Worcester has unveiled a 5 year guarantee promotion on all of its Greenstar CDi and Greenstar Si condensing gas boiler ranges. This new offer extends their original guarantee by 3 years and applies to any Worcester Greenstar CDi and Greenstar Si installed between the 1^st September and 31^st December 2011.  The offer covers all of the CDi and Si condensing gas boilers installed between this time and registered with Worcester within 30 days of installation. The offer applies to the UK mainland, Northern Ireland, Isle of Man and the Republic of Ireland; however it cannot be used with any other Worcester offer.

For more information on this promotion visit the Worcester-Bosch Website.

The Worcester Greenstar CDi is a condensing gas combination boiler range ideal for small homes; however with the higher output models are suitable for larger properties with more than one bathroom. The Greenstar CDi range can help cut annual gas bills by up to 15 to 20% and is around 90.2% efficient giving it a SEDBUK ‘A’ rating.

The Worcester Greenstar Si is a mid-range condensing gas combination boiler range ideal for flats and small to medium sized houses with a single bathroom. The domestic hot water and central heating temperatures can be controlled separately on the Si and it is about 90.1% efficient giving it a SEDBUK ‘A’ rating capable of significantly reducing gas bills and carbon emissions

Both the Worcester Greenstar CDi and Greenstar Si are supplied by BHL at low prices with quick delivery within the UK. Also available is a comprehensive range of Worcester flues and boiler controls at competitive prices that will help improve the efficiency of the boiler and help reduce gas bills and carbon emissions.

John Guest is a long established leading manufacturer of push fit fittings, valves and plastic pipe, a reputation built on years of producing high quality and innovative plumbing products. The speedfit system is a push fit design suitable for use in standard domestic hot and cold water systems and central heating systems. The speedfit system is designed to be used with copper pipe as well as speedfit pipe, available in 10mm, 15mm, 2mm and 28mm.

The John Guest speedfit system has under gone extensive testing and has shown to withstand temperatures and pressures in excess of normal domestic working conditions. The benefits of a John Guest Speedfit system are:

• Push fit connections mean reduced installation time and cost.
• No need of hot works, i.e. soldering.
• Easier to work with in confined spaces.
• A permanent and reliable water tight seal.
• Corrosion and scale resistant.
• Flexible and elastic properties of speedfit pipe means reduced risk of bursting under freezing conditions.
• Truly demountable system.
• Light weight system for ease of handling and installation.

John Guest also produces a wide range of underfloor heating products for hydronic underfloor heating systems. With a comprehensive range of manifolds designed to be used with speedfit underfloor heating pipe and intelligent controls a John Guest underfloor heating systems can provide efficient and cost effective heating. The John Guest manifolds are also designed with the speedfit push fit system helping to cut time during installation and is also demountable meaning making alterations is quick and simple.

At BHL we supply a comprehensive range of John Guest products including their speedfit system of fittings and pipe that are demountable providing flexibility and reduced installation time, helping homeowners to save on fitting costs. With our new and improved John Guest Category finding and buying any John Guest products is quick and simple and also comes at low prices with quick delivery within the UK.

At BHL we offer a wide range of Radiator Valves designed to isolate and control the temperature and times of operation of the radiators they are connected to in the home. A radiator is a heat exchanger designed to transfer thermal energy from one medium to another for the purpose of heating. In the case of a domestic central heating system heat energy is transferred from water to the air within the home via the radiator. Radiator Valves control the flow of the hot water to the radiator to either control the room temperature or to isolate the radiator to allow for repairs to be made or of the radiator to be replaced. There are a variety of Radiator Valves on the market and at BHL we can supply the following:

• Lockshield Valves designed to balance each radiator within a central heating system so that all the radiators heat up to the same temperature. An unbalanced central heating system will mean that you may find the radiators nearest the boiler in the central heating circuit may get hotter than those further along the circuit. By altering the lockshield valves on all the radiators in the central heating system you can ensure that they all output the same temperature. This will also help reduce fuel bills as all the rooms will heat up to the desired temperature around the same time thus reducing the length of time the central heating needs to be on.
• TRV’s (Thermostatic Radiator Valve) are designed to control the temperature of a room by adjusting the flow of hot water flowing through the radiator. The TRV will maintain the desired room temperature set by the user by sensing the air temperature around them and controlling the flow of hot water into the radiator. The TRV is made up of two main parts a valve to control the flow of hot water into the radiator and a sensor to control the valve. The sensor contains an actuator with a temperature sensitive substance, which adjusts the valve opening via a connection between the actuator spindle and valve spindle. As the temperature sensitive substance (usually a wax, liquid or gas) expands and contracts the spindle system transfers the axial movement to a rubber valve cone that interacts with the valve seat controlling the flow of hot water.
• Radiator Drain Off Valves designed to allow the radiator to be drained without having to drain the entire central heating system so repair can be made or so the radiator can be replaced.
• Radiator Extension Pieces are designed to allow an imperial radiator to be replaced with a metric radiator without having to drain the entire central heating system and make alterations to the pipework.
• Radiator Zone Valves are programmable radiator valves providing extra control over the time and temperature at which individual radiators operate. This will allow for individual rooms to be heated at different times and to different temperatures to whatever the user desires. This eliminates the need to heat the entire home when you don’t need to and helping to reduce fuel bills and carbon emissions.

