What to Do When Your Boiler Is on Its Last Legs
Replacing a busted boiler is almost always a heating emergency. But taking time to answer four basic questions could help you lock in years of savings.
The best time to think about your next source of heating is well before your current one breaks.
Photographer: Mark Sommerfeld/BloombergSometimes you can tell if your gas boiler is on its last legs. Maybe it’s making funny noises, or keeps inexplicably losing pressure. Perhaps it’s simply on borrowed time: The average boiler gives up the ghost after 10 to 15 years. Whatever the impetus, chances are if your faltering boiler is powered by gas, the default plan is to replace it with the same thing.
Yes, that is still likely to be cheaper and quicker. But a 10-year lifespan is also a 10-year commitment, which makes the moment a boiler breaks — or better yet, the months before it’s about to — the best time to consider a more efficient alternative. For now, gas is still the most common source of heating in UK homes. But the European energy crisis, and concerns about the climate, have sharpened the urgency of reducing reliance on it. Last week, the British government’s net zero review recommended phasing out new gas boilers by 2033.