Want to know how to cut through all the chaff and ensure you get the best new boiler deals around? In this guide, that’s exactly what we are offering. We will tell you all the tricks of the trade, advise on the key information to look out for, and offer the top tips you need to know to get a great deal on a new boiler.
Buying a new boiler is a daunting task as it’s a big outlay on something you probably don’t know very much about.
In this guide, we are going to walk you through all the things you need to know, the things to look out for, and the things to avoid. We are also going to share some top tips from our industry experts on how to ensure you definitely get the right new boiler deal for your property.
Whether you’re looking for a replacement oil boiler, a new combi boiler, or switching energy type, this guide has everything you need to know.
What Should Be Included In Your Home Boiler Deal
When you are seeking out a new home boiler, there is far more you need to be looking at than just the boiler itself. Boiler installation is a skilled and difficult job and doesn’t come cheap. Then there are all the various add-ons you need might need to install alongside the new boiler.
There are various things you need to do to your system to get a new boiler working to its full potential. Then there is perhaps the most important thing of all; the warranty.
So, before we go any further, let’s take a closer look at some of the things you need to be thinking about:
Itemised Quotes
You might ask a tradesperson for a quote and it comes back looking far cheaper than you expected. Oh, happy days, you might be thinking.
But be cautious. Just because a quote might look cheap, doesn’t mean it’s offering you good value for money. Make sure you get an itemised quote, so you can compare exactly what different installers are offering you.
One boiler installation quote will differ from another, so you need to make sure an affordable quote includes everything you need. You should look out for such things as:
- Are Boiler filters included in the installation?
- Is the brand of boiler good enough?
- How long is the warranty?
- What is the boiler’s KW output?
- Are you using an accredited installer?
- Does the quote include everything you need to get your full warranty?
Boiler Protection
Not every installer will quote including all the preventive measures you need to protect your expensive new boiler. Limescale (especially in hard water areas) and heating sludge are big problems and can void warranties and damage new boilers.
Most heating engineers worth their salt will offer the following whenever they install a new boiler:
- Hot flush your heating system to remove loose heating sludge
- Does the system with inhibitor
- Fit a magnetic system filter (if needed)
- Install a limescale filter if you live in a hard water areas
All of these things help to protect expensive boiler components, such as the heat exchanger and pump. A blockage can easily form if your boiler isn’t protected from heating sludge and limescale. Getting these problems fixed are not cheap and if you don’t fix them your boiler can end up being badly damaged.
A new pump could cost £250, and a heat exchanger replacement can be as much as £500! Make sure these preventative measures are included in your installation or you will end up paying more further down the line.
Brand & Warranty
There are plenty of inferior boiler brands out there but if you want to get the best value for money, the unanimous advice of our experts is to stick with the established and reputable brands.
Typically, that will add around £100-300 to the cost of your boiler and around 10% on the full cost of the install.
Longer warranties and better-quality products will invariably mean you boiler lasts longer too. Cheap brands are usually unreliable and the short warranties they come with certainly suggests the manufacturers know this too.
The small additional cost of buying a reputable branded boiler with a long warranty is well worth it for the long-term benefits.
We always recommend buying a boiler with a minimum of a 5-year warranty and always sticking to leading brands such as:
- Worcester Bosch
- Viessmann
- Ideal Boilers
- Baxi
- Vaillant
- Potterton
You should also be aware that not all warranties are clear cut. Often there are longer periods of warranty available if you jump through certain hoops.
These can include things like using approved tradespeople or official parts. For example, Ideal Boilers (Logic & Logic+) come with a long warranty but the heat exchanger comes with a 10-year warranty. That really delivers peace of mind because a replacement could cost up to £500.
We also recommend using an online installation company such as WARMZILLA. They offer excellent boiler deals complete with a 10-year warranty. Their prices on Worcester Bosch appliances are among the very best around. You can use this form to get an on-screen boiler price from WARMZILLA in less than 2 minutes.
KW Output
Smaller properties will typically need a 24kw boiler but as you get to bigger properties where there is high hot water demand, it might make sense to scale this up to 30kw.
The difference in price could be as little as £100-150. Therefore, if you’ve got two quotes that are approximately the same price, but one’s is for the equivalent higher KW boiler but the same model, you will be getting better value for money if you go for the higher kw option.
In the past, this was why most people didn’t buy boiler package deals online but relied on their engineerinstead. The engineer was the only person able to spec your property correctly and ensure that the boiler being fitted was powerful enough.
But that’s all changed now and sites like WARMZILLA conduct a short online survey that enables them to judge exactly what size boiler you need and offer you the most competitive prices for your property.
Get multiple quotes
It’s standard consumer advice these days, but always serves repeating. If you are buying a new boiler you should always get a minimum of three quotes. There are lots of different options out there and they all want your business so why not seek out the best deal you can find?
The more itemised quotes you get, the easier it will be to determine which one’s the best, and not just based on price but the quality and range of things included in the price.
Types Of New Boiler Deals For Your Home
Should You Consider Pay On Completion New Boiler Deals?
A Pay on Completion deal is likely to be the cheapest way to finance a new boiler as you will be paying for the boiler, the parts, and the labour and absolutely nothing else.
Even if you have to take out a small affordable loan, it often makes sense to opt for a pay on completion deal, even over a 0% finance deal.
