Understand and compare boiler quotes

Getting a new boiler quote

There’s no need to feel daunted by the process of getting a new boiler, particularly if you take one step at a time. We’ve outlined the main steps involved below, so getting a new boiler becomes a piece of cake (not literally, unfortunately).  

How to get a gas boiler quote

The first thing you need to do is contact some suitably qualified heating engineers that are Gas-Safe registered. The easiest way to find them is via the  Gas Safe register  for engineers in your local area or check out our Viessmann-trained installers via the  ‘Find an installer’  page.

If you’d prefer to go off recommendations, you could speak to friends and family members who have used an engineer in the past, too.

Whether you choose your engineer through Viessmann, via a recommendation or in some other way, remember that you should check the Gas Safe register before contacting any engineer to ensure that they are listed (don’t just take their word for it). The website has a specific page where you can  check an engineer by licence number  to see if they’re registered and that their qualifications are up to date.

It’s likely a good idea to choose two or three engineers, and arrange for them to give you a quote at varying times. Three is a good number, as their price, availability and diagnoses could differ. You can arrange a time and date that’s suitable for you directly with them.

What to expect from a boiler quote

Once you’ve found your suitably qualified heating engineers and organised a quote, you’re likely wondering what happens next.

In order to give you an accurate quote, the engineers will need to come to your home and do a quick examination of the boiler and system. Prior to their arrival, it may be a good idea to think of some questions you might have for them, particularly if you want more than just a  replacement boiler  (such as moving a boiler or moving from a gas boiler to another heat source which may include renewable energies or electric boiler , for example).

In turn, they might also ask you some questions so they can determine which boiler is right for you. If you have future plans, such as adding a bathroom, extending the home or adding a radiator, then these could have an impact on the  type of boiler you need  and the size of it. All of these things should be discussed to ensure that you’re making the right decision. It will also allow them to give you an accurate boiler quote. Moving a boiler, for instance, involves much more work than making a simple swap, and they need to be able to give you a reasonable price for the time taken.

The heating engineer may also take this opportunity to run through additional technologies with you, such as solar panels, smart thermostats and smart boilers with phone control via an app. The above technologies like this can increase the control you have over your heating system and can be very beneficial.

The engineer should be with you for around 20 minutes to half an hour to provide you with a quote. Once they’ve seen everything they need to, they should provide a quote within a few days of your appointment. You should check that you’re happy with the quote and that it includes everything you discussed. If, for instance, you opted in for a smart thermostat, this should be listed within the quote. If you can’t see it, it may have been included in the overall price, and you may wish to speak to the engineer for a further cost breakdown.

How to compare boiler quotes

As we advised, it’s a good idea to gather multiple new boiler quotes to ensure that you’re getting a good or competitive price. But when this is the case, it’s up to you to choose which quote you go for and this isn’t always an easy decision. Particularly when there are multiple boiler manufacturers who all offer different prices for a new boiler. So how can you compare the quotes you have?

It may be best to write them all down so that the quotes are all in one place and can be more easily compared. You may also want to include what the quotes involve (i.e. the cost of the boiler, plus installation, plus any extras like thermostats), so that you can see this at a glance too. Additional information could be necessary, like the engineer’s availability.

Think about what’s more important to you. For instance, would you rather go with the more expensive quote if it means you can get the job done faster, or are you happy to wait a little bit longer and get the reduced price quote?

How to choose a boiler quote

Once you’ve compared all of your boiler quotes, it’s time to make a decision, but it’s not always best to go with the cheapest boiler quote you’ve been given. Going with the cheapest option isn’t a bad thing as long as you’re happy with the installer, what they’ll be doing, which boiler they’ll be installing, etc. But you shouldn’t necessarily go with them just because the price is right.

Take into account availability, experience, engineer reviews (this may be difficult to find for a sole trader but you should be able to find  boiler reviews  for larger companies on somewhere like Trustpilot), specialties (i.e. whether they’re qualified to install electric boilers, for instance), location and more when making your decision.

Sometimes, it can just come down to how you felt about a person and which engineer you ‘connected’ with the most.