British Gas Leaves Which Cold
Published: Sunday, March 1st, 2009
British Gas is one of the biggest names in the energy market, yet it stands accused by consumer watchdog Which of not offering the best deals when it comes to replacing a central heating boiler.
Which points out that given the size of British Gas and its dominance in the market, it would have expected a competitively priced boiler replacement service.
But Which discovered that on three separate occasions British Gas quoted nearly twice as much as some independent heating engineers when it came to replacing a boiler.
It also provided evidence of its disappointment, giving actual examples from Which members.
In a one-bedroomed London flat, quotes were obtained from British Gas and local independent heating engineers for replacing a 12-year-old combination boiler with a new boiler, in this case a Vaillant ecoTEC pro 28. British Gas gave the price of £3,997, whereas the lowest quote from the local boys came in at £2,000, some £1,977 less.
In Nottingham, British Gas saw fit to quote a handsome £5,106 to replace a boiler in a large house. The lowest local guy was an incredible £2,621 less at £2,485.
Switch to Manchester and to replace a heat-only boiler with a new condensing version, and you’ve guessed it, British Gas were way over the top, quoting £3,457 whilst the local contingent’s lowest quote came in with £1,700.
A British Gas spokesman came back with a comment when asked by Which to explain the large differences:
“It is difficult to provide a succinct comment, given that in all these circumstances British Gas were just one of a number of quotes the consumers explored and we didn’t actually install any of the boilers.”
So, the message is quite clear, when you’re getting quotes for replacing a boiler, speak to the local heating engineers as well as British Gas. It could save you a packet.
Guest Article by Neil Camp
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My name is Alan Potts and I'm the Editor of the Gasboiler-BUYability web site and Managing Director of BUYability Limited. You can connect with me or keep up to date with new posts on this blog via the following social media sites: 
