Should I get a new boiler?

*Foxglove*

I have an old Baxi gas fire with back boiler. It runs ok BUT IT'S UGLY and probably not efficient.

I'd love a new fireplace and wood burner, but this would mean a new boiler as well.....should I go for it? How much £ is it likely to be? I may move in around 3 to 5 years...

Goldiegirl

It's up to you whether you get a new boiler or not, but they are much more efficient than old ones.


We got a new one about 6 years ago, and there was a noticeable drop in our energy bills - can't remember how much though

HappyMJ

It's doubtful you'll see a return on your investment in a new boiler repaid to you within 5 years. My attitude towards it is if it's working then don't touch it. I'll generally repair things until they are uneconomical to repair any more.

If you want a new fire and boiler it will cost quite a bit. There's lots of variables to quote a ballpark figure. How big the house is for one?

If I had to guess with very little to go on I'd go for around £4,000. Could be £6,000...could be less. No idea.

Callie22

We moved into our house last year and had to get the boiler replaced immediately. The total cost was around £2.5k (which included the boiler, a power-flush and some plumbing work) but it was an investment we *had* to make as the existing boiler was over 25 years old and had been condemned (and we took this into account when offering on the house). I've lived in lots of different places so it's hard to make a direct comparison, but our gas bills are probably the lowest they've ever been and our house certainly isn't that energy efficient yet. If you can afford it, I'd say go for the new boiler - back boilers are notoriously expensive to run so you would see a saving on your bills, and if you're planning on selling within the next few years a new-ish boiler that's still under warranty would be much more attractive to buyers than an old back boiler. You could always go for the boiler now and get the wood burner done at a later date.

Money_saving_maniac

I'm not sure why you would want to spend thousands of pounds when you are considering moving.
You will never recoup the money back you will spend on it.

So I guess the thing is to look into exactly how much it would cost you to change it all to look how you want it to be, then assume you stay in the house 3 years, and look at the amount it costs on a weekly basis for 3 years, then decide if you want to spend Y amount of money for X amount of visual pleasure.

[Deleted User]

What the Martin mantra?

Do you want it?
Do you need it?
Can you afford it?

*Foxglove*

yes, no , yes

HappyMJ

*Foxglove* wrote: »

yes, no , yes

The second question though could be answered yes.

As I said earlier I'd always attempt a repair first but if it's becoming uneconomical to continuously repair it then replacing it is a need. It's a need as it's saves you more money than you are paying out.

Similarly if your gas bill is around £1,000 then replacing an extremely inefficient boiler with an A rated condensing boiler and you could save you £400 a year. You then a need to replace it. However, if your gas bill is only around £500 then the savings wouldn't outweigh the costs and it isn't so much of a need.

The quoted price of around £2,500 would be for a straight forward boiler replacement. Your setup requires a lot more therefore my guess at around £4,000. You're going to need a programmable controller, thermostat's, TRV's and a new gas fire in place of the existing one.

catkins

If you do decide to get a new boiler do shop around for quotes. Companies like British Gas can charge the earth.


My OH does a fairly straightforward boiler swap for around £1,600 and makes a pretty good profit on that. Obviously it depends on what make of boiler.


OH often does jobs for people that have been quoted £3,000 or more