Householders will have to pay thousands of pounds to install condensing boilers under new government environmental regulations, but have almost no means to check their reliability before buying. An investigation in Jobs & Money last week revealed extensive concerns about the reliability of condensing boilers, which are designed to cut energy use by up to 40%. It prompted many readers to write in asking for a "best buy" list.
Alarmingly, no such data is available. Government departments and industry bodies willingly produce lists of the relative energy efficiency of the various models on the market, but were either unable or refused to supply data on their reliability.
Some of the manufacturers we contacted, such as Vaillant and Baxi/Potterton, said they would welcome any surveys on relative reliability, as these would help to dispel consumer fears about costs.
Unfortunately, the organisation which conducts the biggest and most authoritative consumer surveys, Which?, says testing of condensing boilers is a near-impossible task.
One reader, Jeff Bull of Epsom, Surrey, wrote last year to Which, asking it to test condensing boilers. But the organisation says it has not tested the machines, which are complex and may have problems which might not appear for several years.
The organisation employed by the government to carry out energy efficiency tests, the Building Research Establishment, said it was time for research into boiler reliability. Managing director David Strong said it would allow consumers to make a sensible choice.
British Gas is the only organisation to keep data on the reliability of condenser boilers. It recommends four makers following what it calls exhaustive research. It will allow customers to choose from German makers Vaillant and Worcester Bosch, and British firms Ideal and Baxi/Potterton.
A spokesman said a "data warehouse" measured the how many times different models broke down based on the 7m service calls the firm makes each year.
He said: "No one in Europe has more data on boiler reliability than British Gas and it's on this data that we select our products."
Jobs & Money asked if the company would publish the results of its mammoth survey. We were told it had never been publicised before and at the time of going to press refused to say whether it would release the information.
The spokesman maintained that all models supplied by the four manufacturers passed rigorous tests. He said: "It's also worth pointing out we maintain all of the boilers we sell as part of our 4m-portfolio of care customers. It is clear therefore that any additional costs would be borne by British Gas directly off our bottom line — why would we install boilers that we thought were unreliable and increase our call out frequency?"
Two-thirds of all households remain unaware of the new environmental regulations, according to Powergen. This level of ignorance is disturbing because households could be at risk of not being able to sell their home if they ignore the rules and buy a conventional boiler; from this week all central heating boiler installations fall under the control of building regulations and information will have to be provided in the new Home Sellers' Packs.
The sellers' packs, which are due to take effect in 2007, will give buyers a host of information about their new home, including an energy efficiency rating. It will be back-dated to April 2005, which means homeowners will have to produce a certificate to prove any boiler installed after April 1, 2005, is A or B rated and has been put in by a qualified Corgi installer.
Even before the packs come into play the purchaser's solicitor's search will flag up the missing documentation — which could delay the sale.
Under the new rules, all boilers installed in British homes must have an A or B efficiency rating, which effectively means a condensing boiler. But the efficiency ratings have been criticised by several boiler makers, including Baxi/Potterton. Models are rated for energy efficiency by a government quango called Sedbuk, but the rating bands are so wide all models are rated A or B, and most are in the A band.
A spokeswoman says: "This leaves little incentive for firms to improve their efficiency. If they are already A rated, that's as far as they need to go. Any further improvements are not reflected in the ratings."
According to government figures condensing boilers can save up to 37% on gas bills. That means, the government says, an average yearly saving of £160 for a family living in an average three- bed semi with an annual heating bill of £450. Ministers hope at least 1.1m will be sold before next April.
One energy supplier says: "This is the government's biggest move to reduce damage to the environment since the introduction of unleaded petrol in 1986.
What you say
A selection of your letters following last week's J&M article on condenser boilers.
· When we were renewing our heating system, British Gas was very keen that we should have a condensing boiler, using all kinds of arguments including environmental considerations.
We have found that our new boiler is both bigger and noisier than our previous 12-year old boiler. The installers kept commenting that the new condensing boilers are bigger and more complex than the average household actually needs.
British Gas had trouble finding components that were compatible with the Bosch model we had fitted.
Then there are the huge wafts of steam issued from the vent outside, making us feel as if we have set out to sea on a steam boat. Neighbours comment on it.
Also we said we wanted a boiler that could cope with demand from several parts of the house at once, but we have found that if someone switches on a tap or flushes a loo in one part of the house, the water supply drops to a boiling/ freezing trickle elsewhere.
Caroline Clark, London
· Woe woe and thrice woe. We have had one for five years or so, when we had it fitted we had difficulty finding anyone willing to do the work, since then nothing but a catalogue of faults, and moaning from plumbers called out to fix them.
Some plumbers won't even come out when they hear it's a condensing boiler. The plumber we did press into service sucked on a straw and claimed they were always going wrong. People visiting ask whether we are living near an airport it is so noisy on start up. The last plumber called out said he didn't know what was wrong and suggested we replaced it with a non-condensing boiler before the April 1 deadline.
Finally, we called out British Gas on a fixed price visit. The engineer fixed it all.
I have not even bothered to try and calculate if we are saving money by using less gas, as we have spent so much on plumbers that it would be a Pyrrhic victory. As to saving the planet ...
Nigel Mason, via email
· Your feature did not square with my own long experience with condenser boilers. I have had two installations, based on Vaillant condenser boilers, in two houses. The first was in 1987, and I lived in that house for three years with no problems whatsoever. The second was in 1999, and I still live in this house, and again I've had no problems.
Contrary to the thrust of your article I would urge your readers to "Go Condenser". The environmental case alone is unarguable but especially as the house I owned between Vaillant installations had a more conventional system which required regular servicing, with attendant cost and inconvenience, and cost a lot more to run.
Robin Watts, Isle of Wight
· I absolutely agree with the sentiments expressed regarding plumbing technology and plumbers — would that we could get the two to match.
We installed a condensing boiler two years ago as our old one was on its last legs —it was just eight years old — but a British Gas repairman said it would not be covered if it broke down again and we wanted to be more energy and space efficient and do away with our hot water tank to make way for a loft conversion.
The boiler (Ideal Icos) is better than the old one in getting hot water to the kitchen, but it produces an amazing amount of steam at the vent.
We were advised to keep the hot water switched on constantly but found that the radiators were all heating up.
A plumber explained the fitters used as much of the existing pipework as possible leaving the heating at the top of the house as very variable as is pressure to the loft bathroom shower.
We will have to pay a pretty penny to sort out the funny pipework. Maybe a degree in plumbing is the answer.
Hilary Luder, via email