Boiler grants

MattMattMattUK

In addition to QrizB's post above. A tea light outputs around 30 watts and burns for about four hours, that means you would need to fully burn 8.3 to generate a kWh of heat, based on current online costs (Ikea, buying in bulk packs of 100) that means it would cost £0.39.58 to generate a kWh using tealights under ideal conditions and presuming you could light them for free.

However burning them indoors will generate considerable CO2, some CO, soot and some other byproducts which are rather unpleasant if not properly ventilated. If you properly ventilate then you would loose 85-90% of the heat of using a chimney, which is not designed for the low level output of tealights. You might get close to 15-20% retained heat efficiency if burning them in a log burner, but you would be far better burning wood (based on efficiency of tea lights in a fire place you would be looking at £3.90 per kWh of useful heat if using a fireplace or £2.60 per kWh of useful heat if using a log burner. 

Use proper heating, I know the tealight myth has been doing the rounds for years, but that does not mean it is true, basic physics rules it out. 

Mstty

I think the Dickensian bit threw people into a candle versus led spin.

The main focus here is to get someone else to look at your boiler.

Do you have the make and model?

[Deleted User]

The whole issue of grants is an emotive one. These grants are paid for by all energy consumers not by direct taxation. Understandably, the Government has some difficult choices to make when it comes to how the money should be targeted. Inevitably, if the Government believes that the future has to be gas free it will target the money towards heat pumps. Many argue that all the money should be put into improving house insulation. I accept that none of this helps the OP and no doubt millions of others; however, history has shown that if new technology is to succeed then targeted help for that technology is needed. Thereafter competition and demand leads to lower purchasing costs.

QrizB

Mstty said:

The main focus here is to get someone else to look at your boiler.
Do you have the make and model?

Agreed, it's under 10 years old and shouldn't need replacing yet.

Reed_Richards

The trouble with getting a second opinion on the boiler is that you risk spending more money just to confirm what the first engineer said.  That's a difficult call if you're strapped for cash.

Mstty

If the OP can supply the make and model, fault codes and errors Google is a wonderful thing.

Let's start there👍

Cherry13

Thanks for all your comments. I hadn’t worked out the relative cost of LED bulbs and haven’t got them in all my light fittings, so this is clearly something I need to sort out. 

The engineer who advised me to prepare to replace my boiler serviced it about a year ago. He’s semi-retired and was recommended to me by a friend whose boiler he has been servicing for I would guess at least 30 years. When the boiler started malfunctioning, I called him back and asked if he would be able to repair it, but he said he wouldn’t be able to get hold of the parts and advised me to contact the manufacturer. Subsequently, I called another heating engineer from a local plumbing company with a very good reputation in relation to a different matter, but mentioned the boiler problem to him and he agreed upon looking at the boiler that it was indeed probably best to replace it. He quoted me £2k to replace the boiler with a Worcester-Bosch and also a combination valve in the airing cupboard that is faulty. From what I understand, this is a competitive quote.
The boiler I have is a Potterton Promax SL. (I was mistaken about its efficiency rating; having looked into it again, I found it’s probably a .  There are no error codes, just an ominously flashing red light and leak down the wall from underneath the unit. Many of my neighbours on the estate have also experienced similar problems with their boilers (there’s a Facebook group where people share such problems), with many choosing to just replace them. I can’t afford to call someone out just to be given the same advice as I’ve already received and am reluctant to go down the repair route with a company like British Gas because this option costs hundreds of pounds and the year’s guarantee only covers the original repair, not any future problems that could arise. It feels to me like the dilemma of trying to keep an old car on the road; is it worth the cost of the repairs or would that money be better spent getting a newer one? 

QrizB

Cherry13 said:

It feels to me like the dilemma of trying to keep an old car on the road; is it worth the cost of the repairs or would that money be better spent getting a newer one?

You've been quoted £2k for a replacement, which seems quite a competitive price.

From October, £2k is expected to buy around 4500kWh of standard-rate electricity. I don't know you, your household or your home but "a typical household" will get through that much (or more) in a single winter if heating with electricity rather than gas.

JohnPo

QrizB said:

Cherry13 said:

It feels to me like the dilemma of trying to keep an old car on the road; is it worth the cost of the repairs or would that money be better spent getting a newer one?

You've been quoted £2k for a replacement, which seems quite a competitive price.

From October, £2k is expected to buy around 4500kWh of standard-rate electricity. I don't know you, your household or your home but "a typical household" will get through that much (or more) in a single winter if heating with electricity rather than gas.

I think one issue for the OP is expectation settings. 12 Months ago under old ECO3 scheme for somewhere around £250 to £300 contribution a new 'broken boiler' replacement could have been got for her.  For someone on a low income / benefits then the previous iteration of the scheme was really helpful, unfortunately now it looks like she must either one way or another fully fund £2k for a replacement or £3.5K for heat pump. When you are short of funds and the difference in running costs is marginal which in reality they are - guess which route you will go down, even then if a heat pump was offering substantial saving then you might well go for the cheaper gas boiler option.  At the moment the government heat pump grant scheme only helps those want one for the sake of a heat pump as opposed to those on a tight budget that need to keep warm at reasonable cost.

Cherry13

John, this is my exact position - thank you. 

It looks like I’m going to have to make enquiries with the Household Support Fund, but I can’t imagine it will cover such large expenses. 

It is astonishing that the government is so short-sighted; the health problems that can result from fuel poverty and debt impose further strain (and costs) on the NHS, and that’s just one example of how failing to help vulnerable households in the right way is economically inefficient.