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Lots of talk about incentives, grants and trade-ins but for a modest 3 bed semi, what should I be expecting as a reasonable quote.
And will theirs be anywhere near a reasonable quote?
Ta
it will be a comedy £4k ish
Get a local company in (recommended of course)
Their first quote is just an insanely high amount on of the off chance you're stupid enough to say yet, in which case the sales guy has made his commission for the year.
Dear god, why did you even let them quote?
NB your old boiler is probably fine. If they say they can't get parts anymore, they're almost certainly telling lies to you.
4k.....4k....
I agreed to this after realising that their repair service for the intermittent fault on the current boiler could be circa £399.
(You could get a new boiler for that).
second footflaps - there are many a story, inlcuding my old house mate, where BG haven't been able to repair, or say it's not viable. *Most faults like this are normally fixed with a hammer, or new extractor fan solanoid
*massive generalisation..
BG quoted a work colleague £3.5k, a reputable local firm did the job for £2.1k
my old boiler was "condemmed" as BG couldn't get parts for it. Local hgas fitter laughed and said "Mate, I can make parts for that!" and he did. and it worked. and he charged a pittance!
Just had a quote for direct replacement of a boiler.
Same location, same connections etc.... Just swapping a combi' for a condensing combi' and BG quoted £3000!
I can get parts for our 30 year old Potterton Nettaheat...
My mum got a £2.5 k quote to swap over a boiler that she provided!! He reckoned it would be done in a day
hopefully we are getting the picture here that BG = Shysters.. so go Local.
My mum got a £2.5 k quote to swap over a boiler that she provided!! He reckoned it would be done in a day
Bargain 😯
OP - If you have the cash to pay up front, just go with a reputable local firm. If the attraction to BG is being able to pay it off monthly, go either 'everlastingboilers' or 'helplink'.
hopefully we are getting the picture here that BG = Shysters
They're way worse than that, they lie to customers about parts not being available and prey on the elderly and vulnerable with extortionate prices and tales of 'your boiler is dangerous, you must pay £5k for a new one'.
It will be £2400, it will be fitted the day they say, there will be zero mess, it will come with a full warranty that actually means something.
More expensive than a local bloke but it will also be easier on the mind.
My only tip would be wary of the finance if you decide to spread the cost.
They're way worse than that, they lie to customers about parts not being available and prey on the elderly and vulnerable with extortionate prices and tales of 'your boiler is dangerous, you must pay £5k for a new one'.
Now I dont get that, I had a homecare package, it paid for itself many times over, they could get the parts for my Potterton Neataheat but it still kept eating fans, not once did they give me any advice to swap it, on the contrary they only expected the new boiler to give me 5% saving... I need to get through this winter to really find out, but I think I am onto more like 30% savings, the boiler was ferked, had a new tank, 2 new 3 way valves all for my £15 a month package. Great.
BG will give you the highest price, guaranteed. Get a reputable local company and double check the prices of the boilers from the local trade place (easy to do and the tradesman will pay a bit less).
It shouldn't really cost more than £500 to fit assuming the pipe work doesn't need much modification, a new house builder isn't paying £3k for a boiler fitting but it is sadly like kitchens and bathrooms a bit of a rip off.
If it's any consolation, I have them on their homecare package and I'm comfortably quids in having had them round five times once for a repair (luckily Mrs Clubber was on maternity at the time so was able to be there without too much hassle) 😉
To replace an ancient system boiler (one with a hot water cylinder - not a combi) with an A rated 24kw boiler was £650 for the boiler, Magnetic filter, £100, £45 for sundries, including inhibitor, and £400 to fit. The whole lot was £1200 and all done in a day, although i did the flushing beforehand. 24kw heats a massive old house.
....it will be fitted the day they say, there will be zero mess, it will come with a full warranty that actually means something.
Exactly like the service a decent (recommended) local Gas Fitter would offer.
More expensive than a local bloke but it will also be easier on the mind.
Please explain why.
And you just try to find a local firm who's even heard of Green Deal. That's a laugh in itself.
