Boiler Installation Edinburgh: Get a New Boiler or Boiler Replacement in Edinburgh

Boilers always break at the worst possible time — like in the middle of a chilly, Edinburgh winter. And whilst no one looks forward to buying a new boiler, like tax bills and rain on your wedding day, sometimes it’s inevitable.

But getting a boiler replacement doesn’t have to be a grim, stressful, and expensive time. If you do your homework, you can get a quality boiler installer to fit your appliance at a very reasonable price.

We wrote this guide to help you do just that.

How to Get Next-Day Replacement Boiler Service In Edinburgh

If you’re in a rush and urgently need a replacement boiler, you’ll have the most luck with an online boiler company like Heatable.

Companies operating on an online model have extremely low overheads, so they’re able to pass on more savings on boiler installations to the consumer. What’s more, Heatable gets excellent deals many on Which? Best Buy models from manufacturers like Worcester Bosch, Viessmann, Ideal, and others.

To get a fixed-price quote, all you have to do is fill out Heatable’s anonymous online questionnaire.

No personal details are required; you’ll only have to answer a few questions about your property and central heating system.

You’ll find that Heatable offer a range of finance deals and superb special offers, such as 10-year warranties, advanced controls, filters, and other handy features.

National Company vs. Local Boiler Installer

If you’re after the best new boiler deal, it’s always worth getting quotes from national companies and local heating engineers. Here’s a brief overview of how these companies operate and what sets them apart.

National Installation Companies

There are plenty of companies like British Gas, who install boilers all over the country. These are big businesses with big overheads and they spend lots of money on things like marketing and advertising.

This generally means that a national boiler installation company is more expensive, as it’s forced to pass these costs onto the customers.

However, large installers do have special offers and deals from time to time, so it is worth getting a boiler quote from them.

Local Gas Safe Heating Engineers

Whilst they’re generally cheaper than national companies, local boiler engineers can charge a premium for new boiler installation in Edinburgh. That’s because their services are in such high demand.

Even so, they can usually undercut a national installer by several hundred pounds.

The main downsides to choosing a local tradesperson are reduced availability and quality of work.

Word-of-mouth can be key to learning about the quality of work you can expect, but don’t just go with one person’s recommendation — try to hear from 3 or 4 former customers.

Which Boiler Should You Choose?

Often, boiler engineers will tell customers which boiler is the best fit. This can be helpful to people who know nothing about boilers, but you must take such advice with a grain of salt.

Installers will often have a manufacturer or model that they prefer. Maybe it’s the one they are most comfortable with, or perhaps they get it at a discount from the wholesaler. Either way, the recommended model may work great for the installer, but not necessarily for your property.

That’s why we’ll urge you to figure out what type of boiler you want before soliciting quotes.

What Fuel Should Your Boiler Operate On?

You can choose between a number of different fuel types to run your boiler:

• Gas
• LPG
• Oil
• Electricity
• Renewable energy sources

Since Edinburgh is a large city, almost everyone there will have a mains gas connection. Gas is the cheapest fuel to use and offers the widest selection of new boilers, so you’ll probably go with a new gas boiler.

What Type of Boiler Work Best For Your Home?

There is a number of gas boiler types on the market:

• Combi Boiler
• Regular Boiler
• System Boiler

Combi Boilers — Great For Smaller Properties and Modest Demand For Hot Water

The majority of properties in Edinburgh are smaller homes, flats, and apartments. For these properties, a combi boiler is typically the best choice. It can generate heating and hot water on demand without any need for a hot water cylinder.

Regular Boilers — Excellent Option For Large, Thirsty Households

If your family has large demand for heating and hot water, a regular boiler may be a good fit. This is especially true if you already have a regular boiler setup, with a hot water cylinder and water storage tanks.

If you’ve got a combi already, good news: one-for-one combi boiler replacements are typically the cheapest.

System Boilers — Good Water Pressure, No Need For Storage Tanks

System boilers provide more pressure than their combi counterparts, since they operate with a hot water cylinder. However, a system boiler does not require water storage tanks to operate.

