[meldrewreborn]

My boiler is 34 years old. Its reliable, has only required 2 fans, a couple of electronic control boxes and the odd service.

Its not as efficient as newer boiler so I would save energy by fitting a new one, moving from 70% efficiency to 90%. Up till now this has not been an economic proposition because the time taken to recover the supply and installation cost of the boiler (say £2,500 to £3,000) would take too long.

I estimate the saving at gas prices from a year ago would have been £125 per annum. But now its close to £500 per annum. So the new boiler would pay for itself in about 5 years. And after that who knows.

The only fly in the ointment is whether the cost of gas is going to remain around the new levels or going to drop back. What do community members think?

Note: the carbon reduction would be welcome but it would play no part in the financial decision.

[Andy65]

Is it a combi @meldrewreborn? I remember my parents having a combi fitted 30 odd years ago and running a bath was like a challenge from The Krypton Factor.

My 26 year old Potterton was replaced 4 years ago with a Baxi Combi and that is excellent.

The way that I always view these things is that if I take pleasure from something, ie a TV, Car, iPad etc, I replace them when I want to.
If it's just a functional necessity, such as a Fridge, Washing Machine, Boiler etc, then it only gets replaced when it breaks or becomes unreliable.

I'm not a believer in repairing items such as Washing Machines but a Boiler is different but it obviously depends on the repair cost.
What I don't consider is the payback unless it's around the 2 year mark. Anything longer than that such as your example of 5 years then it becomes more of a guessing game and there are too many variables that can influence it over that length of time. Also with central heating any payback gets clouded by the severity of winters.

Boilers are just one of life's higher cost necessities. If it's still working and you're happy with it why not keep it until you have to change it. I sometimes look back at the cost over the number of years, so in your case I'd think that the Boiler (purchase and installation) has probably cost me less than 30 quid a year over that time. That would make me think I've had my monies worth out of it and so it wouldn't bother me as much cost wise when I need to replace it.

[meldrewreborn]

@Andy65

No its a Potterton 10/16 electronic which has spark ignition. Its not a combi and because I have a solar thermal panel (which heats my hot water in the summer months) there is no point in a combi.

Another factor in my thinking is the notion that installations of new gas boilers will be prohibited by law in the future - so I'll have to get in before the cut off point.

I have a similar quandary in relation to my freezer which is also old and a newer model would be much more efficient. However the size of the space in our kitchen units mean that only one brand will now fit - a Liebherr which of course is much more expensive than similar capacities in other brands/model/sizes. Otherwise it would be a slam dunk.

[Andy65]

@meldrewreborn

I changed my fridge freezer a couple of years ago, my consumption dropped by 25 kWh per month. On my current rates I think that's about £7 per month, so allowing for the rates over the last 2 years compared to now, I think it would be around 5 to 5.5 years to payback. I replaced it because it needed it rather than as an energy saving exercise but it does go to show that it may be worth replacing some items.

[Han_EONNext]

Good question @meldrewreborn 👀 we're in a similar position ourselves but like @Andy65 has pointed out - sometimes there can be little to gain if you are just strictly talking finances. What did you decide to do?

[meldrewreborn]

Originally Posted by Han_EONNext

Good question @meldrewreborn 👀 we're in a similar position ourselves but like @Andy65 has pointed out - sometimes there can be little to gain if you are just strictly talking finances. What did you decide to do?

Having measured the consumption of the freezer I worked out it was better to replace it. My other threads detail the savings being made. On the boiler I'll reconsider the matter over the next few weeks. Gas prices will probably not reduce much further than the July price cap figures so I'll work out whether to go for a new more efficient boiler and what the payback period is likely to be. Fortunately i have sufficient resources to pay for an upgrade, which i realise many others haven't.

[wizzo227]

It would be a waste of money to replace an old fossil-fuel boiler with another fossil-fuel boiler. Better to put the money towards something else which will be compatible with nil net zero and won't get banned and be unusable in future, possibly before your payback interval.
https://www.itv.com/news/2023-01-13/...ut-in-a-decade

You can always do what I did, adding solar panels and renewable heating when you can, and using the old fossil boiler so much less that it won't matter when it does get banned or stop working completely.

[Mailman]

@wizzo227

I'd love to replace my existing gas boiler (nearly 10 years old now) with an ASHP + upgrade old existing piping (some of which is microbore) + upgrade of many of the rads + upgrade insulation , install solar panels and get an EV car with the purpose of lowering my carbon footprint BUT this will prove impossible for my meagre pensions. Yes I have some savings but they would be wiped out totally if I went on even 1/2 this shopping list. Unless I were to receive really big incentives, it is just not financially feasible for my circumstances and probably never will be. And I'm probably better off than the folk who are genuinely on the poverty line ATM. Give me a spare 30-40K and I'll gladly join the cause. But ATM its a no from me. Should my existing boiler need replacing in the short term, it would be with another gas boiler or one that would be hydrogen-ready but I'm not at this point yet.

[meldrewreborn]

@Mailman

If we ever get to the stage of gas being expensive relative to electricity then the switch would be a no brainer.. Government can tax fuels - they do already for petrol and diesel, and they're thinking about switching green levies from electricity to gas, which would help.

At the moment the incentives to go green are moral rather than financial,- I've even though about a gas fired heat pump -no joke. And when will we be able to buy mains gas powered generators for domestic use?

[wizzo227]

Originally Posted by Mailman

another gas boiler or one that would be hydrogen-ready

If you are short on money then don't waste a penny on obsolete fossil fuel appliances and don't be fooled by the phrase <<hydrogen ready>>. A 1950's town-gas boiler used quite a proportion of hydrogen in the poisonous mixture sent to it, so any talk of spending money to make the gas pipes hydrogen-ready is just an excuse to spend more of your money on trash which only road-diggers and gas-plumbers would want put in. When I got quoted more than ten years ago to have a replacement gas boiler, I didn't do that and instead found a small air source heat pump for a single room+ inside the budget of a boiler swap/upgrade. Having that heat pump has saved me money ever since.