For more information and prices on our comprehensive range of Radiator Valves from leading manufacturers, including Pegler Terrier, Danfoss, Honeywell, Drayton and Myson, visit the BHL website for advice, prices and delivery.

Biomass is a renewable fuel source derived from biological material from living or recently living organisms such as wood, waste and alcohol fuels. Commonly Biomass is plant matter specifically grown to generate electricity or to produce heat and the energy stored within the plant matter is released by combustion.

Typical sources of biomass fuels include waste, wood, landfill gases, and alcohol fuels, however most common Biomass Boilers in the UK use logs or wood pellets. Wood pellets are made from waste wood such as sawdust from saw mills and other wood waste from manufacturing processes. The wood pellets are very dense, uniform in size and have a low water content which means that when they are burned they release heat energy very efficiently. On average the energy output of wood pellets is approximately 4.7-4.9 MWh/tonne. Biomass fuels such as Wood Pellets are classed as ‘carbon neutral’ because they absorb as much carbon when they are growing as they release when they are burnt.

At BHL we offer a range of Biomass boilers from a leading boiler manufacturer, Baxi. We supply in a range of outputs the Baxi Bioflo wood pellet Biomass Boiler, the Baxi Multi-heat wood pellet Biomass Boiler and the Baxi Solo Innova wood log Biomass Boiler. The Baxi wood pellet and wood log biomass boilers work essentially in the same way for example:

• Wood Pellet Biomass Boilers work by feeding wood pellets on top of the boiler unit into the combustion chamber. The wood pellets are then burnt evenly and with great efficiency, the wood pellets high efficiency is due to their uniform size and shape. Wood pellets are then gradually feed into the combustion chamber to maintain the desired programmed temperature controlled by a thermostatic controller. Heated water is then supplied to the central heating system and the hot water cylinder.

• Log Burning Biomass Boilers work by stacking logs within the combustion chamber and lit. The temperature is then controlled by a thermostatically controlled fan that draws air into the flame tunnel producing a partial vacuum, which ensures efficient combustion. Water that is heated is then stored in a buffer tank where the central heating system draws its heat from. Once the temperature within the buffer tank drops below around 45°C the boiler is then ready for another combustion cycle.

For more information on the range of Baxi Biomass Boiler visit the Baxi website and BHL.co.uk for information, Prices and Delivery.

At BHL We offer a wide range of kitchen products and with our new and improved kitchen sink category now it even easier to find the ideal kitchen sink to suit your new or existing kitchen. We offer a comprehensive range of inset kitchen sinks, sit on kitchen sinks and undermount kitchen sinks made from a variety of materials including ceramic. Our range of ceramic kitchen sinks are finished in a high gloss fired ceramic which are durable and hard wearing ideal for both modern and traditionally styled kitchens. Also we have a range of traditional Ceramic Belfast Sinks available, also referred to as a Butler sinks the Belfast first appeared during the Victorians. The Belfast sink is a large rectangular sink with a rounded rim that is set into the work surface. As well as the traditional ceramic Belfast sink we also have modern stainless steel Belfast sinks available.

We also have a large range of Stainless Steel Kitchen Sinks available which are ideal for kitchens as stainless steel is highly resistant to staining and corrosion. This is due to the minimum 10.5% Chromium content of the steel which provides an air and water proof layer that helps maintain the lustrous appearance of stainless steel providing a clean and hygienic looking kitchen.

For more modern kitchens we offer a wide range of Composite Kitchen Sinks which give a striking and contemporary look to a kitchen. Composite kitchen sinks are made from composite materials which are either man made or naturally occurring materials made from two or more constituent materials. As Composite materials are made from a mixture of constituent materials it makes it easier to form them into any shape in one solid piece making them strong and durable. Many kitchen sink manufacturers combine metallic particles to granite during the manufacturing process which gives a granite sink a more striking and appealing look.

As well as composites we also provide Granite Kitchen Sinks which are hardwearing and robust ideal for kitchens. Granite is the fourth hardest natural material known to man and is highly resistant to impacts, scratches, stains, most household cleaning products, colour fading and temperatures up to 280°C. All these properties make granite a practical material for kitchen sinks and work surfaces and also makes a striking statement in any kitchen.