Mine was done on the day promised - because Harry, the fitter, was off to Whistler for spot of DHing a couple of days later.
Yeah they wanted us to replace our old boiler cos "parts are hard to get". We politely declined their offer then rang them with a problem a couple of days later and they replaced almost every part in the boiler to get it working again. 😕
<shhh> and they forgot to bill us too</shhh>
More expensive than a local bloke but it will also be easier on the mind.Please explain why.
Just my experience of getting work done by local blokes, probably a bit unlucky but also bare in mind I can do most plumbing jobs myself, I learnt how to replace the circuit board in a Potterton (after the faff & f ups the local bloke did) at my previous house, & £pound for £pound, I found the homecare package better than bothering to do it myself.
See clubbers post too, same experience.
I reckon they will ask for £2400 but maybe less for the OP, yup about 800 up on getting a guy from the paper. I would pay the extra unless you can get a solid reccomendation.
Just my experience of getting work done by local blokes,
Depends on your selection process I suppose.
Get someone who comes well recommended, and pay a massive amount less than British Gas for the same service (if not better)
Pick a random name from the Yellow Pages and risk ending up on Rogue Traders.
If you or somebody in the house is on benefits you can get a brand new free boiler on 'Greendeal scheme'
Aren't a lot of Plumbers still in the Seychelles at this time of year...
Hmm, after doing a preliminary course on the 'Green Deal', my thoughts were confirmed that it is not a great saving for the majority of people.
If you are working, you would be better off over the term by buying it yourself.
If you are on low income, your boiler is knackered, you are skint etc, then it could be a good thing.
The Green Deal suppliers inflate their installation prices for a start. Then, once the assessor has found you will make X savings that year through reduced gas use, you get you gas bill the following year, which shows the savings are not quite what was predicted.
(You pay for the boiler by paying the gas 'savings' toward the install cost)
If you contact the assessor, they'll say you clearly had the heating on more than you had before etc.
The Contract will have numerous get-out clauses, so it will take rather longer than expected to pay off the amount when you realise the savings are not as predicted.
What surprised me was the clueless people who were trying to become Energy Assessors. They had had no relevent experience in either heating or building work, but could go on a 3 day course, and were then 'qualified' assessors.
It struck me they were a re-incarnation of the double glazing and Solar panel salesmen.
Myself and mate were looking into it (supply and fitting), after that, we didn't bother, as we are not comfortable in deceiving people into thinking they have a good deal - it isnt for many.
It can work for some, so go into it with eyes wide open, and dont get sucked in by salesmens talk of massive savings - it doenst happen - it is possible to get 30% gas savings when changing from an old boiler to a condensing, anything over that is the exception rather than the norm.
The British Gas salesman quoted me threetimes what local engineers quoted. Slyly had a dig that BG engineers aren't cowboys etc..
What he didn't say (know?) said "cowboys" subcontracts for BG, trained with them etc etc in their careers.
it is possible to get 30% gas savings when changing from an old boiler to a condensing, anything over that is the exception rather than the norm.
Yep, which is why I've not changed my 30 year old boiler. With a £600 / year gas bill, I might save £150/year which means it would take 10 years to pay off a new boiler and new boilers don't last that long.....
Our boiler is in the utility room. We used to hang our washing in there on rainy days. Now we've changed from an ancient boiler to a new one the room is freezing. We changed about a month ago and we haven't had any proper cold weather so I'm thinking I'll need to put a heater in there.
Bigjohn are all the pipes lagged (water pipes, no need on the gas pipe).
[i] it would take 10 years to pay off a new boiler and new boilers don't last that long..... [/i]
and yet if people don't fit more energy efficient boilers or insulate their homes because the economic benefits aren't there then we'll end up with more CO2 emissions and a more rapid run down of available fossil fuels.
I'm as much guilty of only changing our boiler when it was on its last legs as the next person but I can see there should be some sort of 'tax' (beyond purely paying more because of using more gas) for less efficient boilers (much like cars where less efficient engines are VED'd more highly).
