Would you like an Alpha boiler review or price?
It’s not exactly shopping around for a holiday destination or even as exciting as hitting the high street for a new outfit for that upcoming party, but picking the right boiler from more than a hundred different brands is pretty crucial, especially if you want to keep warm! We’re here to take the hassle out of the hunt and help make the process of buying a new boiler as easy as pie!
If you’re shopping around for a new Alpha boiler, we’re here to help! In this blog, we’ll talk about the “Italian Stallion” boiler history, reviews, boiler range, warranty, costs and everything you’ll need to know before making the big purchase.
The History Behind Alpha Heating
Established over 50 years ago, Alpha has a long history, with core values of innovation, efficiency, and customer service at the forefront of their offering.
Alpha belongs to the parent company Immergas, which operates in 30 countries worldwide. Immergas is the market leader in Italy where it originates, producing an impressive 7 million boilers per year. One of the largest heating appliance manufacturers in Europe. Alpha offers combi, system, and conventional boilers in a range of different boiler sizes to suit your home.
Alpha Boiler Range
Alpha offers a wide range of boilers to suit your home. But before shopping around, you’ll need to know the type of boiler you already have.
Put simply, here’s a breakdown of the different boiler types:
1. Combi boilers or to give them their full title, combination boilers, are the most common type of boilers found and installed in the UK. In fact, over half of all boilers installed in the UK are combi boilers. The name combination boiler comes from their ability to both heat your home and provide you with hot water.
Combi boilers are connected directly to the mains water supply coming into your home. They heat this water directly, eliminating the need for a separate water tank (as with a system or regular boiler). This saves a great deal of space, especially in flats and smaller homes where space is limited.
Combi boilers also supply hot water at mains pressure, which allows you to enjoy mains pressure showers without needing to install a shower pump.
Combi boilers keep a small reservoir of pre-heated water within them to ensure they can supply hot water to taps instantly. Head over to our ‘how do combi boilers work‘ blog for more details.
2. System Boilers – can usually be found in homes that have a high requirement for hot water. They work by heating water in a separate storage tank from the boiler, usually found in an airing cupboard, this hot water is then available for use in multiple bathrooms should it be required. In practice, you can have two baths running in separate bathrooms and they will both get hot water without affecting the heating of your home.
This differs from a combi, as a combi heats water directly from the mains supply and doesn’t store hot water. Click the link if you want to know how system boilers work in detail.
3. Conventional boilers – also known as regular, traditional, heat only or open vent boilers, are the most difficult to install or replace. A regular boiler includes both a hot and cold water storage tank, the boiler itself, and an expansion cistern located next to the cold water tank. This takes up quite a bit of space in a home, and it’s usually preferable to switch to a combi so that these tanks can be removed.
Similar to system boilers, regular boilers are able to supply large amounts of hot water simultaneously to multiple bathrooms due to the hot water storage tank facility. Want to know more about how conventional boilers work? You guessed it. We have a blog that covers this!
There are many other factors you’ll need to consider before committing to buying your ‘dream’ boiler, such as the boiler size, warranty, flow rate and many more. Check out our blog ‘11 things you need to know when choosing a new boiler’ for more information.
Alpha Combi Boilers
Alpha heating offers a good range of combi boilers which are a great fit for relatively smaller homes with (1-2) bathrooms.
As a rule of thumb, a 24-27 kW combi would be ideal for a home with 1 bathroom and 10 radiators while a 28-35kW can be the right boiler size for homes with 2 bathrooms and 15 radiators.
1. Alpha E-TEC
The E-Tec range features a brand new stainless steel heat exchanger and is Alpha’s smallest combi yet!
Alpha E-TEC Key Features
- 7-year warranty
- Stainless steel heat exchanger
- High-efficiency Grundfos pump and hydroblock assembly
- Single electrode
- Easy-access dry-change NTCs on front of pipes
- Combined condensate and pressure relief valve connection
- Zinc plated expansion vessel to prevent corrosion
With two outputs available and the capability to deliver 14.1 litres of water per minute, this combi provides an ideal solution for small to medium-sized homes.
2. Alpha E-TEC PLUS
Alpha’s popular E-Tec range has evolved with the addition of the E-Tec Plus combi. The compact boilers feature a stainless steel heat exchanger and now come with a 10-year warranty.