We supply our comprehensive range of Kitchen Sinks from leading manufacturers including Astracast, Rangemaster, Leisure, Franke and Carron Phoenix.

For more information on our range of Kitchen Sinks visit BHL.co.uk

In order for us at BHL to have up-to-date and relevant knowledge of the plumbing and heating industry to provide the customers with the correct and helpful assistance that they deserve, the sales team regularly partakes in product training sessions with leading manufacturers to get to grips and become hands on with the products that we are selling. In the past week, Smiths Environmental Products Ltd came to visit to introduce us to their range of fan convectors, in particularly their Ecovector range and Plinth Heaters.

Formed in 1991 Smiths Heater (Smiths Environmental Products Ltd) has grown to become the leading supplier of domestic and light commercial fan-assisted hydronic heat emitters. The complete product range is manufactured in-house in its specialist facilities in the UK.

Fan convectors, flame-effect fan convectors, natural convectors and fan-assisted electric heaters. Smiths Heater slowly have become the leading supplier of all these types of heat generators in the UK, including the revolutionary Ecovector range, Plinth Heaters and the Sterling wall-mounted fan convector. Energy is one of our most valuable resources, yet many of the appliances we use everyday are inefficient and use more energy than is absolutely necessary. Even if you are not yet fully convinced that reducing energy usage will help save the planet, it will certainly reduce your energy bills.

Here BHL’s Lee Camm, Neil, Pam and Chris brush up on the latest Smiths Heater products, including the Ecovector Plinth Heater.

If your are looking for energy efficiency and versatility in your heating, look no further than the Smiths Heater range of fan convectors, flame-effect fan convectors and natural convectors.

Smiths Ecovector is the next generation fan convector with elegant styling. The Smith’s Ecovector range includes the Smiths Ecovector Plinth Heater, Smiths Ecovector Low Level, Smiths Ecovector Vertical and Smiths Ecovector High Level. The Smiths Ecovector are very compact – half the width of an equivalent output standard radiator, and with water content only 5% that of an equivalent radiator. Fast, responsive, energy-efficient and very quiet in operation. Provides warmth from the floor upwards – the ideal heating pattern – but is more effective and energy efficient than either underfloor heating or conventional radiators. Manufactured in the UK using recyclable materials.

Smiths fan convectors require connection to a ‘wet’ central heating system and an electrical connection to run the fan. Hot water from the central heating system passes through the heat exchanger transferring its heat to the aluminium fins. Cooler air is drawn in by the fan and heated as it passes over the heat exchanger before being expelled gently back into the room. This gives a more even temperature and will heat a room in much less time than a traditional panel radiator. On average in domestic applications, the Smiths fan convectors use less than 2p (worth) of electricity per day.

However, even though the new range is available online at BHL, we still supply the traditional and original fan convectors from Smiths Heaters including; Sureline, Award, Skyline and Caspian.

Read more about Smiths Heaters here…..

We have recently added Live Chat to the BHL website. Live Chat enables our operatives to communicate directly with our customers in real time, answering questions and enquiries immediately and securely.

Click on the icon of the top left hand side of the website like the one above. A chat window will then pop up like the one below and simply ask your question. We have a whole range of information at our disposal enabling us to answer questions such as stock availability, quotation requests and technical questions.

Here is Chris from BHL assisting a customer via Live Chat.

Chat is available during office hours and compliments our existing online communication and telephone. We look forward to chatting with you soon.

We have recently made some small improvements and introduced new features to the BHL website. The changes are designed to improve the shopping experience and to assist product selection. We will discuss the changes that we have made in this blog post.

Improved Category Layout

We have standardised the category page design ensuring a uniform look throughout the website. The categories are now displayed within a blue box showing both the category image and category name. Underneath we have retained links to the top five most popular sub-categories as well as highlighting the lowest priced product within the category.

Tagged Product Details

We have mentioned in previous blog posts about our desire to tag all products on our website (currently 80,000+). Tagging products enables customers to refine their search, ensuring that they can quickly and easily find their preferred product using criteria such as Efficiency, Output, Colour and Material etc. As part of the design changes we have incorporated this data into the product page bringing additional information to our customers.

Restructured Layout

We have restructured the website layout on some pages ensuring that the key information is visible to our customers. Bestselling products now command a more prominent location, as do Videos, News, Forum Posts and Related Categories. Should the customer wish to remove these items from view, the option to minimize (or expand) the link is available.

Improved Product Page

In addition to the tagged data which is now displayed on selected product lines, we have tidied up the product page making key data more prominent – information such as Installation, Price Beater and Ask a Question.