And then there's the argument about the energy needed to manufacture a new boiler and the pipework needed to fit it etc.
Complicated innit.
and yet if people don't fit more energy efficient boilers or insulate their homes because the economic benefits aren't there then we'll end up with more CO2 emissions and a more rapid run down of available fossil fuels.
If you consider the CO2 cost of manufacturing a new boiler, and having to have a new boiler every 5-10 years (as news ones don't last) then the situation won't be so clear cut.
Another important factor is the human psychological element e.g. if you upgrade to a new boiler, which drops the cost of heating the house, then I suspect there will be a tendency to set the thermostat a bit higher as heating is cheaper. The limiting factor is the actual cost to the user rather than the cost per Therm etc.
[i]If you consider the CO2 cost of manufacturing a new boiler, and having to have a new boiler every 5-10 years (as news ones don't last) then the situation won't be so clear cut.[/i]
I agree hence;
And then there's the argument about the energy needed to manufacture a new boiler and the pipework needed to fit it etc.
🙂
I don't think we use our boiler more now we have a new, efficient, one. The rise in price of gas over the past couple of years means we're paying more now than before despite using about 30% less.
So - whats their quote?
So - whats their quote?
He passed out and hasn't come round yet.
Either that or started laughing so much he had a hernia and was rushed to hospital....
I had someone lined up to do mine but was interested to know what they would charge what with all the offers at the time,they quoted 4800 but would knock off 600 quid so 4200. That was for a straight change including the compulsory powerflush 900 quid(which I'm told by a lot of plumbers is just a scam). Ended up getting someone local I got all the stuff and he fitted it for £500 all in just under 2 grand.
Hmm Powerflushing, sure to get those slightly damaged/old joins and valves leaking..
BG did ours. At the end of the process I was so annoyed with them I told them if I saw a BG employee on my property I'd call the police.
Appalling, terrible, crappy, shitty job. I could have done a better job myself. And yes, they charged an absolute fortune, even after we'd beaten them down. Avoid British Gas at all costs would be my advice.
It was all crap. Thermostat never worked properly, hot water downstairs never worked properly. The boiler was forever cutting out in the first few weeks. Pump went, one of the seals went flooding the kitchen. etc etc etc.
And this was before winter set in and we were left without heating or hot water for almost a week. Same again the following year (although I'd learned myself by that time that all I really needed was a hacksaw). The condensation pipe runs a good ten feet down the side of the house, completely uninsulated. Hmmm, what do you think will happen in winter? USELESS BASTARDS!
The gas pipe runs down the outside of the house as well. That's a longer run, about 12 feet I reckon. Lazy, lazy installers.
I'm getting all riled up again now. this was something like 7 years ago and the memory still makes me angry. GRRRRRR!
And then when I phoned up to complain. That was even worse!! They couldn't give crapper customer service if they actively tried to.
Hmm Powerflushing, sure to get those slightly damaged/old joins and valves leaking..
Does seem a recent fad, my system has never been flushed and works fine and I'd guess it's 30+ years old (at least the boiler is).
BG wouldn't carry on my 3 star service unless I had a Powerflush. Did a bit of googling, spoke to a reputable local firm, and told them to stick their service. They were pretty unpleasant on the phone when I told them, which makes it even less likely I'll use them again.
Got boiler cover from a local firm for £120 for the year.
footflaps - MemberHmm Powerflushing, sure to get those slightly damaged/old joins and valves leaking..
Does seem a recent fad, my system has never been flushed and works fine and I'd guess it's 30+ years old (at least the boiler is).
yep new fad - If you have a combi and still have the "top up feed" connected, there is enough pressure from your house cold water feed to push through (gently) any crud that has built up over time. Though make sure you top the system back up with a good inhibitor.
Looked around for a local team to replace an inadequate old boiler after a renovation/extension.
Worked out the best deal all round was buy the stuff ourselves and then pay them to fit. They even helped with the spec we needed.
