Like many purchases, when it\u2019s time to get a new boiler or\nmaintain your existing heating system, the different service provider choices\nand how much they all charge can be baffling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, whether you\u2019re installing a new Valliant combi boiler<\/strong>, servicing an old Worcester or your Baxi boiler<\/strong> has stopped working and needs urgent repair the following are your three options;<\/p>\n\n\n\n The pros and cons of each option;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Independent heating engineers <\/a>will charge you what they pay for boilers plus a bit more (e.g. 10%) for organising collection and to earn a bit of profit which is perfectly normal for any business. They then charge you an hourly rate or a fixed price based on their estimate of how many hours\/days are required for the job.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Independent heating engineers will usually charge the most\nreasonable hourly rate as they do not have costs such as admin staff, layer\nupon layer of managers with flashy offices, an additional team of sales staff\nto pay for or expensive marketing such as tv or google ad words to pay for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When you need help later the independent engineer will\ncharge you parts and labour each time you need them. Occasionally this will\nmean a big bill however there is no fixed monthly cost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you find a responsible, intelligent independent heating engineer they will advise an appropriate for you design heating and hot water system i.e. with an affordable pressurised water cylinder<\/a> or a simple compact combi boiler<\/a> depending on your family needs. They will know what to do regards maintenance and competently fix problems such as boiler circuit board electrical faults or motorised valves inevitably failing. It is easy to manage problems when the same person attends who knows your system and doesn\u2019t blame other engineers who may have attended\u2026as he installed and maintained it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n An independent heating engineer is most likely a sole trader or at most has a tiny team, they may not have fancy vans or smart uniforms. In winter he\/she will struggle to rush to all emergencies at once but normally will have serviced your boiler <\/a>in the summer and tried to avoid you having problems. Winter is the time independent engineers struggle and a broken-down van can cause havoc to their ability to respond to clients if it snows over the weekend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A large company with fleets of smart vans, uniformed\nemployees, franchisees or subcontractors, large offices a team of sales and\nadmin people, driving around quoting, answering phones and designing google\nfriendly websites\u2026\u2026etc obviously has a lot more overheads than a sole trader\nand guess who is going to pay for that?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yes, you need to pay for all that fancy stuff\u2026. plus, the cost of the new boiler or repair<\/a> you need.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So, any well-known large heating business is going to cost\nyou significantly more than a small local sole trader.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A well run medium sized business MAY have a good team of\nintelligent engineers but most likely they will have some senior specialists\nand trouble shooters with a fair number of average engineers competent when\njobs are simple. If for example your heating system has a complex electrical\nerror or requires a thorough powerflush then they will arrange a second visit\nwith their appropriate engineer in attendance. You will get the job done as\nthese businesses are serious but it will never be cheap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Attendance will be prompt, professional without drama. And\nif there is a disagreement then they will try to help you as reputation is\nimportant to these businesses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
which has a team of heating engineers<\/li>\n\n\n\n
large national providers<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\nIndependent Heating Engineers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Cost<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Quality<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Service<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Medium Sized regional or national company<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Cost<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Quality<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Service<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
National insurance companies<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Cost<\/h3>\n\n\n\n