The changes to the BHL website are available to see now, click here for BHL.co.uk

A few weeks ago we told you about the changes to the BHL website (see the article here).  The feedback we have received from our customers about the new design has been very positive. But despite all the investment in time and money in the new website we still felt that the new website didnt offer the customer the best opportunity to find a product.

The BHL website is great for customers who know exactly what they are looking for, but perhaps not so good for customers visiting the website with a blank canvas. This is why we introduced a new feature which we have called Refine Your Search (RYS). RYS is a useful feature that enables our customers to narrow their search for products by simply responding to search criteria and therefore making the search more specific. This is the easiest way to narrow down search results. If you have a particular colour, size, model or manufacturer in mind, add that information to your search. RYS also enables products to be searched for by price.

Finding a Radiator

Central Heating Radiators come in a wide range of sizes and styles. Trying to find a specific radiator on most suppliers websites can be frustratingly time consuming. But on the BHL website customers can search for radiators by Brand, Colour, Material, Price, Height, Length, Model, Output and Style. For example, a customer looking for a specific central heating radiator, say a double radiator 600mm high with a length of 1400mm using the RYS facility will be presented with the following results.

Looking for a Combi Boiler

If you are in the market for a new Central Heating Boiler it is important that you buy the correct model for your home. BHL have tried to assist the buying process by introducing RYS. You can now search by Boiler type, Brand, Output and Efficiency. For example a customers looking for a Gas Fired, Sedbuk A Rated Combi Boiler with a domestic hot water flow rate of 16 litres per minute can choose from the following results.

Buying Central Heating Controls

There are hundreds of different Central Heating Controls all offering a whole host of features. Choosing the correct central heating control can improve efficiency and save you money on your fuel bills. The RYS feature on the BHL website will customers narrow their search for products, so for example if you are looking for a Digital, Wireless, Honeywell Room Thermostat then RYS will present you with these results.

We are looking to roll out this feature to all our products but in the meantime this feature is currently available on Boilers, Radiators, Central Heating Controls, Oil Storage Tanks, Gas Fires, Electric Suites, Electric Fires, Stoves, Electric Water Heaters, Hot Water Cylinders, Toilets, Wash Basins, Bathroom Suites, Showers, Baths, Shower Trays, Bathroom Taps, Water Treatment Products and some Pipe & Fittings.

We think that the new Refine Your Search feature coupled with industry leading features such as ‘Alternative Products’, ‘related Products’ and ‘Customers who bought also bought’ will ensure that shopping with BHL remains a safe, secure and easy experience.

Today we launched a new look for the BHL website. We have refreshed the design and have made it easier to navigate and find the 75,000 plumbing products that we display. This is phase 1 of the launch, we have many new, exciting and interactive features to add to BHL which we plan to roll out within the coming weeks.

About the new design..

The website structure remains pretty much unchanged. We still have thousands of categories displaying everything from Boilers to Basins. The old site was in desperate need of a revamp. Feedback had suggested this and it was something that we had been thinking about for a while.

As I said the basics of the site remain the same (including our great range and low prices) but we have improved the shopping experience.

We have tidied up the website. The site has been growing and growing but has not had a tidy up session for a while. So we removed a lot of the clutter.

The website is wider. We decided that we no longer required three columns. So now the site only has two, meaning more room to see the products and a greater sense if space on the page.

Easier to find products. Because we offer so many products, finding what you are looking for can sometimes be a challenge. We have tried to address this by improving our Search facility. In addition to this we have tried to lessen the amount of clicks to your chosen destination by introducing a drop down menu and displaying deep categories. We have also put the most popular searches at the top of the page as well as a larger tag cloud at the page footer.

Resources. We have made it easier to access and find resources such as product data sheets and information videos as well as links to news and articles and relevant forum posts. It is also now easier for customers to leave product reviews and have their product questions displayed for other users.

Related Products. Many of our products wont work without another product, for example a radiator requires radiator valves. That is why we have improved access to related products and categories. This improvement coupled with our product reviews and ‘customers who bought, also bought’ will really help our customers product selection.

Points. Every product now displays the points that will be earned whenever a product is bought. Remember to login when next ordering to redeem your points and save money off future orders.

Social Media is an increasingly important part of our operation. It enables us to reach and connect with customers, industry proffesionals and students. Using platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Flickr and YouTube allows us to discuss industry developments, new products, promotions and developments within BHL. Our new website design enables easier access and greater promotion of our social websites.

Please have a look around the site and let us know what you think. We hope that you like it. As I said at the beginning this is only the start. We hope to add new features in the coming weeks so keep your eyes peeled for future developments. You can see the revamped BHL website here.