MSE News: Warning over boiler scrappage incentives

duggie1982

ILW wrote: »

The cost of a decent branded boiler is about £800. Even a fairly complicated exchange with alterations to pipework etc, should take a competant fitter no more than a day. Therefore on a £2500 quote the guy has earned £1700 for a days work. I think BG charge about £4000!!!

£4000 for BG! What kind of boiler are you buying? Maybe £4000 for full system.:money:

ILW

duggie1982 wrote: »

£4000 for BG! What kind of boiler are you buying? Maybe £4000 for full system.:money:

Do a search, British Gas seem to quote between 3 and 4k for a straight replacement boiler. They seem to charge about 2 or 3 times for the boiler over what you can buy from a trade supplier. (or even Wickes).

gasmanart

ILW wrote: »

OK then, assuming its a replacement in the same location, allow absolute max £50 for pipes and fittings. Still £1650 profit for a days work.

Dream on ILW. 22mm tube is currently approx £3.50 per metre. 28mm £7 per metre. A combi mag filter (which we always fit) is over £80, inhibitor another £15 (always use decent quality). The costs go on. You are REQUIRED to cleanse the original system prior to installing the new boiler. This takes at least 1/2 a day, if done properly. The jokers fitting boilers on the cheap don't comply with this.

Also, what about the time spent calcuting job requirements, preparing quotations , ordering materials, paying the accounmtant etc. etc., and that is for the successful quotations - a lot of time is spent on wasters who are actually going to have the work done by a "friend", but are "just checking prices".

So, my friend, in your hunt to save the last penny, don't denigrate a whole profession by posting such rubbish.

On the question of DIY and get someone to check it - this is NOT allowed. Arguably, (and the law isn't quite clear on this) as a householder, you can do gas work, provided, as previously stated, you are "competant". If you then have to get someone to check it, this demonstrates NON COMPETENCY, so therefore you are illegal.

5thelement

After 2 years my boiler Ideal Standard Isar broke down, having been installed under the Warmfront Scheme. I know of several people who had the boiler fitted under the Warm Front scheme. The advisor comes along with a list of boilers including Worcester-Bosch and Valliant however it always boils down to an Ideal Standard. All of the people against thier original choice and for one excuse or another had an Ideal Standard boiler fitter. I like many others in forums elsewhere, was plauged by the Ideal Standard boilers breakdown and poor preformance. My boiler didn't work from day one and I have had several enginners come out to repair all matters, from a leaking union to a new PCB in it. I asked all the engineers why are they so keen on fitting the Ideal Standard boiler over and that of any other. All the engineers just laughed and said its the cheapest boiler, and Warmfront still charge the government for the maximum possible grant. Infact they said to me if you got an independant person to fit a Worcester Bosch, being Gas Safe accredited, it would cost 50% less than this crappy boiler, but the govt dont care! One enginner also alleged that Warm Front and Ideal Standard had a mutual agreement in supplying their boilers and certain "perks" to the Warm front directors arose. I raised this with my MP, who never got back to me, but then the MP was also looting the public financies in the form of expenses!