Atrocious quote for Gas Central Heating

aircrew

Hi all,
I recently bought a small open-plan studio flat (20 sqm) in the town I work in.
Was thinking about getting a central heating system installed to save on heating bills in the long-run and potentially make it more attractive for future buyers. Electric heating seems atrociously expensive and I like it warm in winter.

British Gas quoted me £4350 for the whole job!
That's for:
- reconnecting to gas in the house (all neighbours got gas, I checked)
-1 large radiator
- small combi boiler
- all pipe work (maximum distance within flat is just above 4 meters)

Is it just me or is that slightly over-priced? What other reliable alternatives could I get quotes from? Is it even worth it?

Thanks!

nofoollikeold

1. Have a word with work colleagues and try and get the names of three local plumbers / plumbing firms.
2. Ask each to quote for the job. Note that the smaller a combi boiler is (and small is appropriate for a single radiator) the lower the hot water flow rate is likely to be - so don't expect rain type shower.
3. Pick the firm you feel most comfortable with, not necessarily the cheapest.
4. I'd expect the quotes to be around 2/3rds the BG one, say £3,000. Make sure VAT is included in the quotes.

Whether or not its worth it depends on you. You can buy a lot of electricity for £3,000, so it must depend on how long you intend to stay. Central heating might make it more attractive for a buyer, but if you are there more than 10 years, any buyer will be looking at potential boiler replacement.

robatwork

aircrew wrote: »

British Gas quoted me £4350 for the whole job!
That's for:
- reconnecting to gas in the house (all neighbours got gas, I checked)
-1 large radiator
- small combi boiler
- all pipe work (maximum distance within flat is just above 4 meters)

You must be young. Once you've been on the planet any length of time you'll learn BG are always overpriced. Normally a factor of 2.

The only time I've used them I had some free maintenance cover. Even then they suggested I replaced loads of perfectly good pipework.

Anyway get a recommendation from a neighbour for a local independent contractor, or failing that something like https://trustedtraders.which.co.uk/*-in-*?term=%2A or your council trading standards for a recommendation.

Frank99

Seems quite high however i had a small boiler installed which cost £1800 recently so it's probably the boiler that's jacked up the price.
I think you need a few more quotes as BG are usually the highest in terms of price in my experience.

aircrew

Thanks for your replies! I'll definitely look into getting more quotes now. With these cold winters it's maybe worth getting it. ��

ska_lover

Always get more than one quote

when we had a boiler fitted, we phoned BG for larks, and their price was more than double of anyone else, and we got seven quotes

zaax

Its about £1K for a boiler + 16 hours labour @ £50/hour £3K max. Alway get at least 3 quotes for that sort of thing.

Andy123.

Are you in London by any chance as that sounds like London prices???

Bad_BB

Certainly a ridiculous price!
This week we’ve had a whole house (3 bed, 2 story) wet system installed. The local company removed all our old warm air heating system including the furnace/boiler (a huge thing) as well as removing an instant hot water heater which required bricking up the wall vent to the outside. All the debris was removed by them.
Then they installed copper pipework galore, (underfloor by removing carpets and floorboards and all lagged), 8 radiators and a Worcester Bosch Combi boiler, exhaust chimney through the roof, condensate pipe to outside and a draining pipe as well as a smart thermostat and valves on every radiator. Took 4 men 3 long days and the price was £4,200 including VAT. The boiler has a 10 year’s manufacturing guarantee.
Other local quotes from less repurptable companies came in at between £7 - £8.5K
Advice: Shop around and do your homework and make sure you use a reputable company. I always research a Ltd company on Companies House and read their filed accounts before hiring!