Boiler cost

Splatfoot

I know this could go in the Is this quote Fair section, but there's a lot more traffic in here... we've moved into a property in Scotland that had storage heaters. They've now all gone, we've had the gas brought on to the property, SSE have supplied us with a meter and we now need someone to fit a boiler.

All of the pipes for  central heating are already laid, the plumber would need to supply, fit and connect the boiler and register it etc. He would just need to leave the tails from the boiler so the radiator pipes could be connected.  My husband is going to do the electrics required, and drill the hole for the flue through the 2.5 ft thick wall...

The plumber that has been round has just sent in a quote. £5,550. Does this seem too much? We've researched the cost of the boiler he will supply (Worcester 8000 life 40kw combi), the flue kit, plume management kit, thermostat, filter, carbon monoxide detector and some sundries like copper piping. The water is directly next to where the boiler is going to go, the gas comes in on the back of the wall that the boiler is going to be sitting on.  We've come up with goods cost of around £2.5k. I'm unsure how long it will take to fit, as said above, there are no central heating pipes or radiators to be done as that is complete.  I realise we will be paying for a professional with all his knowledge and regulatory bodies that he needs to adhere to, his van, his tools etc. But £3k does seem a little bit steep unless he is going to be with us for a week or more.... anyone had a similar boiler fitted recently or could give me any opinions on the above? We are hoping for another quote but getting trades people up here is like getting blood out of a stone. 

sheramber

 is there a local facebook page you could ask for recommendations.

I lived in a rural part of Scotland until recently and know the  difficulty  of getting someone to do work. They never seem to need the work.

We found local firms with premises rather than one man bands ( of which there were many) were more willing.  Recommendation from locals also helped.

tacpot12

It does seem too much. Most boiler swaps take 1.5 to 2 days, and given how much of the heating system is already there and the work your husband will be doing, the installation time is going to be less than a swap because you haven't asked the plumber to commission the system.

Bear in mind that when swapping a boiler, the central heating system needs to be flushed to cleaning and that is quite a labour intensive process. Yours won't need this as all the radiators and pipes are new. My feeling is that the labour should be less that £1,000 for the job you have asked the plumber to do, but I do think you are making a mistake in not having them commission the system. I'm not sure how they could get your a building control signoff (or the Scottish equivalent) if they haven't filled the boiler and let it working.

I think a competent plumber should be able to install the boiler, commission the system and issue a completion certificate for £1,500.   

dimbo61

So how many Gas Safe Engineers operate in your local area ?
Supply and demand 
GS engineers are very busy tradespeople and you may find it difficult to get someone to travel to your home.
Unless you live in Glasgow, Edinburgh or other big town/city.

anselld

Way too much.  Last one I had was £2000 including fitting.  OK, only 25 kw so cheaper for materials but labour would be near enough the same.  They will do it in a day if the prep you have described is accurate.

Splatfoot

Hi sheramber, this is a local plumber recommended to us. We're waiting for another phone call from a larger company next week, fingers crossed they get back to us. I would probably go to SSE but I don't think they fit brand new boilers, just replacements. Yeah, the tradesman issue is real up here! We're in the North East and in a rural town but not exactly in the middle of nowhere. We have had a visit from a very friendly lady chimney sweep who is going to get us some grates for our fireplaces so we can have some heat before the temperature drops!

Splatfoot

tacpot12 said:

It does seem too much. Most boiler swaps take 1.5 to 2 days, and given how much of the heating system is already there and the work your husband will be doing, the installation time is going to be less than a swap because you haven't asked the plumber to commission the system.

Bear in mind that when swapping a boiler, the central heating system needs to be flushed to cleaning and that is quite a labour intensive process. Yours won't need this as all the radiators and pipes are new. My feeling is that the labour should be less that £1,000 for the job you have asked the plumber to do, but I do think you are making a mistake in not having them commission the system. I'm not sure how they could get your a building control signoff (or the Scottish equivalent) if they haven't filled the boiler and let it working.

I think a competent plumber should be able to install the boiler, commission the system and issue a completion certificate for £1,500.   

Sorry, it does include commissioning it too. !

Splatfoot

dimbo61 said:

So how many Gas Safe Engineers operate in your local area ?
Supply and demand 
GS engineers are very busy tradespeople and you may find it difficult to get someone to travel to your home.
Unless you live in Glasgow, Edinburgh or other big town/city.

Hi @di@dimbo61... there are a few. We are not massively rural, we're in Moray, Aberdeen is only 50 miles away. We seem to have the same issue with all trades people, apart from the lovely chimney sweep.😊 

sheramber

Is there a local Worcester approved dealer?

https://www.worcester-bosch.co.uk/products/boilers/find-an-installer

We had Worcester boiler fitted a few years ago and found the authorised dealer very efficient when we had problems.

It was not fitted by them but when i contacted Worcester to check the guarantee ( two months left on it) they passed me onto the local authorised dealer.

Splatfoot

sheramber said:

Is there a local Worcester approved dealer?

https://www.worcester-bosch.co.uk/products/boilers/find-an-installer

We had Worcester boiler fitted a few years ago and found the authorised dealer very efficient when we had problems.

It was not fitted by them but when i contacted Worcester to check the guarantee ( two months left on it) they passed me onto the local authorised dealer.

Not sure, I'll take a look at that, Thank you. 

badger09

sheramber said:

Is there a local Worcester approved dealer?

https://www.worcester-bosch.co.uk/products/boilers/find-an-installer

We had Worcester boiler fitted a few years ago and found the authorised dealer very efficient when we had problems.

It was not fitted by them but when i contacted Worcester to check the guarantee ( two months left on it) they passed me onto the local authorised dealer.

I was just about to post that link!

We're in Shropshire (so not comparable to Scotland!).

We're having old Worcester boiler replaced with new Worcester 35Kw 8000 installed week after next. Total cost, including Hive control, just under £3200