There comes a time in the life of every household - usually around this time of year, in fact - when you no longer have any option but to face up to a difficult truth. The repair bills are mounting up, your kids are complaining about being cold even when it’s supposedly on full blast - there’s no escaping it. Your boiler isn’t going to get you through the winter.
The idea of replacing a boiler fills many a homeowner with dread because put simply, it costs a lot of money. It isn’t the sort of thing you tend to budget for, and all too often the need to buy a new boiler comes just as we’re thinking about the great Christmas splurge.
This year, with the disruption caused by COVID-19, we’ve all got extra reasons to be worried about the pennies heading into winter. So if you do need to replace your boiler - and let’s face it when it comes to keeping warm, needs must - what can you do to keep the outlay as low as possible?
Here are some of our favourite money-saving tips.
Shop around online
Let’s start with the obvious one. Back in the day, we might have expected to ring around three or four local boiler installation specialists to get quotes before deciding which we liked the sound. Nowadays, there are comparison websites dealing exclusively with boiler quotes that will let you compare dozens of prices in the time it takes to make a single phone call.
Not only is this an extremely convenient and efficient way to find the best price possible, the internet has, like many areas of business, helped to drive down prices overall. Now that fitters are competing with rivals from across a much wider area, coupled with the power of online search and comparison sites give to consumers to track down the best deal, installation specialists are having to focus on value much more.
Research grants and subsidies
One of the best ways to save money on a new boiler is to get someone else to cover at least part of the cost for you. If that sounds like fanciful thinking, you might be surprised. The government’s Green Deal scheme, for example, makes money available to subsidize home improvements that increase energy efficiency, including upgrading to a modern low-emissions boiler. You might also have to make other improvements to your home to qualify, and everything is subject to a formal assessment process. But if successful, you could also benefit from much-reduced energy bills for years to come (see below).
In addition, if you fall into the low-income bracket or receive certain benefits, including if you have lost income due to COVID-19, there are a range of other grants and subsidy schemes available. This includes a legal obligation on energy suppliers to ensure lower-income and vulnerable customers have access to affordable heating, such as offering financial assistance with boiler replacements.
Calculate potential energy savings
Finally, this might not help you with the actual cost of a replacement boiler, but it will certainly make you feel better about buying a new one or even help you plan a budget for paying off the cost. New boilers have to meet strict energy efficiency standards, and particularly if your current boiler is more than 10 years or so old, that could translate into a serious reduction in energy costs. Working out how long it will take a new boiler to pay for itself in lower gas bills is a great incentive to book an installation.