Be honest. Do you groan inside when you think about a new boiler?
It?s one of those boring things you know you need to spend a large chunk of money on, but deep down, you?d rather spend it on something else… like 10 days in Barbados. So you start to think of ways to spend as little as possible on this dull, necessary purchase.
And that?s perfectly normal.
Hey, I run a heating business and I?d take Barbados over a new boiler any day. So the temptation to get the cheapest boiler deal possible and then put the whole thing behind you must be almost irresistible.
But wait a second. All this dreaming of the Caribbean could get you in serious trouble. Let me explain…
The Problem With Super-Cheap Boiler Deals
If you go for a super-cheap boiler ?deal?, there?s a good chance your boiler won?t be fitted properly.
To keep the price low, corners will be cut, which can lead to your new boiler breaking down after a few months and the warranty being invalid, which means you?ll have to pay out to put it right. So a cheap deal can get expensive quite quickly.
[thrive_icon_box color=’blue’ style=’1′ image=’https://thamesboilers.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/information-1.png’]Also, did you know a badly fitted boiler can hold up the sale of your home? When you come to sell, the solicitors will ask for a Certificate of Compliance to prove your boiler meets regulations. If you don?t get one with your new boiler, you?d need to either chase your installer to issue one (which doesn?t usually happen), or you?ll have to buy insurance to keep your buyer happy and get the sale through. Either way, it?s a headache – and one you can avoid.[/thrive_icon_box]
So if you get a an el-cheapo deal, you may save money at first, but you’ll pay for the rest later in stress and worry. My advice is to avoid the very lowest priced deals or quotes because it?ll cost you more in the long run.
So How Much Is A New Boiler?
It varies from the silly-cheap of about ?1000 (avoid this – see above) to about ?6000 if you have top-of-the-range everything and the job involves a lot of labour.
Most boiler replacements cost between ?2000 – ?4500, but this will vary depending on where you live and what you need.
So what goes into that price? Let?s break it down…
The cost of your boiler consists of 3 main elements: labour, materials, and the (dreaded) VAT.
Labour
The amount of labour you will pay depends of 2 things:
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- How long your job will take (The longer it takes, the higher the labour charge)
- The heating company?s labour rate.
Some heating companies are very fast and aim to complete jobs as quickly as possible. They do this so they can reduce their labour charge, making their prices more competitive. The downside of this is that the quality of your job often suffers. The fitters may cut corners to save time, which means you could get problems later on.
Other companies allow more time, so they can do a higher quality job. You will pay a higher labour charge, but are less likely to get problems with your boiler in the future. So you pay a bit more upfront, but won?t have the extra cost and inconvenience in the future.
As far as labour goes, heating company’s labour rates vary enormously.
Depending on where you are in the country, you can pay anything between ?200 and ?900 (plus VAT) per day, per heating engineer. Usually, the bigger the company (and the closer they are to London) the higher the rate.
Most boiler changes take between 1 and 4 days to complete. The most common taking between 2-3 days. This all means that you could pay as little as ?200 and as much as ?3600 in labour, depending on the company you use and how long your job will take.
Like all things, there?s a tradeoff here. A ?one man band? sole trader heating engineer may have a lower labour rate, but might not always be available to come back if you have problems, because of holidays, sickness – or even going out of business. Whereas a larger company will charge a higher rate, but will have more engineers and customer service staff to look after you. It?s up to you to find a company that can give you a reasonable price, but also has backup to take care of their customers.
Materials
The cost of materials varies a lot, too. With a new boiler, the biggest material cost is your new boiler and flue. This usually accounts for between 50% and 80% of the materials bill, depending on what?s involved in changing your boiler.
Boilers, like labour, range from very cheap (?450 + VAT) to very expensive (?2000 + VAT). The boiler you need will depend on your circumstances and is something you need to talk about with your heating engineer. However, here is a bit of general advice after years of repairing boilers… avoid the really cheap ones. They don?t last and are expensive to repair.
So What’s The Answer?
So the most honest answer to ?how much is a new boiler?? is ?it depends?. So if you’d like a really accurate price to replace your boiler, I’d be happy to give you a quote. Just complete the form here:
Get fixed price quote to replace your boiler
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For me, I believe it?s always worth doing a job right the first time. Scrimping here and cutting corners there only leads to problems later on.
And companies who offer you bargain basement prices for a sub-standard job are manipulative, dishonest, and give good heating engineers a bad name.
So by all means, shop around and try to get good value. Just make sure your new boiler meets all the regulations and best practices. And never go for the cheapest of the cheap.