New boiler for pensioner

letiss7

Hi - I'm not sure if this is the correct board to post my question but its the one that I thought was closest.
I help an elderly neighbor who has no family close by and only a few friends, a couple of days ago her boiler stopped working.
She's been told she'll need to replace her 25 year old boiler as they cannot get a replacement part due to the age of the boiler.
Her only income is her state pension and a small amount from her (now passed) husband's former employer.


Is there a scheme whereby she can get some money or cheap financing towards the replacement boiler?

Furts

25 years ago boilers were made solid and almost ever lasting. I wonder if parts are available and it is simply a matter of searching the internet. Also accept that companies like British Gas want to say "parts not available" because they make more profit by fitting new boilers rather than repairing.


There are sources including Care and Repair, posibly Warm and Well and others who offer reasonable cost, and genuine, contractors to older folks. It is a matter of checking your local area to see who, and where.

tacpot12

Would her income allow her to get a loan to pay for the new boiler?

letiss7

Yes she probably could get a normal loan but I was wondering if there were any schemes to help out. I know friends/neighbours have had grants for cavity and loft insulation so I just wondered if there was anything similar in relation to boilers to help her out.

Furts

letiss7 wrote: »

Yes she probably could get a normal loan but I was wondering if there were any schemes to help out. I know friends/neighbours have had grants for cavity and loft insulation so I just wondered if there was anything similar in relation to boilers to help her out.

A company called Energy Care Group has been putting leaflets through local letter boxes now and again over recent years. I know nothing about them, so you do the Google research - are they still trading? Are they any good?


They claimed to be offering new boilers to those on limited incomes.


However the cheap answer is to get second opinions on repairing the 25 year old boiler. Houses around me have replaced boilers - me included - that are 25-30 years old. Nothing wrong with the boilers and they are still working perfectly. They really "don't make 'em liked they used to!"

macman

As above. First tell us the make and model of the boiler, and the part required. And if it was BG who said that the 'parts are not available', as I suspect it was. Them contact a local independent RGI.

letiss7

Furts wrote: »

A company called Energy Care Group has been putting leaflets through local letter boxes now and again over recent years. I know nothing about them, so you do the Google research - are they still trading? Are they any good?


They claimed to be offering new boilers to those on limited incomes.


However the cheap answer is to get second opinions on repairing the 25 year old boiler. Houses around me have replaced boilers - me included - that are 25-30 years old. Nothing wrong with the boilers and they are still working perfectly. They really "don't make 'em liked they used to!"

Thank you I will look into the company and any similar ones.

Debbie_Savard

25 years old likely means open flue and pilot light to ignite. There's no more than about 10 components in it.

If there's no pilot light on and it won't light by pushing the button, it's quite likely the tube has got blocked by a spec of grit, easily cleared.

There's a couple of exhaust gas sensors and thermocouples that may fail, these are very simple parts.

Alex1983

Debbie_Savard wrote: »

25 years old likely means open flue and pilot light to ignite. There's no more than about 10 components in it.

If there's no pilot light on and it won't light by pushing the button, it's quite likely the tube has got blocked by a spec of grit, easily cleared.

There's a couple of exhaust gas sensors and thermocouples that may fail, these are very simple parts.

25yrs old is mid 90s not likely to be open flued and less likely to be permanent pilot.

Without make or model no one knows if parts are obsolete or not.

Warslet

Hi,

There is an ECO scheme funded by the UK Government and in some circumstances free boilers are available.

My mother (now aged 92) applied through a Warm Boiler Scheme or something similar a number of years ago. She qualified for and obtained a free boiler because of her limited income. We were extremely pleased with the quality of the work and the company added a radiator in a bedroom free of charge as an add-on.

I hope this all works out for you neighbour.

Mardle

Have a look at your local Council's website for possible help.