Advice on Boiler installtion quote

[NHW]

Hi there i have basically just been given £1,000 funding from my local council if i take out two measures from a list given to us but the only ones that seemed to make any sense for us to take were:

1. new boiler
2. loft insulation
3. gas flue heat recovery

These were the two quotes that we were given:

1. ideal logic boiler + flue heat recovery system = £2600
2. ideal logic boiler + loft insulation topped up to 300mm = £2550

both prices are with the £1,000 grant already deducted and it is inclusive of installation and removal of all the old equipment which inst needed anymore (loft tank, old pipework etc)

It seems to me that the cost of having the loft insulation compared to the flue heat recovery basically costs the same, whereas i assume the heat recovery system costs alot of money and time to install.

Should i take the deal with the heat recovery system and then just roll out extra loft insulation myself because it seems like a very easy job to DIY and the insulation isnt exactly super expensive.

We are currently on a gravity fed system which means our water pressure is very low (shower basically drips out) and moving to a combi we want to know if having a system with high KW will actually increase the pressure of the water coming out of the shower?

Lastly, we have been told that we can specify which type of boiler that we want and it doesnt have to be an ideal logic brand. At the moment i am leaning towards Worcester/Valliant but unsure if those brands are compatible with the heat recovery systems?

Would really appreciate any advice given, Thanks guys

 

[ScottishGasMan]

The vaillant uses heat recovery systems but you will find the cost of the vaillant kit to be probably quite a bit more than the ideal (although its worth the extra)

If you can get the loft insulation cheap and are happy to DIY then why not, the flue recovery system is expensive (approx £500 for the flue unit alone) although as far as I am aware they are not miricale workers, the revocered heat will be very little compared the initial cost but if your not paying for it then every little helps

 

[ScottishGasMan]

RE: the shower. A combi works off the mains. So it will depend on how much mains pressure and flow rate you can achieve in the house, the boiler and boiler size are just there to heat different amounts of water but the actual flow will be initially dictated by the water supply to the house.

 

[NHW]

Hi scottish gas man, thanks for you quick replies

yeah i think i have decided that i'd do the loft insulation myself because it seems the cheapest and most simple thing i could DIY.

i forgot to ask, what did you think of the pricing of those quotes i received? they said that the prices are all in and it's inclusive of VAT.

i think the boiler itself is probably around £700-850 so taking that into account that makes it about £1900 for the heat recovery system and the installation?

wasn't sure that if i went to a private plumbers could i get similar or even better quotes?

 

[ScottishGasMan]

Pricing is hugely job and area spesific. The fact that you are going from a conventianal system to a combi system and also condensing boiler means there is at least a reasonable amount of work (not just boiler out boiler in) so they do seem reasonable. But its impossible to estimate without an awful lot of specific info.

 

[NHW]

Ah right, yes i see what you mean.

I'm basically in the greater Manchester area and the people that i have had to come and see the property said that there wouldn't be any need for any special work unless i wanted the boiler moved from the kitchen into the boiler room (middle of the house), other than that they said it was a very straight forward job.

But yeah its very hard to tell on price because all houses are different.

 

[Agile]

You seem to be saying that the new boiler will be £3500.

Most cheaper quotes privately would be about £1900 to supply and fit a combi.

Most loft insulation is available free.

Seems someone is making a lot of money out of you!

Tony

 

[Dan Robinson]

You seem to be saying that the new boiler will be £3500.

Most cheaper quotes privately would be about £1900 to supply and fit a combi.

Most loft insulation is available free.

Seems someone is making a lot of money out of you!

Tony

It's a conversion job Tony, and we all know your pricing strategy is ambiguous to say the least.

 

[NHW]

Hi Tony,

The full cost of the quote which i have been given is £3600, but from that i also get a £1,000 discount from my local council. So technically all i have to pay is £2,600. But yes it would seem that without the discount it would be a £3600 job.

For that i would be getting:

- ideal logic boiler (doesnt state which model)
- gas flue heat exchange recovery system
- installation of both the boiler and heat exchange system
- removal of old unnecessary equipment (loft tank, pipework etc)

and i guess it would be a conversion-type job as i currently have a gravity fed system, not sure if that makes any difference on price?

thanks for all your advice guys, will help me towards making a better decision as i obviously dont know much in regards to things like this

 

[Dan Robinson]

The conversion effectively doubles the time needed .

Your prices seem fine, although I would look at a Vaillant or Atag a325ec

 

[NHW]

Hi dan, thanks for the advice, glad to know im not getting ripped off lol

in terms of the vaillant or atag, would you be able to use any heat recovery system with those units or can you only use one which is made by the same manufacturer?

also our water use isnt high but fairly average, so would i be looking at a midrange 30kw boiler to meet our needs? (3 bed detatched with 3 occupants)

 

[Dan Robinson]

Atag's is built into the boiler housing. They're not the prettiest though.

Vaillant have their own which bolts on top.

Both better boilers than the Ideal.

 

[transam]

FHR take a look at the energy catcher system ?

"combi plus" or the

"combi store" with a remote 15 litres storage cylinder afaik the combi store energy catcher set up is unique to them ??? (may be ????)

 

[dcawkwell]

Wouldn't bother with any of them.

Certainly not if the grant isn't covering the whole cost.

Heat recovery for hot water will never get you back the cost even with the grant.

Crazy government.

 

[Dan Robinson]

Hence the Atag .


Part of the boiler and much cheaper as a result.

Performance is staggering, although what that means in "cash back" I couldn't tell you.