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Boiler recommendation and cost

Mr_Mister
Mr_Mister Posts: 447 Forumite
Part of the Furniture 100 Posts Combo Breaker
Hi.
I have a 1 bedroom flat in London which I rent out to tenants and looking to replace the 10+ year old Valliant boiler as it has had various parts replaced over the years.
The purpose built flat has 3 radiators and a towel one in the bathroom.
The flat is energy efficient built in 2007 so rarely do you need the heating on but obviously the hot water is a must so don't want it breaking down again.
A local plumber has suggested a Baxi Main Eco Compact 25Kw boiler fully fitted for £1600.
Is this a good price or should I look for a less powerful one for this energy efficient flat?

Thanks

Comments

  • Mark_d
    Mark_d Posts: 1,942 Forumite
    1,000 Posts First Anniversary Name Dropper
    I've budgeted £2.5-3k for a new boiler fitted in my flat.  So I'd be happy with your quote
  • Albermarle
    Albermarle Posts: 25,952 Forumite
    10,000 Posts Sixth Anniversary Name Dropper
    A boiler should last more than 10 years, with maybe just a couple of new parts, so this one sounds like a dud.
    However £1600 fully fitted sounds a very good price.
  • 1, Combi boilers are generally sized for their ability to provide a reasonable quantity of hot water pretty much on demand.  On this basis 24 / 25 kw is about the right size.  
    2. Modern boilers alter the rate at which they burn gas ("modulate") to cope with greater or lesser demand.  Make sure the boiler you get can handle a wide range of power output, from, say 1/4 of it maximum rating to its maximum rating.  Thus it won't be running full blast just for heating.  Some can be "range rated" within their maximum rate, so the central heating output can be fixed at, say 12 kW maximum.  
    3. Make sure modern controls are included within the quotation.  New boiler installation requires modern controls, and, for a rental , they can make a difference (albeit small) to the EPC rating of the property.  
  • FreeBear
    FreeBear Posts: 17,271 Forumite
    Ninth Anniversary 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    nofoollikeold said: 2. Modern boilers alter the rate at which they burn gas ("modulate") to cope with greater or lesser demand.  Make sure the boiler you get can handle a wide range of power output, from, say 1/4 of it maximum rating to its maximum rating.  Thus it won't be running full blast just for heating.  Some can be "range rated" within their maximum rate, so the central heating output can be fixed at, say 12 kW maximum.  
    3. Make sure modern controls are included within the quotation.  New boiler installation requires modern controls, and, for a rental , they can make a difference (albeit small) to the EPC rating of the property.  
    The Baxi MainEco will modulate down to 6kW from a maximum of 20kW for heating. Not a brilliant modulation range (my Viessmann will do 3.2-24kW). With only 3 radiators, even 6kW is going to be too much, so I would imagine the boiler will short cycle a fair bit. For comparison, I have 8 radiators, and much of the time, the boiler is ticking over at around 4-5kW.
    Well worth fitting a programmable thermostat that allows for different temperatures throughout the day/week. As the Baxi is OpenTherm compatible, there is a decent selection of thermostats available - Some come with an app (if you really want to go that route).

    With a new boiler, it is worth fitting larger radiators - This will enable you (the tenants) to run at a low flow temperature which means higher efficiency and lower gas bills.

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  • coffeehound
    coffeehound Posts: 5,741 Forumite
    Tenth Anniversary 1,000 Posts Photogenic Name Dropper
    FreeBear said:

    With a new boiler, it is worth fitting larger radiators - This will enable you (the tenants) to run at a low flow temperature which means higher efficiency and lower gas bills.

    In a modern flat, the system will run fine at low temperature without the expense of new radiators
  • Londoner_1
    Londoner_1 Posts: 182 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 100 Posts Combo Breaker
    Mr_Mister said:
    Hi.
    I have a 1 bedroom flat in London which I rent out to tenants and looking to replace the 10+ year old Valliant boiler as it has had various parts replaced over the years.
    The purpose built flat has 3 radiators and a towel one in the bathroom.
    The flat is energy efficient built in 2007 so rarely do you need the heating on but obviously the hot water is a must so don't want it breaking down again.
    A local plumber has suggested a Baxi Main Eco Compact 25Kw boiler fully fitted for £1600.
    Is this a good price or should I look for a less powerful one for this energy efficient flat?

    Thanks

    That boiler comes with a 5 year warranty, make sure the warranty is registered and yes the boiler is fine for your needs, or you go for the the similar Baxi one at slightly higher cost but comes with 7 yeats warranty.
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