I reduced my energy bill by over £50 in just 1 month after engineer’s simple change

Although heating the home is the last thing you want to think about at this time of year, given the UK weather reaching temperatures of 30C, I’ve been having a few problems with my heating and hot water, which are both controlled by the boiler. With my current boiler due for a service, it was the perfect time for a boiler upgrade. Plus, summer is the perfect time to update a boiler as there will be less demand. Newer boilers are more efficient, meaning they use less energy to heat, and therefore reduce your energy bills.

For my boiler upgrade, I used BOXT, who are experts in heating and cooling, with their next-day boiler installation service being their most well-known offering. This five-star rated company on Trustpilot has a fixed price promise, which means no nasty surprises come installation day, and they won’t be beaten on price by comparable national services. I used BOXT to supply and fit a replacement boiler for a detached house. The home has four bedrooms and a closed plan living space which has a kitchen, bathroom, living room and a dining room.

There is double glazing throughout, but the insulation is not great. The home was fitted with an ideal combi boiler (in the kitchen), and while it was not that old, the rooms were taking a while to heat up.

Booking a BOXT boiler installation 

The process is all online and really easy. There is a live chat function and a number to call should you get stuck, but the step-by-step booking is completely user-friendly. You order your new boiler and book installation in one go. 

All you have to do is answer some easy questions about your home and your current heating setup. This includes what type of home you have; how many bedrooms; whether the boiler will be in the same place; and what your flue is like. They also ask questions about the positioning of the flue to work out if there will be access issues and to check the existing setup is building regulation compliant. You need no technical knowledge to answer the questions – the most technical question is answering what type of boiler you have, though there are prompts to help if you aren’t sure.

Once you answer these questions, you are given a list of suitable boilers and prices. BOXT cleverly works out what will suit your property, without having to visit you first. These are listed in price order, or with the recommended buy at the top. They clearly display the heating output and warranty, alongside the basic specs. 

I was recommended the Worcester Bosch 4000 30kW for a fixed price installation of £2,545. I checked the price of buying this boiler alone, and it is over £1,670 with many installation services costing from £1,600, including VAT – though without the fixed price promise BOXT offer, you can’t be sure of the end figure. The BOXT offering also comes with a 10-year guarantee, so you can rest easy if anything goes wrong.

When you select your boiler, you can also choose to add on radiators, should you need new or replacement fittings. As my kitchen radiator needed replacing, now was the perfect time. Just like with their boilers, the experts at BOXT are able to guide you on which types of radiators will work best for you, depending on your home. As BOXT didn’t stock vertical radiators, I purchased one elsewhere, and they were able to fit it for a small extra fee.

Boiler add-ons available 

After choosing the boiler, I had the option to include thermostats and a selection of Google Nest or Hive Active smart heating and voice assistant products. You can get a basic room thermostat included for free, but I liked the idea of having smart control over the heating, so I chose the Hive Thermostat Mini.

If you already own smart heating assistants, you can choose to have these connected to your new boiler, too.

As I live in a hard water area, it was recommended that I include an in-line scale reducer. It helps to prevent the build-up of scale throughout the home, and remains effective over many years, depending on water usage.

What happens next?

After putting the order through, I got an email confirming everything I’d bought and the installation date and time. I was then asked to send in several photos to help the engineer know about your boiler setup. This is simple – just six pictures showing the boiler, current boiler controls, pipework around the boiler and the position of the flue, your gas meter, then one of the front of your home. To take the photos correctly, there are examples which I found to be a big help.

As previously mentioned, if you book by 3pm, they can offer next-day supply and installation in most places. However, I booked for two weeks later as I had a busy schedule. I was sent a reminder email the day prior detailing the time and the name of the installer.

The email also includes a video telling you what to expect on the day. This is great for making sure you have prepared your home (already tidied stuff out of the way) to make installation as easy as possible, and also offers peace of mind about the process.

Boiler installation day

Andrew, the engineer fitting my boiler, was confirmed to arrive between 7am and 10am – an early start, but boiler fittings can take a while.

Andrew arrived before the boiler itself was delivered by courier, before 8am. He started by explaining what was involved and asked where I wanted my radiator. The boiler was up and running just after midday, but it took a little longer as the radiator pipes needed altering as I was changing from a horizontal to a vertical radiator. 

As well as fitting the boiler, Andrew was able to relocate the condensate pipe, as we always have a problem with it freezing during winter.

As Andrew finished up, he gave me a full rundown of the boiler operation. He also walked me through using the Hive thermostat and helped me access the app on my phone, explaining how to get the most out of the device. Before heading off, Andrew made sure to clean and tidy up the area around the boiler.

Post-boiler installation 

Once the boiler has been installed, you’ll get the warranty for your records and an explanation of BOXT’s cover plans. It also explains that you will need yearly services to keep the warranty valid and tells you that the boiler fitting has been registered with building control, with a certificate to follow in the next six weeks. 

They also let you know how to get in touch with them via phone, live chat and their customer service email. I tested the live chat after installation with a separate plumbing issue and got a reply in seconds from one of their engineers.

Overall verdict

Although local trades might offer boiler installation for less, next-day installation is highly unlikely, and you may not have access to the wide range of additional products and services that BOXT offer. If you want an easy, quick and convenient boiler installation, then BOXT is definitely for you – especially if you want to upgrade to smart heating controls at the same time. 

Installation is professional, tidy and well-communicated, and from booking to fitting, you feel like you are kept in the loop at all times. Their aftercare is great too, with warranties of up to 10 years on their boilers and the offer of home cover to keep everything ticking over. I couldn’t find any faults, so I’m giving them five stars.

Since upgrading my boiler, I was curious to see whether I could notice the impact it had. I now find that the hot water heats up so much faster than before and, in turn, so does my radiator. I also decided to check on my energy bill and compare it from April (when I had the boiler installed) to May, overall it saved me just over £50, £52.83 to be specific. While this may not sound like a lot, it’s sure to save me more during the winter period.

However, for those looking for alternative boiler installation companies, Heatable is a popular option to go for. Just like BOXT, they have received an average rating of five stars on Trustpilot. 

Alternatively, iHeat advertises for “quick and easy” boiler installations and is also highly rated on Trustpilot.