Boiler prices

Bookstamper

I have been informed that domestic boiler prices may rise by £120 + in Jan 2024 due to fines on companies who don't reach quotas set by government on heat pump installations. These quotas are said to be unattainable therefore fines inevitable and cost passed on to consumers.
Also, if the government take a hard line on heat pump installations in the near future , is there any point in buying a new combi-boiler now?

Brie

Can you have a heat pump installed?  Not possible for our place so a combi was the only option.  Do you need a new boiler?  No point in buying something you don't actually need.  I do get the "we're going to need one soon" and see how long you can coax a shuddering old boiler to keep doing the basics.  So up to you if you want to jump or not.  But chances are you won't be able to get anyone to your place to quote until January in any case.

Hoenir

Hear source pumps are no panacea. Far from simply just installing a new boiler. Another topic that requires far more in depth understanding than it receives in the media. 

Nobbie1967

As above, too late to beat the charge now, but these charges will be going up each year to attempt to rig the market towards heats pumps. My boiler is getting on for 20 years old and I’ll be looking to replace next year before prices rise too much.

ThisIsWeird

You'll usually have quote variations of £1k+ for a new boiler, so £120 in the scheme of things ain't t'end of t'world imv.
Anyway, as Brie says. If you don't need to replace, don't. Wait things out for as long as possible, and new, more effective & efficient tech will come along, and prices will drop. Almost certainly.
When you do need to replace, do your homework based on the best option currently available. If my current combi went kaput now, I'd replace it with another combi.

silvercar

My 17 year old boiler has an efficiency rating of 78%, new ones that I have looked at are around 89%. So the saving in gas bills will be about 15%.  I'll have to work out the payback period to decide if it is worth it. I've had to have 2 repairs this year, luckily with a BG homecare contract, so only cost me £60 each time, but the premiums now include a no claims discount that I will lose (or at least the renewal factors in the previous call outs), so it may mean that the homecare agreement is too expensive and that could force me down the new boiler route.

TELLIT01

Nobody will be forced to rip out existing gas boilers.  Installing a heat pump to our house would be a nightmare.  To put it in a location with easy access to the pipework from the current boiler would block the driveway at the side of the house.  To put it at the back of the house would mean routing new pipework through the utility room, kitchen and a bedroom.

Albermarle

silvercar said:

My 17 year old boiler has an efficiency rating of 78%, new ones that I have looked at are around 89%. So the saving in gas bills will be about 15%.  I'll have to work out the payback period to decide if it is worth it. I've had to have 2 repairs this year, luckily with a BG homecare contract, so only cost me £60 each time, but the premiums now include a no claims discount that I will lose (or at least the renewal factors in the previous call outs), so it may mean that the homecare agreement is too expensive and that could force me down the new boiler route.

The increase in efficiency from having a condensing boiler, is only really happening if you do not have the boiler flow temperature too high. so it depends on the user.
I saw around a 15% drop in usage with a new boiler, although some claim more.

onomatopoeia99

silvercar said:

My 17 year old boiler has an efficiency rating of 78%, new ones that I have looked at are around 89%. 

My boiler (Vaillant Ecomax 835/2E) also has an efficiency rating of 89% and was installed in 2006, which is 17 years ago!  I can generally run the CH at 45C.

A modern boiler might get to 91% efficiency which seems hardly worth the effort.

FreeBear

onomatopoeia99 said:

silvercar said:

My 17 year old boiler has an efficiency rating of 78%, new ones that I have looked at are around 89%. 

My boiler (Vaillant Ecomax 835/2E) also has an efficiency rating of 89% and was installed in 2006, which is 17 years ago!  I can generally run the CH at 45C.

A modern boiler might get to 91% efficiency which seems hardly worth the effort.

It is possible to get up to 98% efficiency with some boilers. But this requires a flow temperature of around 35°C and necessitates the use of massive radiators and/or underfloor heating. You may also need to replace some of the plumbing with bigger pipes - It ends up being an expensive undertaking, but it does put you in a better position for the day when heat pumps are about the only option.

Low flow temperatures are good if you want to run the boiler at a higher efficiency, but I've found the heating needs to run much longer. I've settled on a 50-55°C flow temperature as a compromise between efficiency and burn times.