Another problem with back boilers is very poor energy efficiency due to their design. Conventional boilers of 1990 were significantly more efficient than those from 1970 but the energy efficiency of back boilers had barely improved over the same 20 year period. In 2005 the Building Regulations changed and all new and replacement boiler installations had to use high efficiency condensing boilers. This ultimately resulted in the end of back boilers although thousands are still in use today as a testimony to their reliability and the cost and expense of replacing them with modern boilers.
Baxi launched the Bermuda back boiler in 1966 which revolutionised central heating, and millions were installed between the late 1960s and the late 1980s. They were very popular for the following reasons:
1. They were small and unobtrusive as they were hidden in a hole in the wall behind a gas fire.
2. There were a large number of houses with redundant coal fires that already provided an ideal hole to contain a back boiler.
3. They were found to be very reliable.
The success of the Baxi Bermuda resulted in other manufacturers also producing back boilers but Baxi held an estimated 80% of the market.
Sales of back boilers fell into decline in the late 1980s because conventional boilers had shrunk in size and the market for them had decreased due to an increase in the number of houses with redundant coal fires having central heating. Conventional boilers were almost always chosen for new builds after 1980.
Back boilers always require a hot water cylinder so demand for them fell even further when combi boilers became mainstream around 1990. Another problem with back boilers is very poor energy efficiency due to their design. Conventional boilers of 1990 were significantly more efficient than those from 1970 but the energy efficiency of back boilers had barely improved over the same 20 year period. In 2005 the Building Regulations changed and all new and replacement boiler installations had to use high efficiency condensing boilers. This ultimately resulted in the end of back boilers although thousands are still in use today as a testimony to their reliability and the cost and expense of replacing them with modern boilers.
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