3 Things Usually Trigger a Change of Boiler
Expensive Breakdowns
Either it will cost, or has cost, a small fortune to fix and so it feels it’s better spent spending that as part of a new boiler. Like an old car, it gets to a stage to where it feels crazy to keep fixing the old boiler. Especially if it’s not that efficient or effective. There is more than just the cost of the actual repair, there’s the cost of inconvenience. To not be able to wash, shower or heat the home triggers a whole chain of events. Showering at the gym or a friend’s house, cracking open emergency heaters, or even worse, leaks that bring down ceilings and stop key spaces in your home being usable.
High Energy Bills
Wow. Really? The double take when a bill comes in and you wonder if you’re heating other houses on the street too. The fact is things move on. Could a mobile phone from 20 years ago do the things a modern smartphone can do? Even a cheap smartphone for £100 will take okay photos, give you satnav, emails, Netflix, internet, social media and so on. You may even be reading this on a budget device. The boilers themselves are better and more efficient and controls have moved on massively with things such as Nest, Hive and even basic thermostatic controls will save money.
Change of Circumstances
Sometimes you’re moving house, or for different reasons related to some kind of pandemic, you’re staying put. You know the boiler isn’t going to see you into old age so it’s time to bite the bullet, get a long warranty on it and get the pain out of the way now, rather than waiting until Christmas Eve to frantically Google emergency boiler replacement.
Take Control
Do The Legwork
Jump on social media, see if there’s anyone you can see that you like the look of. Would you trust their advice and in your home? Who are they, what do they do?
Reviews
Trustpilot, Which? and things like Google Reviews offer a many sided image of a business. Yes, fake reviews exist so look for long, specific reviews with examples. It’s easy to see when reviews have been written by different people and if they are real or not.
Payments
Most modern installation companies offer card payments which helps in terms of spreading cost, also some even offer finance. We’ve offered it for 3 years now, and in the last year offer 0% APR. Reduce the financial strain wherever you can.
Accreditations
A business that has jumped through industry hoops is generally more conscientious and accountable, and by extension, offer a more professional service. If you have a problem, you need it to be dealt with without any additional drama.
Final Thought
Changing a boiler is definitely not on anybody’s bucket list, it’s a necessity. Like anything having some sort of plan is better than just reacting to it. As a heating engineer, my advice would be to keep the appliance under an annual service with a local, honest business and be guided by their view of that boiler and it’s lifespan. Nobody can predict the future, 2020 has certain highlighted that to millions of people, but you can avoid certain problems in life. A reasonable modern boiler will last around 10 years, if it’s around that age consider avoiding future problems by replacing it and keeping it under some form of warranty.
