new boiler..no thank you

prosaver

heres something to think about..

My gas bill came to £367 this year and my boiler is at least 35 years old.
The energy trust says I could save 33 per cent of my gas bill per year if I got a new one.
So that’s a saving of £121 a year.
I got a quote for a new boiler and fitted for £1400.
So after 12 years I would have paid for my boiler. (haven't took out the insurance breakdown cover)
However as quoted from the
EnergySavingAdvice.co.uk.
Website
As the average lifespan of a boiler is 10-15 years, choosing the right heating system with a high efficiency condensing boiler and correct heating controls can make a siginificant difference to your heating bills long after they're paid for.
So after 12 years when I have broke even ...the boiler might pack in.
Then i will have to look for a new one..

So what would be the best way to spend my £1400 boiler fund?
Should I reopen the fireplace and install a back boiler?, I’m sure that will last more than 10 to 15 years.:)

taffy056

To be honest I doubt you will save that amount, don't think a 33% saving is realistic, could be wrong there on that though. Can I ask is there anything wrong with your current boiler ? It may be old but as long as you can get parts for it when it's serviced it could be worth running with it .

[Deleted User]

also don t forget, they are very unreliable with the £100 and upwards call out fees when a circuit board packs in.I ve not forgot BBC s Watchdog programme when the very common "Potterton Supreme" i think it was called continuosly blew circuit board.could be that if you are getting on a bit in age you will never get your money back, a bit like solar panels really

Canucklehead

prosaver wrote: »

So what would be the best way to spend my £1400 boiler fund?
Should I reopen the fireplace and install a back boiler?, I’m sure that will last more than 10 to 15 years.:)

When your current boiler is beyond economical repair/parts become unavailable then replace it. Why do you think that the lifespan of a condensing BBU would be superior (unless you're talking about a solid fuel BBU..that bring another set of issues).

Btw....what do you have at the moment (make & model)?

Canucklehead

ollski

Potterton suprimas ARE old boilers!. Keep your old one it may be noisy and sluggish and dirty but it works.....you don't HAVE to move with the times, retro is all the rage.

HappyMJ

prosaver wrote: »

heres something to think about..

My gas bill came to £367 this year and my boiler is at least 35 years old.
The energy trust says I could save 33 per cent of my gas bill per year if I got a new one.
So that’s a saving of £121 a year.
I got a quote for a new boiler and fitted for £1400.
So after 12 years I would have paid for my boiler. (haven't took out the insurance breakdown cover)
However as quoted from the
EnergySavingAdvice.co.uk.
Website
As the average lifespan of a boiler is 10-15 years, choosing the right heating system with a high efficiency condensing boiler and correct heating controls can make a siginificant difference to your heating bills long after they're paid for.
So after 12 years when I have broke even ...the boiler might pack in.
Then i will have to look for a new one..

So what would be the best way to spend my £1400 boiler fund?
Should I reopen the fireplace and install a back boiler?, I’m sure that will last more than 10 to 15 years.:)

You could save "up to" 33% of your gas bill. This is unlikely to be acheived. You need to figure out your kWh usage. Let's say 10,000kWh per year. For that you get 6,500kWh of heat assuming your boiler is 65% efficient. Newer boilers are around 90% efficient so you then divide that by 90% so your new gas bill would have 7,222kWh of usage on it for heating. That's a 27.8% saving. Hot water efficiencies are not 90% as the return temperature of the water is too high for the boiler to be condensing so reduces the efficiency down to about 80%. The approximate efficiency numbers can be checked on the internet.

You then need to calculate the bill. With my bill the first 4,572kWh are charged at a higher rate then the remainder is charged at a lower rate. You would only be saving on the secondary rate so the percentage saved on kWh does not correspond to the same percentage saved in £££ figures.

So I would keep the boiler and only replace it once it has packed in and is BER.

deshepherd

Yes, we've got an old boiler (prob about 25 years old) in a large house (6 beds, 1900 construction so probably not very "energy efficient"). Every year when BG come to do their inspection/service the engineer comments on the age of the boiler and that it no longer meets current standards etc etc and we should consider replacing it with a new more efficient model. In fact a few years ago while getting a local gas fitter to do somethine else we asked him about replacing the boiler and he took one look and said that that type of boiler lasts for years, still no real issue in getting spares and the killer point was that as we'd need to fit a condensor boiler we'd couldn't site it where the current boiler is (in the old kitchen fireplace using existing chimney for "exhaust") and as there was no available external wall in the kitche to use we'd have to move the boiler and all the associtated pipework to another room. Then came all the stories of condensor boilers stopping when outlet pipes froze in cold weather. So now when BG say "you need a new boiler" we simply explain why we dont and engineer (who has already satisifed his "try to sell a boiler to the customer" requirement) generally agrees that that's the best course!

Mr_Ted

I doubt very much you will get that amount of savings and I also doubt that the life span of a modern boiler will be that amount of time.

A time quoted to me unofficially by a City & Guild examiner a few years back when I took the Part L assessors course was 6 Yrs???

Anyone in the trade will probably agree that if its longer it will also cost you in parts quite a bit in whatever life span the boiler has!

meggsy

The engineer who services our Ideal floor standing boiler tells everyone not to replace old boilers until absolutely necessary.
Ours is 35+ years old as well, so we will keep it.

I never hear anyone mention replacing with another floor standing model so I just checked the Ideal website and find that they are still manufactured. I'd be interested to know if these have a similar lifespan as the combi wall mounted ones.

cottonhead

My boiler only lasted 10 years ( with 3 replaced circuit boards over the years ) and someone else I know had their break after 18 months ! You never can tell with any appliance. Some last 10 years and some like yours last forever. If yours still works then I would keep it. £1400 is a lot of money to spend to try and cut down on the bills. Wait until it breaks and then get a new one.

macman

deshepherd wrote: »

Yes, we've got an old boiler (prob about 25 years old) in a large house (6 beds, 1900 construction so probably not very "energy efficient"). Every year when BG come to do their inspection/service the engineer comments on the age of the boiler and that it no longer meets current standards etc etc and we should consider replacing it with a new more efficient model. In fact a few years ago while getting a local gas fitter to do somethine else we asked him about replacing the boiler and he took one look and said that that type of boiler lasts for years, still no real issue in getting spares and the killer point was that as we'd need to fit a condensor boiler we'd couldn't site it where the current boiler is (in the old kitchen fireplace using existing chimney for "exhaust") and as there was no available external wall in the kitche to use we'd have to move the boiler and all the associtated pipework to another room. Then came all the stories of condensor boilers stopping when outlet pipes froze in cold weather. So now when BG say "you need a new boiler" we simply explain why we dont and engineer (who has already satisifed his "try to sell a boiler to the customer" requirement) generally agrees that that's the best course!

So why don't you give your annual service business to the honest independent RGI, rather than the BG guy who's only concern is the potential lead commission he will get should you install one of BG's overpriced products?