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Original poster

Old Boiler!!!

29 replies

shoegirl36 · 05/03/2023 21:09

Please Help... advice needed!!! I moved into a property with my partner and father-in-law in November. Since moving in our EDF energy bill is around £600 a month after the £67 discount provided by the government. I am disabled and my father in law is a pensioner. We checked the valiant boiler today and see that it is around 14 years old. Can we request that the boiler is changed or can we request that the rent is lowered with the old boiler/bill in mind? Or is the landlord not obliged to do anything at all? We are struggling with that amount every month and EDF have said there is nothing they can do. Any help would be amazing.

OP posts:
thebellagio · 05/03/2023 21:20

I wouldn’t say 14 years old was that old for a boiler, not really.

when I moved into my house, the boiler was at least 45 years old! It was the original boiler from when the house was built in the 1970s

Original poster
shoegirl36 · 05/03/2023 21:21

thebellagio · 05/03/2023 21:20

I wouldn’t say 14 years old was that old for a boiler, not really.

when I moved into my house, the boiler was at least 45 years old! It was the original boiler from when the house was built in the 1970s

Hi. It says on the valiant website that a boiler over 10-15 years should be changed and that one this old works at around 50% capacity and of changed can work at around 93% plus capacity.

OP posts:
thebellagio · 05/03/2023 21:33

If it’s still in full working order I can’t see you’ll have any justification to ask your landlord to replace. It’s irritating I agree

thebellagio · 05/03/2023 21:33

You can ask - there’s never a harm in asking the question

Original poster
shoegirl36 · 05/03/2023 21:35

thebellagio · 05/03/2023 21:33

You can ask - there’s never a harm in asking the question

Do you think it would be fair to ask for a partial rent decrease in reflection on the age of the boiler and the price of the bill because of this?

OP posts:
dementedpixie · 05/03/2023 21:36

I doubt it would make a huge difference. Ours was over 20 years old when we replaced it a year ago and the savings haven't exactly been noticeable

You'd be better off looking at how to cut your usage by turning thermostat down, having it on less, etc

dementedpixie · 05/03/2023 21:37

shoegirl36 · 05/03/2023 21:35

Do you think it would be fair to ask for a partial rent decrease in reflection on the age of the boiler and the price of the bill because of this?

Show quote history

No, I think you would be unreasonable to ask for a rent reduction

Original poster
shoegirl36 · 05/03/2023 21:37

dementedpixie · 05/03/2023 21:36

I doubt it would make a huge difference. Ours was over 20 years old when we replaced it a year ago and the savings haven't exactly been noticeable

You'd be better off looking at how to cut your usage by turning thermostat down, having it on less, etc

Hi. I've already been looking into this but we have very minimal usage and the bill is still just as high.

OP posts:
WinterMusings · 05/03/2023 21:38

shoegirl36 · 05/03/2023 21:35

Do you think it would be fair to ask for a partial rent decrease in reflection on the age of the boiler and the price of the bill because of this?

Show quote history

Have you looked to see how much an equivalent new boiler would cost?

dementedpixie · 05/03/2023 21:39

What do you mean by minimal usage?
Are you providing regular readings?
The problem with edf is that they only bill twice a year so it's hard to judge if payments match up with your usage

Original poster
shoegirl36 · 05/03/2023 21:40

Not the boiler prices but as we rent it would be for the landlord to replace not us the tenants right?

OP posts:
Original poster
shoegirl36 · 05/03/2023 21:41

We only use the boiler for a few hours a day. The other gas usage is minimal. Our bill say we're using 4000kwh per month and the internet says the usage for the average house is around 1000kwh.

OP posts:
dementedpixie · 05/03/2023 21:41

Is it a set monthly direct debit you pay or do you pay for what you use each month?

Speak to edf again

wiffin · 05/03/2023 21:41

£600 a month isn't minimal. Even with current prices. How much is gas and how much electric?

I think it's a bit unreasonable to agree a tenancy, move in and then ask for a rent reduction.

I thought there were new rules about rental properties and energy efficiency?

WinterMusings · 05/03/2023 21:42

You cannot have minimal usage & high bills, unless your provider has been unrealistic about your estimated use.

Have you got a bill with an actual reading?

dementedpixie · 05/03/2023 21:42

Do you have a hot water cylinder?
What is your thermostat set at?

Custardbanana · 05/03/2023 21:44

shoegirl36 · 05/03/2023 21:41

We only use the boiler for a few hours a day. The other gas usage is minimal. Our bill say we're using 4000kwh per month and the internet says the usage for the average house is around 1000kwh.

So you're using 4 times the average amount.

dementedpixie · 05/03/2023 21:44

Do you have gas and electricity and is £600 for both?

dementedpixie · 05/03/2023 21:45

Is your meter reading in m³ or ft³ and does the bill match what the meter says it's reading in?

Greenfairydust · 05/03/2023 21:55

This is a ridiculous amount to pay.

The boiler isn't that old so there could be something else going on:
I would look at whether you have faulty meters or have given the wrong meter readings.

Or change your supplier and agree to a set monthly direct debit.

TwoBlueFish · 05/03/2023 22:01

We just changed our boiler, old one was at least 20 years old. we replaced on the advice of our plumber due to parts becoming harder to find. I can’t say we’ve seen a big difference in costs.

As long as the boiler is serviced regularly and passes the gas safety check then the landlord is doing their job.

sounds like you need to look more at your usage. Are you taking regular readings? Is there a smart meter? What temperature do you usually have it set to?

thebellagio · 05/03/2023 22:25

As I say, we changed our 45+ year old boiler and our energy usage has dropped 30% according to the yearly comparison on our bills, so I can’t really see that a 14 year old boiler that is working well will make a huge difference

remember it’s in Valliants interests to tell people to change a boiler every 10 years….

LadyGardenersQuestionTime · 05/03/2023 22:30

That amount sounds all wrong. Far far too high. Check it’s correct as per advice above, sounds as though something is wrong. Do def have an advice line? Is it a smart meter or meter readings?

duckup · 05/03/2023 22:40

Were you not given an energy performance certificate (EPC) as part of your paperwork?

This would of shown how energy efficient the property is

C4tastrophe · 06/03/2023 06:46

Exactly this. What is the EPC?