Large National Companies
There are plenty of national boiler installation companies like British Gas out there that advertise widely with what appear to be great deals on new boilers, offers on scrappage discounts and insurance policies.
As a customer, you need to be asking yourself who is paying for these adverts? The answer is you. A national installation company can charge anything from £600 – £1,200 more to install a new boiler than a local engineer will.
Regardless of what special deals they have on offer, these companies are almost always the most expensive way to get a new boiler. If you don’t believe us, go ahead and get a quote and compare it with the other options detailed below.
Local Installers
Local installers will be much cheaper than national ones on the whole and may even have special deals with local companies to get you good prices on boilers and parts.
It is well worth getting quotes from a couple of different local tradespeople as these independent traders can vary their prices quite considerably.
When considering a local quote, you also need to be sure what is included in the quote and what isn’t. For example, two different installers might offer the same price. But do they both include things like a magnetic system filter? Are they both a fixed price?
Online installers
Our advice is to put these quotes up against the best online boiler installers in the business too.
If you go to WARMZILLA’s website you can get a fixed price quote on a great boiler in less than two minutes without having to submit any personal details.
If you want to get a quality boiler like a Worcester Bosch at the best possible prices, we are pretty confident that WARMZILLA will offer the best prices you will find.
What Are The Benefits Of Buying Boilers On Finance?
If the price of a new boiler is too much for you to pay in one go and you don’t like the idea of a loan, a finance deal might be attractive.
It is often worth doing too. If you’ve got an old boiler, you could end up saving as much as £300 a year on energy bills, as well as avoiding expensive repair costs if you are out of warranty. This essentially means yournew boiler could actually pay for itself.
Boiler finance deals can vary from 0% APR to just above 20% APR. But, it’s not always as simple as choosing the lowest interest rate
Interest Free Finance Boiler Deals
As with a regular deal, if you are buying a boiler on finance, it is just as important (if not more so) that you get multiple itemised replacement quotes.
This is because you can still end up paying a lot more. For example, a company charging £3,000 for a new boiler installation that a local engineer would only charge £2,000 for, is always going to be happy to offer you 0% finance.
But, the cheaper option for you would be to go with the more competitive installer and get a short term loan instead.
Also, don’t be put off by companies offering a deal with a higher APR. Rather than just looking at the APR, consider the “total cost payable”, including the replacement AND the interest. Sometimes, even with a higher APR, this can still end up being less.
£17 Per Month Boiler Replacement Deals
Most new boiler finance deals will sit in the £15-20 a month range. £17 per month boiler replacement deals are particularly popular right now and that seems like a good price as it is comparable with your Netflix subscription.
But, like the 0% boiler finance deals, you’ll still need to get multiple quotes and look closely at the final price paid amount. You might find you are able to get a better APR deal and a lower monthly repayment if you can scrape together a small deposit.
Should You Get Boiler Finance?
Finance deals are fine and can even save you money on your energy bills and repair costs in the long run.
But don’t just leap into a finance deal without thinking first. Get multiple quotes and consider whether a loan or another means of payment might make more sense and end up costing you less.
Take a look at our full guide to getting new boilers on finance for more information.
Did You Know There’s A Free Boiler Replacement For Pensioners?
If you own your own property and meet the criteria, it is possible to get a free boiler with the government footing the bill. The easiest eligibility criteria is to be a pensioner.
ECO (Energy Company Obligation)
The Energy Company Obligation is the Government scheme in England, Scotland and Wales. To be eligible for a free boiler, you’ll need to be receiving Pension Guarantee Credit and be over 60.
Your property will need to use Gas, Oil or LPG and you will need to make an application online through the Government website.
Age Concern Free Boiler Replacement Scheme
If you live in Northern Ireland, the Age Concern Free Boiler Replacement Scheme is open to you.
You’ll be able to receive a grant of up to £1,000 if you have a household income lower than £40,000 and havea boiler that was installed more than 15 years ago.
Which New Boiler Deals Should You Choose For Your Home?
Obviously, if you do qualify for a free boiler, with no strings attached, that’s going to be the cheapest option for you and you should leap at the opportunity.
If you do have to pay for your new boiler yourself, a pay on completion deal will always be the cheapest and sometimes it is even worth getting a small loan to go about things this way.
Whatever method of payment you opt for, always be sure to get multiple quotes and compare different methods to ensure you are definitely making the right choice,
Always consider an online installer too as the likes of WARMZILLA tend to be significantly cheaper than the rest of the market and offer great deals on warranty as well.
Vetting Your Boiler Installer
Once you have reached your decision, there is one more step for you to follow. Do some research into your installer to make sure they are Gas Safe Register. You can check that your engineer is qualified to fit your boiler on the register here.
We also usually recommend checking out any online reviews for the company you plan to use too. Take a look at sites like Google, Yell, Facebook, Yelp, and even Trust Pilot. They can tell you a great deal about the type of service you can expect.
Summary
In this guide, we have offered a range of tips that should help you to get the best new boiler deal around.
The keys rules are to consider your financial options carefully, always get multiple quotes, and don’t overlook online installers like WARMZILLA as they can often undercut even local traders.
We will keep this guide regularly updated with all the latest advice and guidance. If you have any good tips we have missed or stories to share, you can always contribute too using the comment box below.