Alpha E-TEC PLUS Key Features
- 10-year warranty
- Stainless steel heat exchanger
- High-efficiency Grundfos pump and hydroblock assembly
- Single electrode
- Easy-access dry-change NTCs on front of pipes
- Combined condensate and pressure relief valve connection
- Zinc plated expansion vessel to prevent corrosion
- Copper pipe tails with isolation valves
- Integrated filling loop
- Control panel and bottom cover
3. Alpha Evoke
The Evoke range also features a brand new stainless steel heat exchanger and is available exclusively at independent merchants.
Alpha Evoke key features
- 7-year warranty
- Compact size and layout
- Backlit LCD with push-button controls and detailed operational information
- High-efficiency Grundfos pump and hydroblock assembly
- Single electrode
- Easy access for servicing
- IPX4D protection
- Low electrical consumption
Alpha Conventional/ Regular Boilers
Alpha E-TEC Regular Gas Boiler
The E-Tec Regular has the same impressive attributes as our E-Tec combi and system boilers – superb build quality, outstanding performance and a lengthy standard warranty.
Alpha E-TEC Regular Gas Boiler Features
- 7-year guarantee
- Stainless steel heat exchanger
- New backlit display
- Easy access dry-change NTCs
- Optional external pump wiring
Alpha System Boilers
1. Alpha E-TEC S
It is a brand new system boiler that features a stainless steel heat exchanger and is part of our popular E-Tec range. E-Tec S boilers come in a choice of three fully-modulating outputs of 20, 30 or 35kW.
Alpha E-TEC S Key features
- 7-year warranty
- Stainless steel heat exchanger
- High-efficiency Grundfos pump and hydroblock assembly
- Single electrode
- Easy-access dry-change NTCs
- Combined condensate and pressure relief valve connection
- Zinc plated expansion vessel to prevent corrosion
2. Alpha ProTec Plus System
Specifically designed for larger output requirements, these fan-assisted condensing system boilers provide heating only for sealed central heating systems, or open systems if required.
Alpha ProTec Plus System Key Features:
- 5-year guarantee
- Stainless steel heat exchanger
- 2m flying mains lead
- Suitable for single unit or cascade installations
- Open or concentric push-fit flue systems
- Plume management kit available
- Easy access for servicing
- Built-in commissioning and fault finding
How much does an Alpha boiler cost?
Alpha boiler prices vary depending on the model you choose and the kW output of the model you require. The prices shown above are taken from an online retailer. The prices are for the boiler only without installation.
WarmZilla does not currently sell Alpha boilers, instead, we offer a variety of budget boilers such as; Vokera boilers starting from £1489 and Ideal boilers starting from £1549 if you want to spend a little bit more for a bit of added reliability and build quality. To understand the difference between Alpha and the two budget boiler brands, read our blogs on Vokera vs Alpha boilers, and Ideal vs Alpha boilers.
Boilers sold by WarmZilla come with Gas Safe installation, system filter, system cleanse, inhibitor, wireless thermostat, up to 12 years guarantee, any flues or extension kits you may need; plus, if your condensate or gas pipes require upgrading – that’s included in your fixed price boiler quote too!
You can get a quote now on a new boiler with all the extras mentioned above, in a few minutes using the WarmZilla online survey.
Alpha Boiler Reviews
Alpha Heating TrustPilot Reviews
Alpha heating innovation bagged a 4.6 out of 5 stars on TrustPilot with over 1,500 reviews. 92% of these reviews are above average.
After a little more investigation into the content of the Alpha reviews, it shows that a lot of the reviews are either from engineers fitting the Alpha boiler or from customers thanking engineers for coming out so quickly to fix issues with the boiler. This can be interpreted in two ways – firstly, that Alpha boilers require a bit of ongoing maintenance and are susceptible to breaking down, and secondly, that when they do break down they get engineers out pretty quickly and they seem to resolve the issue. Here are a couple of reviews for you:
“Very good service overall. After ringing with a fault, engineer came out next day. Sorted problem within the hour. Very professional.”
