BER Assessor recommends new boiler and back door but are they really necessary?

P

pateli

Guest
I have just had the outside of my house insulated and the chap doing the BER check has advised me to Replace my Back door which is Aluminium and he says it causes heat loss. He also recommended replaceing my Potterton Gas Boiler which is 19 yo and works perfectly he says I need a more efficient one I am an OAP and dont want to be spending money unneccessarily.Any suggestions as to how Ishould proceed.
 
I would leave it for the time being and see if you make any substantial saving with having the insulation done. You could always hang a curtain at the back door to help with the loss of heat.
 
I got my house insulated and it really showed up the heat loss through the back door which was wooden and single glazed. We now have a PVC door which is double glazing & properly sealed - it has made a hugh difference.
 
I would hang on to the stove until it breaks down. I had aluminium windows and doors once the old silver type and all though double glazed they were the worst thing I ever had, the condensation on the frames in winter was dreadful and they felt as cold as ice.

If your not selling up then only do what you can afford.
 
You should ring a few PVC door companies. They will often have doors in stock that weren't used for the purpose they were made for (wrong size, colour, design, etc. for the original job). One of these might be very close to the size you need and would probably be available at about half the original price. This worked for a friend of mine who was looking for a PVC window. Good luck.
 
A modern PVC double glazed door will retain heat better than an older aluminium door.

A modern condensing gas boiler can achieve seasonal efficiencies of around 95% compared to around 60-70% at best for a 20 yr old model.

However replacing your boiler will cost you at best €1600 (€700 redeemable through SEAI) for materials and labour and a new PVC double glazed door will cost €600-€700 ballpark.

Taking grants into account thats still €1500 to fork out. Thats a fair amount of gas. What is you annual spend on gas? How long will it take you to repay your investment from these savings. You do not have to change your boiler if you dont want to. Just keep it serviced regularly.

Its easy to make recommendations without considering the cost of these recommendations. Not all BER assessors know what they're talking about.
 

Very true.
 
Interestingly enough I was posting on another thread re gas central heating and had posted details of my annual spend on gas which is approx 1k for heat and hob, 2500 sq ft house, plenty of heat, I dont skimp, I like it warm. Anyway other posters felt this was cheap and asked about the boiler, I also have a 19yr old Potterton that has never given me any trouble and I never have to turn the dial past 1 (it goes to 5), at just past 1 the water is roasting and the heaters almost too hot to touch. I would be very slow to change my boiler when it is working fine, I dont believe it would reduce my cost sufficiently to make it worthwhile.
 
Time enough to change it when it starts to give bother.

With regard to the door either a uPVC or a Multipoint Locking Teak Door would be way way better than an aluminium door.
 
I replaced my backdoor a few yrs ago, it cost me just over a grand all in. I happened to visit B&Q for something else, and noticed they were selling PVC doubleglazed doors for about €250 -300.00. That was a yr ago or so, but you might check them out, and see if you can get someone to fit it.

As for the boiler, I have a C rated one, but to upgrade would cost me about €3000 -4000. That's some price, and as the earlier poster said, some amount of gas. I'll hold onto it for the minute.
 
Pateli,

I had house insulated recently and required a BER cert. The assessor made some reccommendations, ie that we replace all bulbs with energy efficient bulbs. that we fit a wood burner boiler (not after having oil fitted 1 year ago) but he stressed they were only recommendations, not essential to receive the grant. Replacing your door and boiler may lead to increased energy savings, but the old adage "If it's not broke, why fix it" comes to mind.

Da
 
wbbs said:
my annual spend on gas which is approx 1k for heat and hob.
Click to expand...

Say the new boiler and door saves 30% on gas bills (generous estimate since standing charges will make up a portion of your bill) then you are looking at at least a 5 yr payback.

I'm not advising you not to do it but you need to take the costs into account as well as the benefits.

It just irks me so much that someone with no technical background who does a 3 day course can set themselves up as a BER assessor and give advice on what is the best way to reduce energy bills.

And before anyone pulls me on it, I know there are many excellent BER assessors out there but I doubt it was their BER Assessor "training" that gave them the knowledge that makes them good at their jobs
 

Whatever about the minute loss of heat, there are many ways to keep yourself warm and as for the rooms, you need only to keep the chill at bay.

Keep your money in your pocket
 

Did you look at SEAI to see if you are entitled to this sort of work done free? or a grant? Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) may give you a grant because you are a pensioner for a heating upgrade - check out SEAI Warm homes Scheme.
 
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