Consider a Compact Boiler Model If You’re Short on Space

If you have an especially small property, a compact boiler might be right for you. This is a type of boiler that’s designed to fit into a kitchen cupboard.

Note that compact boilers typically cost more.

What Size Boiler Should You Choose?

“Boiler size” is a term that describes the unit’s heat output rather than physical dimensions.

And size matters, because if your boiler is too large, you will find your energy bills swelling unnecessarily, whilst a boiler that’s too small won’t generate enough heat and hot water to meet your needs.

Boiler Size Table

Using the table below, you can estimate the ideal boiler output based on your property size, the number of bathrooms, and the quantity of radiators. Please note that this guide assumes that your hot water usage is average:

How to Determine the Boiler Size Accurately

Remember, the table above can only give you an estimate. If you want accurate sizing, you can get Gas Safe registered engineers can survey your property and recommend a boiler size.

Now, if you want a more precise calculation but don’t have the time to call out an engineer, you can also use Heatable’s online boiler size calculator to get an idea of what heat output your boiler should be.

Heatable’s boilers are usually competitively priced, but if you choose not to buy your replacement boiler through them, you can still see what size boilers they recommend.

Edinburgh Boiler Replacement: How Much Does It Cost?

Assuming a combi boiler installation in a typical Edinburgh home, we’d expect your new boiler to cost you about £2,500.

But it could be less. Heatable offer fantastic prices on Worcester Bosch, Viessmann, Ideal, and Alpha boiler installations, so it’s worth getting a quote from them.

Keep in mind that boiler installation costs hinge on a wide array of factors, so getting quotes from your local trades, national companies, and the likes of Heatable are your best way of having an accurate estimate.

Below, we’ll dicuss two of the most important factors (apart from output, type, and fuel) that usually impact the cost of boiler installations.

Moving a Boiler’s Location

If you plan to install a replacement boiler in a new location, you can expect the overall bill to come in higher. Depending on how far you are planning to move it, this could add up to a sizable amount.

Moving a boiler means installing new pipework, new flues, and associated work to exterior walls or the roof, and even some interior redecorating. This means more labour and materials that inevitably drive the installation bill up.

On average, moving a boiler in Edinburgh is likely to increase your overall installation bill by £350 – £750.

Friendly local gas engineers, or an boiler installation service like Heatable, might be able to do it for less; that said, a big job could also end up costing considerably more.

The Extras You Need

When buying a replacement boiler, your installer may offer a some extras on top of the basic installation. Some will look to charge you more for these, whilst others will include them in your quote. This is why you must always get an itemised quote and analyse it carefully.

Below are 3 extras that we would usually advise people to take up, as they’ll help prevent costly future boiler repairs:

Magnetic Filter — Keep Your Central Heating System Sludge-free

A Magnetic Filter is a really helpful device that collects the metallic debris that can float around in your heating system. This debris can build up into sludge that damages components and blocks up boilers and radiators. The filter catches this debris and holds it until a Gas Safe engineer cleans it out during annual boiler servicing.

Scale Filter — Prevent Limescale Buildup

Hard water isn’t a problem in Edinburgh, but you still might want to fit a scale filter if you want to avert boiler repair bills in the future. It helps to prevent limescale build-up in your boiler which can, over time, clog up components and cause serious problems.

Hot / Power Flush — Connect Your New Boiler to a Clean System

All heating systems build up sludge and scale over time and it is worth cleaning this out before your new boiler is fitted. This is done by either a hot flush or a power flush.

A power flush is most effective, but if you have an older heating system, make sure it isn’t likely to cause any damage before agreeing to it (the heating engineer will know if it’s safe or not to proceed).

Summary

Getting a new replacement boiler in Edinburgh doesn’t have to be scary or expensive. In this guide, we have given you plenty of advice to let you make an informed decision and hopefully save some money too.

If you have any questions about anything we have mentioned in this guide, or if there is something you think we’ve missed, please do drop us a line using the comment box below.