Worcester Bosch Combi. Bluetooth stat, all rads etc bought on line and delivered promptly. Local crew installed. Very happy.
Ours was 2,500 plus fitting
Bosch Combi thing
But it did need fitting there an then as my wife managed to get the old one condemmed.
900 quid for a powerflush - are you serious.
WOW
Out of interest how do you add a rust inhibitor to the central heating? Is there a handy place to pour it in or do you just open up the top of an upstairs radiator and do it?
towel rails are the easiest place to add ime .
i just shut all the TRVs except my towel rail - dropped some water till the level dropped in the towel rail and threw in my inhibitor.
on an all new system.
if your systems old then you get a cleaner to put in the system , run the heating for a fewhours/day and then drop the whole system and flush through with the fill tap till it all comes out clear . then refill + inhibitor.
note im not a plumber so stoner , bear or the other qualified peoples can come along with a better method most likely.
Thanks, that makes sense. The systems only three years old and it had inhibitor to start with. I've had to top it up with water from the boiler though so I reckon it could maybe do with more inhibitor.
what trail rat said - towel rail is easiest, though any rad where you can pour the stuff in. The circulation once it's running will mix it all up thereafter. Also, i would drain system first before topping up with a cleaner, it will give it a fighting chance to decoke stuff and less chance of the heat exchanger getting too clogged once the cleaner has dislodged everything.
p.s. i'm also not a plumber, but did help put my system in.
fair call boys on the adding of chemicals.. towel rails yer best shot. let the cleaner/ sludge remover circulate for a couple of days drain whilst warm and flush with cold water refill with inhibitor.
flushing is 'on trend' as sludge is the mechanical enemy of new boilers. water is h2o most of your rads are steel so they rust rust/ debris circulates and is trapped in the pump ( leading to siezures/ fuse failures) or acculumlates in the heat exchanger, symptons might be hot water than runs ok then goes cold..
best long term cure and the one i use on every install now no matter the age of the system is chemical clean as above plus the addition of a magnetic/ debris filter just before the boiler.
i used to be persuaded that they were a right old con. ( BG charge 460 fitted, they cost 80 odd trade and take 30 mins to fit inc cup of tea..)
however they really do pull out an amazing amount of cack especially to start with and then a quick check every 3 -6 months keeps the whole thing sweet and as a bonus they are excellent for adding chemicals etc .. we always fit the Fernox FP1 loads more practical than the others,,
They are coming on 1 oct....time enough to find a comparison quote perhaps.
£3589.
After discounts/trade in.
Can't get new parts for my old boiler.
£1000 for the boiler.
£2000 fitting inc materials.
Remainder for perks...smart meter etc.
Outrageous yet I am giving it serious consideration. Must be their sales ploy.
After British Gas tried to "repair" an intermittent hot water problem, we had no hot water, no heating and a gas leak. In January.
Would you want cowboys like that installing a new boiler?
Secifics please.. make and model of boiler and make model of controls.
£3.5k after discount/trade in.
bruneep - Member
it will be a comedy £4k ishGet a local company in (recommended of course)
See my £4k was about right. Now go get a good local chap in to do it.
We have BG Homecare and they have been brilliant. Come out and service / fix any issues on our reasonably aging, cheapish boiler.
When I spoke to the guy on the phone he asked what make we had and had the old sucking off teeth etc but when he came round and saw it he very honestly stated that Ferranti boilers are generally not brilliant but this one was actually ok and should be perfectly servicable for the next few years.
Even did us a favour to pass the inspection when he could have condemned the system (technicality to do with the boiler pressure relief pipe thing).
That said I wouldn't use them to replace the boiler - just too expensive but then we are lucky to know a plumber who has done work for Mrs Danny's family for the last 30 years or so and would be our port of call for any major work.
I think as with so many things (think the national bike shop chains) so much of the customer experience is down to the individual(s) that actually do the work and that unfortunately can be hit and miss.
Cheers
Danny B
Damned duplicates...
