Is this combi boiler quote for elderly mum reasonable?

[pishkashante]

Hi, my mum’s combi boiler (about 13 years old) has broken down and British Gas have provided her with a quote for a new one. It’s about £4k and I wanted to get your views on whether this is reasonable as we haven’t done this before.

Combi Boiler : £1,300
Installation: £1850
Tailored extras: £800

Total: £4k.

I have attached a pic of the details.

Mum is in a 3 bed semi, with 8 radiators (which will not be changed) and the plumbing was all renewed 10 years ago. The boiler will be installed in the same place.

Thanks in advance.

Think it’s at the top end but not extortionate

I’m having one fitted tomo £4 thousand, also British Gas including flushing the system/radiators.

I’d use a local company. If you ask on her local Facebook you should get decent recommendations.

Well £200 of that is for the Hive. Does she actually need a Hive? If she isn't going to be using it on an app or want auto such off when she leaves etc, then she might be better off getting a portable thermostat she can move round rhe house to whatever room she's in, or even just a traditional wall thermostat.

Shouldn't need a specific electrician as it's just a replacement rather than adding to an existing circuit.

All in all that's a reasonable price for British Gas replacing a boiler. It is NOT however a reasonable price for a good local plumber replacing a boiler. British Gas charge what they want because little old dears see them as being honest and trustworthy.

DH is a gas engineer (in London). He said the installation cost is way too high as this is only 1 days work. He usually charges around £650 installation on a 3 bed with 8 rads. I would get a couple of quotes from local reputable gas engineers.

My mum had a new boiler as part of the Welsh government's Nest scheme. She gets pension credit so didn't have to pay anything, they also installed a Hive thermostat so I can control her heating from my phone. Good luck with the application.

It sounds slightly overpriced. May be by a few hundreds but I have no idea about London prices and it could be because product is expensive. Can you ask them which company the boiler is from and compare prices online. Labour sounds about right.

Another important thing I would suggest is make sure you or your mum registers the warranty and a certified gas engineer fits it apart from regular servicing.

That seems top end... Has she got quotes from local tradespeople? Worth checking Trust a trader/ Which?

Shop around first. X

I'd definitely get an alternate quote (or two)
I've used the same independent boiler engineer for about 20 years, he's excellent. A number of times I've assumed I need a new boiler, he always services/fixes mine at minimal cost. He is North London, travels to me in central London - DM me if you'd like contact details.

I had a Worcester Bosch boiler fitted in February by a local Worcester Bosch accredited installer in West Mids.

The quote I had for your DM's model was £2495.00 - including power flush, Worcester filter and cleaning chemicals etc but no hive (I didn't want that) - just had a pretty simple wireless room thermostat that I can take from room to room, should I wish.

Using a WB accredited installer has implications for the boiler guarantee and length of guarantee depends on model fitted.
For that one, it's 5 years if using un-accredited installer - or 8 years if using accredited.
For an extra £150.0 this can be increased to 10 years for that particular model.

I went for a slightly different model in the end (still WB), and love it.
As pp mentioned, house is warmer but gas use is less so bills slightly cheaper (not by £10000's but every bit helps).

In Scotland the government have an organisation that come out and perform a survey and look at your age and circumstances. They can get you a free boiler, windows and insulation. Over 70s who receive any kind of benefits, such as attendance allowance qualify and I think the threshold is even lower for over 80s. Is there no similar scheme in England?

I wouldn’t go with British Gas. I think you would bet a much better deal from a local Corgi Registered Gas Central Heating Engineer. There is no reason why it would be any more hassle than using a utility supplier.

Another recommendation for BOXT
Ive had them replace the boilers in my rental places
Fantastic service and price

CORGI got replaced a while ago, or downgraded to a voluntary register; engineers on the Gas Safe Register are the one to look for now I think.

That does feel high.
When we got a new boiler 6 years ago, our first quote was from BG, and it was about £4K. We found an approved Worcester Bosch installer on the WB website, who supplied and installed a slightly larger boiler , thermostatic radiator valves and a power flush for just under £2K. They service it every year, and we've had no problems at all (touch wood).
I think BG are all about the upselling.