New Boiler or Stick with old

stephen_e

My old boiler works perfectly well despite being 24 years old. Its probable G rated. I did consider changing it several years ago but was told by several in the trade to wait until it is beyond repair as replacement cost would far outweigh the savings on gas bills. It is a normal prima f boiler, 4 bed house, (not combi). Any experts on here to advise me now that gas prices are rising should I change it now/this summer ?

JohnSwift10

I changed my inefficient gas warm air heating for a combi and radiators in my 3 bed semi and saved at most 5,000 kWh a year in gas.

I don't think changing your boiler will save you that amount of gas a year

victor2

stephen_e said:

My old boiler works perfectly well despite being 24 years old. Its probable G rated. I did consider changing it several years ago but was told by several in the trade to wait until it is beyond repair as replacement cost would far outweigh the savings on gas bills. It is a normal prima f boiler, 4 bed house, (not combi). Any experts on here to advise me now that gas prices are rising should I change it now/this summer ?

We changed our similarly aged boiler last year for a combi and had our hot water tank removed (as well as the cold water tanks and central heating tank in the loft) at the same time. We were in a similar position to you, boiler was working fine but beyond repair - when it was last serviced, the engineer did his usual sharp intake of breath and said "You know when it will fail - Christmas Eve!" Quite an expensive job, but we are now using a lot less gas than we used to, mainly because we're not heating a tank full of water whenever the heating is on. We have an electric shower and really didn't need to tank permanently heated for just washing hands and dishes!

We don't expect it to pay for itself, but if anything, we've had the heating on more than before, although the mild winter has also helped keep the cost down.

QrizB

stephen_e said:

Any experts on here to advise me now that gas prices are rising should I change it now/this summer ?

I don't know what your current gas bill is. Would saving 10% of it pay for your boiler within a reasonable period? (If your bill is £1000 pa, it probably won't. If it's £5000 pa, it probably will.)

And do you have the money sitting in a bank account earning a fraction of a %, or would you have to take a loan?

ispookie666

I replaced a 40yr old oil boiler(working beautifully) for a condensing oil boiler last year. it would take at least 8 years to break even!

If you are environmentally conscious, the decision is easily made. 

The regulations and laws regarding the boilers and flue have changed significantly and cost can add up! 

stephen_e

Thanks for the replies so far. Changing to a combi would be advantageous but Im getting the feeling that if I change the boiler I will not actually save anything for a number of years but I should have peace of mind that its cheaper to run, environmentally better and dare I say more reliable. Im not sure the new boilers are more reliable though. As for my gas bills thankfully they are not even close to £5000 a year YET

k_man

Also remember writing off a working boiler has its own environmental impact.

Similar to switching to a new electric vehicle ( the impact of manufacture needs o considered as well as ongoing) but in that case there is at least a market for used cars.

victor2

k_man said:

Also remember writing off a working boiler has its own environmental impact.

Similar to switching to a new electric vehicle ( the impact of manufacture needs o considered as well as ongoing) but in that case there is at least a market for used cars.

The guys installing our new boiler put the old one on the end of the drive and within an hour a chap in a transit stopped and asked if could have it. They happily let him take it, commenting that that nearly always happens. Saved them disposing of it and it must have had some value to somebody. They took our old hot water tank with them though, as that definitely had scrap value! 

jimjames

stephen_e said:

Thanks for the replies so far. Changing to a combi would be advantageous but Im getting the feeling that if I change the boiler I will not actually save anything for a number of years but I should have peace of mind that its cheaper to run, environmentally better and dare I say more reliable. Im not sure the new boilers are more reliable though. As for my gas bills thankfully they are not even close to £5000 a year YET

We changed around 3 years ago when our old (35 years old) boiler failed. We've saved some gas with the new one but I wouldn't change unless it breaks down. Making the best use of existing resources is also an environmental strategy (aka reduce, reuse, recycle)

BUFF

With upgraded controls & properly set flow/return temps to ensure condensing (assuming that your radiators have enough output to allow for running lower temps) I would expect you to save ~30% gas - more if you change your behaviour using the improved controls . I would expect the installation to pay for itself within it's life (assuming 15 years) - probably less if gas prices stay where they are or continue to increase.

BooJewels

I've recently had a new boiler, replacing one that was 22 years old - largely because it was a Friday afternoon boiler and the last breakdown was on the verge of not being repairable - in that the part was no longer available, but one engineer had one he'd rescued from a decommissioned boiler, so I knew it was on borrowed time.

I am certainly using a bit less gas than the older one used - but I think this is a lot to do with the thermostat and controls, rather than the boiler.  The boiler itself is bound to be a smidge more efficient, but it wouldn't have been enough in itself to upgrade.  

But I do think having a digital thermostat that I can control within half a degree - the old one was vague at best - means it controls the boiler more efficiently  - it's actually on and firing much less than the old one.   I feel that the temperature in the house is more consistent and more comfortable.

So, if you haven't already, maybe looking at the thermostat before the boiler might be a more economical way to address some efficiency, with what you already have?