“I cannot fault the service I received from my engineer. He was polite, explained exactly what the issue was with my boiler and fixed it quickly and without causing any mess.”
Alpha Heating Which? Reviews
During the Which? Best Boiler Survey, 8,000 customers and 150 Which? Trusted Traders were asked to rate Alpha boilers.
The survey is based on reliability, customer score, engineer recommendation, build quality, availability of spare parts, ease of fixing a common fault and ease of servicing and here are the results:
Alpha scored an overall 55% brand score. Customers and heating engineers gave Alpha a 4 out of 5 stars for reliability, 3 stars on customer score, and 2 stars for their overall engineer recommendation score.
Here is their verdict: “Alpha boilers are very much in the middle ground with regard to quality, ease of repair and service, and part availability. Owners of Alpha models are generally happy with them, but heating engineers are less convinced. That said, they feel there is some improvement in newer models.”
Alpha Boiler Fault Codes
As with all appliances, over time, your boiler’s efficiency will naturally decline slightly, however, ensuring that your boiler has an annual service will help to prevent your boiler from suddenly breaking down on you, as well as expensive repair costs.
If your Alpha boiler develops a fault, the corresponding fault code or error code will usually appear on your boiler. The fault code should help your heating engineer to identify and diagnose any problems with your boiler so that they can resolve them as quickly as possible.
If your boiler displays a fault code, our guide to Alpha boiler errors and fault codes should help you find out what the code means.
Warning– Always follow the boiler manual instructions and even if you know what the fault code means, make sure that the repair is carried out by a Gas Safe Registered engineer.
Alpha Boiler Warranty
Every boiler manufacturer offers a standard warranty/guarantee with their boilers which last between 1-10 years. Boiler warranties are there for extra peace of mind, however, they do vary depending on models and boiler brands.
Warranty is one of the key factors we look for when purchasing a new or replacement boiler, and can often be the deal-breaker when it comes to choosing the right boiler for you.
Alpha offers a standard five-year warranty for their InTec range increasing to six years with the Cyclone Plus filter and seven years with the Premier Pack Plus. The longest warranty from Alpha comes with the E-Tec Plus Range plus Premiere Pack which is 13 years, which is amazing. However, this is only available if you have your boiler fitted by an Alpha boiler installer. Alpha heating also offers aftercare support online, however, offering answers to frequent FAQ’s and error codes is as far as they go.
Is an Alpha boiler the right choice for my home?
In short, probably not. Alpha is a budget boiler brand but it’s one of the least reliable budget boiler brands, with a Which? Brand score of 55%.
Alpha boilers are not well-reviewed by engineers or customers, and with plenty of choices available in the budget boiler range, WarmZilla wouldn’t recommend purchasing an Alpha boiler.
Fancy a budget-friendly boiler?
If you’re looking for a budget boiler we would recommend the Worcester Bosch 2000 series, the scaled-down younger sibling of the Worcester Bosch 8000 series. Sure, it doesn’t have all the bells and whistles of the 8000 series, but it’s a very reliable boiler, from a top manufacturer – which means you’ll get great aftercare.
The Ideal Logic range is also a great option if you don’t want to spend a lot on a new boiler. It’s reliable, efficient, and it comes with an impressive 8-year warranty.
If you’re shopping around for a new boiler we’d advise using the WarmZilla boiler comparison tool. Just select up to 3 boilers you want to compare and you’ll be able to compare key stats side by side to see which Alpha (or another boiler brand) is best for you.
You can also take the WarmZilla survey, by answering a few simple questions about your home we will be able to recommend suitable boilers for your heating and hot water requirements. You can get a quote on a new boiler in just a few minutes without adding any personal details!
Here at WarmZilla, our mission is to give you all the help and support you’ll need to find the best boiler for your home at the best price, that’s why we’ve written blogs about the best combi boilers, best system boilers and best conventional boilers in 2023. So make sure to check them out!
FAQs
Alpha boiler prices vary depending on the model you choose and the kW output of the model you require.
In short, probably not. Alpha is a budget boiler brand but it’s one of the least reliable budget boiler brands, with a Which? Brand score of 55%.
WarmZilla does not currently offer Alpha boilers as there are other boiler brands in the budget range such as Vokera and Ideal that offer better value for money.