Folks
Really interesting thread. Me and the missus got told by BG last year (at the time of our annual Homecare service) that the venting for our boiler wasn't up to the most recent regs and that we'd need to move and replace the boiler. Cost? £4k!
Done nothing until now, but need to get an independant guy out to see if they are trying to pull the wool over our eyes. Anyway, even if it needs replacing this thread has probably saved me £2k. So thank you STW collective.
Fraser
We were happy with Homecare until recently...the boiler was condemned and disconnected at its annual service....excessive corrosion cited as reason(boiler about 14 years old)....we asked why this wasnt noted on its service last year..no answer...then told they had no record of this..quoted us £3800 to replace!!
Local man(ex BG,fed up with the way they operate) did it for £1650 all in,including magnetic filter and new pump...happy days.
Will be telling BG to stick their homecare....
that the venting for our boiler wasn't up to the most recent regs
Sounds like the consumer unit scam some electricians pull. The regs are for new installations, not to justify constant upgrading of old ones. If it met regs at the time it was put in, then it is legal.
Can't get new parts for my old boiler.
Are you sure? Had a look online?
My boiler is 30 years old and I can get parts for it....
When we moved into our current house 6 years ago, I called BG to take out a service plan as the previous owners had a BG one upto the point of sale. They quickly aranged a direct debit and started taking money, and arranged a system check for a couple of months time.
When the guy turned up, he told my wife that the boiler did not meet current regs as it was sited in the kitchen (!!!!!!1111) and had to be replaced immediately. He shut it off and shut off the gas supply too, and left, leaving her in a cold house with 2 young kids in early winter. This given they'd been servicing it until a couple of months before!
I would not touch BG with a barge pole for ANYTHING.
Just had the boiler replaced now (it was 20 years old and all original parts until the fan went last winter so due an upgrade at last) for £2k by a local firm, including flush, magnetic filter etc - installed in the same space in the kitchen. 7 yr warranty as they are an approved Worcester Bosch dealer too, and very good service, everything clearly explained etc.
OP - get some more quotes quick!
On the parts unavailability....that's what the chap said..as predicted earlier in this thread.
I'm just wondering if inactivity on my part will prompt them to come back with a lower price as he did leave sharpish when he left me with the printed quote.
I wasn't nasty or anything but I think my questions to try and have him justify some of the figures simply could not be answered.
More like he realised you didnt come up the clyde on a banana boat and cleared out before you started asking him even more aukward questions:)
When we put our oil boiler put and had it signed off my favorite was wheres your co2 alarm .....
My boilers an out door model that lives outside in the open air ....
Slightly OT but has anyone seen/had quoted one of the Baxi CHP/fuel cell systems? Generates your electricity as well as heat and sells excess back to the grid.
More expensive to start but local generation is on trend...
Just had a quote for £1200 to put in an Ideal Combi (apparently uses Worcester technology but it a fair bit cheaper). Have to nurse the current one through till next summer though when he's quiet.
Boiler details....baxi neta tec 28 ga. Quoted price £999.
A quick search suggests I could buy that for £720 inc vat and I expect bg will get it for much less.
Also includes for a spirotrap mb3. Circa £90
Plus smart meter
Plus 5 years home care at £216/month.
All in all, with the fuel savings and trade in, salesman told me it would only cost me £500 over three years.
When the guy turned up, he told my wife that the boiler did not meet current regs as it was sited in the kitchen (!!!!!!1111) and had to be replaced immediately.
There is no reg, that I know of, against having a boiler in the kitchen. Most boilers are designed to fit in kitchen cupboards....
baxi boiler?
If I was paying 4k I'd want a Worcester/Bosch.
£216 per year.
3.5k quote here, had it done for 1.4K
Rockhopper,
I have just had a new boiler installed Worcester Bosch with a 7 year warranty, all the wet piping in the house re-worked to the radiators, including adding piping for 2 new rads and moving the position of 2 others entirely, the gas pipes moved and an additional feed put in for the gas hob and the hob installed for less than your quote from BG.
Shop around, that price is a joke.