New Central Heating Installation

I'm also looking into this as I am just buying a house with the same thing.

Alot of it is around the boiler if you get a cheaper one it reduces the price dramatically. Area is also a factor.

They say it's between 300-500 per radiator depending on the style, so that's almost half of your £4500 quote and maybe he would provide a better or larger boiler.

I think you can definitely get it cheaper though

My parents boiler was condemned and we've just hired a local reputable plumber as a matter of urgency (my parents are very old so needed to get a new Combi in asap in this freezing weather). Before you make your decision , you need to ask the trader what new building regulations need to be complied with to ensure your new installation is within the law and does not invalidate your boiler warranty.

I have been shocked financially , how much extra I had to pay to conform with new regulations (they change every year).

For example, I had to replace my own condemned boiler 4 years ago and expected a 'like for like' replacement . But there are many new laws , such as visual access to inspect the whole length of the flue, minimum space between boiler and cabinet walls, minimum pressure drops from gas mains to boiler, minimum standards for hot water tank insulation, etc etc etc.

All the above can add 'substantially' to the cost of the installation - such as having to knock kitchen units down , build hatchways to cavities that contain the length of the flue, replace a perfectly working hot water tank (ie. ones with old jacket insulation) with new ones. Then of course you have even more new regulations for combi boilers (check out 'WHICH' articles on the new rules for April 2018).

You must have new boilers installed that are over 93% efficient (which already renders the one I bought 4 years ago effectively non-conforming) but for combi's you must also have 1 of 4 other heat efficiency implements (such as thermostatic valves on every radiator). You can google the other options but the cost we incurred was £100 inc vat per install of Thermostatic & lockshield valve (extra cost was £600)

Then of course you must have minimum pressure drops from the gas mains to your boiler . If that fails , then you must have a new gas pipe laid with the correct thickness from the gas meter to the boiler (ie. that could end up many hundreds of £ extra cost). Sometimes certain Combi's like Worcester Bosch insist on other requirements which can add many more hundreds of pounds to your installation costs (otherwise your 7/10 year warranty could be invalidated). Example being a powerflush which here in NW London can be between £350-500 depending on the plumbing company. Another could be their insistence on the installation of a magnetic filter (of a certain type) to protect the heat exchanger from sludge (another £200).

Your flue must also be certain distances from walls and windows, lengths of flues must also depend on the number of elbow bends they have to make (the costs start to increase rapidly per elbow bend).

Then you may also have mandatory requirements concerning other thermostatic requirements (ie. room thermostats). Any extra rewiring may open up another 'can of worms' where building regs require checks on your electricity to meet certain standards . If it fails , they can shut down your supply until you meet them (there goes your boiler installation unless you fork out another few thousand to have your house rewired first).

There might be new regs connecting copper pipes to lead pipes from your water main . I'm not entirely sure , but I think there is a rule that forces one to replace the lead pipe all the way to the water meter (ie. excavation work outside ) with another type of piping that meets new criteria . The expense for doing this can add another £1000 depending on the layout.

In years gone by , I wouldn't have feared calling out a plumber , gas engineer , electrician to do what I regarded as 'straightforward' work. But now a simple £100 task could end up with your electricity/heating being shut down until one spends many thousands putting it right.

In fact , I wouldn't be surprised if people are just refusing to have their gas/electrical appliances serviced because of that fear. And this means extra risk for all of us that a next door neighbour's boiler could explode or start poisoning people.

There needs to be a bit more flexibility with regards implementation of building regulations . I understand health and safety is non-negotiable but at least provide those who cannot afford the works to be done immediately 'Time To Pay'. I asked the gas engineer if any provisions are made for people who cannot afford or even understand why their heating/hot water/ electricity are being shut down (especially people on low wages, handicapped or very elderly). He nodded his head and said they have to fend for themselves which I find an utter disgrace.