General Chat

I am considering hving a condenser boiler installed but dont which are the best, who to ask to install and how much it could possibly cost or if there are any grants?

Would anyone like to share there experiences for this very boring question?

Surf the net...find the companies....see if they have any testomonials....then ask the chosen company:
how much?
how long to install?
what distruption?
what mess?
will everything be boxed inm properly(ie cables and pipework)?
what after sales?
what warrenty - what does it cover and how long?
what emergency call out numbers they have should your new boiler refuse to turn on/off, work at all or even worse flood your house!
Does the company you choose do the work themselves or sub contract? (There are some right cowboys out there!)
OH AND ASK FOR A DISCOUNT THE PROFIT MARGIN ON BOILER INSTALLATION IS AS MUCH AS 400%

Thank you Col. I shall do some investigating.

I have just read in our local paper that fuel bills could reach £5,000 a year for an average household by 2020, if the trend continues. They have more than doubled already in the last 5 years!!

......so trying to make some energey savings where I can.

My other one is solar panels but I do not know how cost effective they are.

My neighbours son in Spain never uses electricity for water heating, only solar panels, and the water pumps for the garden work well as do solar lights. I like my conventional boiler as I like a proper airing cupboard.

Don't. Unless your existing boiler is caput and you have no option.

Unless you live in a very cold area and have your boiler running full time, claims of efficiency for condensing boilers are very much exagerated.

Make sure the person who does the work is Corgi Registered. We had several quotes when we had a new boiler, and they varied by about £1000.
Liz

My boiler is not caput yet, but it has been in use for 23 years. It was very modern when first installed. I have it serviced regularly and have had no problems. (Touching wood as I type!) I just presumed it was using to much energy and costing a fortune. It is G rated were the new ones are A rated.
I only live in a cold area in Autumn/Winter/Spring, but it is warm for 3 months of the year!!

Its cold up North.

Corgi is no longer the body responsible for gas fitters, it has a new title now:

Gas Safe Register became the official stamp for gas safety in Great Britain and the Isle of Man on 1 April 2009. CORGI gas registration is not valid or recognised by law in these regions. To work legally on gas appliances and installations you must be on the Gas Safe Register. Get Gas Safe registered now, you can’t work without it.

If you google Condensing boilers, there is masses of information available.

If you are over 60 or on certain benefits, there are grants to help but only if the heating is no longer working or non existent I think.

Lizx

We had a condenser boiler put in by Warm front it was a grant,they allowed £2000 to have either boiler, radiators , cavity wall , we couldnt have the cavity wall stuff, as the house is to old , bricks being porous,the vast amount of the money was spent on scaffolding to enable workmen to install a duct , the guy who did it said a ladder would have done the job quite well !! up to now we havent found it more efficient than our old one, in fact it seems as though its costing more, but may be we havent got used to it yet.....there are certain criteria that they need to know aboit , we got ours because there are two disabled peeps in the house.....


Jean x p,s, forgot to add it cost us £99....

The unfortunate thing is that the government were persuaded by some clever industry salesmen that condensing boilers would save the earth and as a result changed the building regs. This means that, with very few exceptions, you have to install a condensing boiler whenever you replace it.

In reality, the savings are minimal, unless you boiler is running flat out for long periods of time. For most people who have the heating on for a short time in the morning and evening, and hardly at all for 6 months of the year, this does not apply and any real savings could take a lifetime to realize, if ever at all.

So, yes, if you boiler needs replacing then by all means go ahead, but don't necessarily expect to see big fuel savings too.

I have just had one fitted this week.combi/condencing.
We had a baxibermuda fire with boiler at the back. It was 25 yr old but still worked and was well looked after.

We no longer have a gas fire in that room and the new boiler is now in another area. Took them 2 1/2 days to do it. Because we had bolier moved it meant new pipes and including gas pipes etc.
They had to bring water in from upstairs, remove hot water tank and shut off here and there etc
With the new boiler it means no hot water tank.
It does take longer to get hot water running though, which I have still to get used to.
It cost £3,300 :(( which was nearly £2000 cheaper than the gasboard.

We probably could have got it cheaper but from the the day the man came to price it we were sure it would be a good job done.
There was hardly any mess and the lads were there when they said they would and alway's cleared up after them selves. They even vacumed up after.


Marion

We've had our boiler since the house was built in 1983. Its a Glowworm So far its still working. We have been told by various plumbers to hang on to our old boiler as long as we can. As its a good workhorse and SO much easier to repair if it goes wrong. None of them seem remotely impressed by the new style boilers

Tina,

The first one you mention sounds like a combination boiler. This heats your hot water instantaneously, but can in practice only supply one tap at a time. Most of these are condensing boilers too, but of a different type.

The one you had installed sounds like a conventional condensing boiler.

Just think,Tina, you're an expert now.....!