Old boiler maintenance: How to save on energy bills without buying a new one

Old gas boilers can waste up to £500 a year on energy bills, and now experts have revealed how to make yours more efficient, save money and make your home greener too.

Gas boilers are the main type of boiler in the UK, serving 23 million households, according to comparison agency Uswitch. But many of these are old and don’t work as well as they should, cost money and burn unnecessary fossil fuels for no profit.

Boilers with the highest energy efficiency rating, A, are more than 90 percent efficient, while the models with the lowest G rating can waste 40 percent of the money you spend on gas, Uswitch said.

According to the charity Energy Saving Trust, running a boiler normally accounts for more than 50 percent of each home’s annual energy bill.

The energy bill for a medium-consuming household is now capped at £2,500 a year thanks to the government’s Energy Price Guarantee.

Assuming a household bill is capped at this level, that means a boiler costs about half that (£1,250) and the least efficient boilers waste 40 per cent, or £500, of that money – as a very crude estimation.

“Modern boiler systems maintained with regular boiler maintenance burn their fuel more efficiently than old models that have been neglected,” said Ben Galilizzi of Uswitch.

“Regularly servicing your boiler will also reduce the risk of gas leaks and improve your home’s security, including carbon monoxide safety.”

This is how you give your central heating boiler a free makeover

Uswitch said there are a few ways to get the most out of an old boiler – for free.

• Set a timer for your boiler. This way the heating is only on when someone is in the house to use it, saving you unnecessary hours heating your home when not needed.
• Reduce the flow rate of your boiler. If you live in one of the 80 per cent of homes with a combi boiler, lowering the supply temperature to 60C could save £112 a year on energy bills, according to figures from the charity Nesta. Most households run hotter than that, around 80C, but this temperature can be safely lowered with little impact on usable hot water in most cases.
• Bleed your radiators. This is released all the air trapped inside and allowing the entire surface of a radiator to produce heat means lower energy bills for the same level of domestic heat.
• Check your boiler pressure. Your boiler has a pressure gauge. Most boilers work best at a pressure between 1 and 1.5 bar. Any lower than this and your heating system will cost more as it becomes inefficient – and it could be a sign of a leak somewhere. Too high a pressure can lead to faults in your heating system.

It’s also a good idea to have a professional check your boiler regularly. This ensures that it is operate smoothly, safely and efficiently to heat your home and save money.

The benefits of paying for a new boiler

If you do need a new boiler, it depends on the type you need, the make and model you choose and the size. You can spend around £2,500 on average, according to the Energy Saving Trust.

But this expense pays for itself in the long run, provided you continue to live in the home. For example, replacing an old G boiler in a two-under-one-detached house with an A-class condensing boiler costs around € 4,000, but then you should save around € 540 per year.

There are several government schemes that can help you with the cost of replacing your boiler if you meet the criteria.

Replacement: Eventually you will have to have a new boiler installed, but the high initial costs can quickly be recouped in lower energy bills in the future

The Energy Company’s Boiler Replacement Obligation Regulation replaces old, inefficient, broken central heating boilers free of charge. To qualify, you must receive at least one benefit, such as income support or disability benefits. You must also be the homeowner.

Alternatively, the Nest program in Wales offers free water heaters to homeowners and renters who receive certain benefits or have a chronic medical condition.

In Scotland, the Warmer Homes Scheme offers free boilers and insulation to homeowners and tenants who are struggling to pay their energy bills and who have lived in their home for at least 12 months.

If you are not eligible for a government scheme, you can still spread the costs of your new boiler. Energy suppliers, including British Gas, EDF and Eon, all offer interest-free deals. For example, British Gas offers five years of interest-free credit on new boilers.

Some boiler manufacturers also offer interest-free deals, including Worcester Bosch.

Go green: Heat pumps are an alternative to boilers, but the installation costs are much higher

Heat pumps are an alternative to boilers and can provide cheaper, greener energy, although the initial cost is higher.

To install a heat pump system, your home must have underfloor heating or radiators two and a half times the size of regular radiators. A heat pump does not produce as much heat as a central heating boiler and therefore needs a larger surface area to achieve the same heat level.

You’ll also need room for a hot water heater if you don’t already have one. A heat pump cannot supply hot water on demand like a ‘combi’ boiler.

The initial costs for an air-water heat pump are higher than for a traditional boiler. It will cost between £7,000 and £13,000, according to the Energy Savings Trust.

Households can benefit from a £5,000 grant towards government costs. The scholarship is available to anyone residing in England and Wales.

You must use an MCS certified installer and agree a quote with them – they can then apply for the grant.

This week British Gas has said it will reduce the start-up cost of a heat pump to £2,999 for those taking advantage of the scheme.