Buying a new boiler used to be a drawn-out stressful process, which, if you are without heating due to your old boiler breaking down, amounts to double the stress. In this blog, we’re going to look at ways to reduce stress and save you money.
Know what boiler type you need
If you don’t know what boiler type you have then that’s the first step – identifying what type of boiler you have. Luckily, we’ve already written an article that will help you figure that out.
It’s important to know what type of boiler you have and what type of boiler you need to service your heating and hot water requirements without waste. There are 3 main types of gas boiler – combi, system and heat only (AKA conventional).
Combi boilers are the cheapest to install and run as they heat water as and when it’s required, rather than having a separate hot water tank. Most homes have a combi boiler installed, unless there is a very high heating demand or multiple people using a bath and/or shower at the same time.
Time is money
We know that you’re busy, you don’t have time for the traditional way of purchasing a boiler – calling up 3 local engineers, then have them round for tea and get a quote – it takes too long and there’s too much organisation involved.
With WarmZilla, you can complete our online survey in minutes, then, if you like the price, you choose your installation date and pay. It’s that simple. Because we don’t have to pay salespeople and we’re an online business, our overheads are lower – which means we pass the savings on to you.
You don’t need to find reliable engineers or speak to salespeople, get multiple quotes or take days off to wait around for engineers to do site surveys – you can get everything you need for less, by getting a quote from WarmZilla.
Find out how much you could save on your new boiler by taking our survey.
No hidden extras
A WarmZilla quote will have everything you need to get your boiler up and running, including the boiler itself, installation from a Gas Safe registered engineer, flue, smart thermostat, removal of your old boiler, system filter and a system cleanse prior to installing your new boiler.
In addition to everything being included with no hidden extras, our quotes are also fixed price – meaning that providing the information we receive from you is accurate, there is no extra to pay, even if the job runs on or is more complicated than at first thought.
Know what size boiler you need
As well as there being different boiler types, there are also different sizes of boilers to consider. Size doesn’t refer to the physical dimensions of your boiler it refers to the output in kW. This is basically the power output of a particular boiler to ensure that it has the energy to heat a home of a certain size.
You’ll find our boiler size guide helpful in deciding your future boiler size.
Here at WarmZilla, we look to remove the stress in buying a boiler, you don’t need to worry about what boiler size you need, as our survey works out the most suitable kW boiler for your home for you.
Buy a trusted brand
This point may cost you a little money in the short-term but long-term it will save you money and stress. The more reliable the brand the less likely it is to break down.
The cost of a boiler repair can vary between £150 – £400 depending on the fault and the age of the boiler.
The difference in price on purchase is usually only £200-£300, which would roughly be the cost of one repair bill if something should go wrong.
Here at WarmZilla, we only offer trusted boiler brands based on their performance, customer service, reliability and aftercare.
If you’re unsure which brands are best, check out our best combi boiler, best system boiler and best conventional boiler brand blogs.
Can I get a grant and pay nothing?
Under the ECO (Energy Company Obligation) scheme, people receiving a qualifying benefit with a boiler over 10 years old, who own their own home could be eligible for a boiler grant or money towards a grant but the funding has become more difficult to obtain as the funding allocated to the scheme runs out. Qualifying criteria has become more stringent for the remaining funds.
One more thing to be aware of regarding boiler grants is that a lot of the boiler grant websites are run by lead generation companies. Some companies just collect your details with the intention of selling them on to heating engineers.
There’s also the issue of the boilers installed via the grants. As you’d imagine, they aren’t putting in Worcester Bosch boilers but a budget boiler with a limited lifespan that will be more prone to breakdowns.
There are quite a few conditions so contact the Energy Saving Advice Service on 0300 123 1234 to see if you’re eligible. If you live in Scotland contact Home Energy Scotland on 0808 808 2282.
Buy from a trusted installer
Just as important as the boiler make you have installed is the company installing it. Always be sure to check their Trustpilot score and read some reviews on Google and Facebook to get a feel for how trustworthy a company is.
Not all installers are born equal. We’ve heard some horror stories regarding some installations. It doesn’t matter how good the boiler manufacturer is if the boiler is installed incorrectly.
All of the WarmZilla installers are Gas Safe registered and vetted to ensure they are the best at what they do, so you can buy online with confidence that not only will you be getting the best price but also the best standard of installation.
Get a longer-term guarantee/warranty
Another reason to buy from a trusted brand is that you will usually get a much longer guarantee. WarmZilla offers a 5-year and 10-year guarantee option on our Worcester Bosch boilers.
If a manufacturer is prepared to offer a lengthy guarantee it’s because they believe their product won’t have any issues in that timeframe. As well as saving on potential repair bills, you also get the peace of mind associated with a long guarantee.
If you’re a believer in boiler cover, then a long guarantee will also save you money as you won’t need to get cover as the manufacturer’s guarantee will cover you. We’ve already covered whether boiler cover is worth having in a previous blog.
Getting other opinions
It’s always useful to get other people’s opinions, whether it’s from family and friends, local engineers or online review sites.
Someone you know may have had an experience with a particular brand you were considering and pass on some advice on how reliable it’s been for them.
Local engineers obviously have a great deal of experience installing different types of boilers but sometimes that can be a factor in which boiler they recommend. As some engineers find one boiler easy to install and the next will think it’s a nightmare to install.
Our engineers often disagree over which boilers are good and which are bad, as we found out when creating our ‘Best Boilers blog’ helpful to our customers.
Energy efficiency
If you are changing an old boiler for a new one, the good news is that you will save money on your energy bill every month.
The Energy Saving Trust has calculated that you can save up to £305 per year on your fuel bills by upgrading your old boiler to an energy-efficient A-rated boiler, which typically operates at 90% and above energy efficiency, which is obviously much better for the environment too.
This won’t help you save money when buying a new boiler but it’s a good incentive to replace an older boiler sooner rather than later.
Big energy companies, big price tags
Many people think that there is some kind of benefit in buying a boiler with whoever provides their energy. You are under no obligation to buy a boiler from your energy provider, in fact, you will often end up paying an extra few thousand pounds than you would for a like-for-like boiler from WarmZilla.
Often, you will also have to endure some high-pressure sales tactics to buy on the same day during their home visit, because they know once you go elsewhere and start getting quotes they will be a lot cheaper for the same thing.
There are lots of ways you can save money when you’re looking to purchase a new boiler but the best thing you can do is to get a few quotes and compare what you get. Here at WarmZilla, we’re confident that we offer the best packages at the best prices on like-for-like boilers.
But it’s not just the price we pride ourselves on, we offer such a simple process that it saves you time, hassle and money. We can also install within 3 days, meaning you don’t have to wait around for weeks while you wait for an engineer to be available.
As ever, the best thing you can do is to shop around, get a feel for the market and what boilers have a good reputation, read company reviews and then make your choice. We hope that we will be able to save you money on your new boiler and make the process a lot easier for you too.
