If the boiler hasn’t been serviced in years, it could be running inefficiently—costing more to operate or even leaking carbon monoxide. Would it be worth requesting an efficiency check (e.g., a boiler’s ERP rating or combustion test) alongside the GSC, or is that overkill for a non-renovation purchase? If they refuse, does £2k still cover potential inefficiency risks, or should I adjust my retention?
Answer
Given the lack of boiler service history, should I also be concerned about the heating system’s energy efficiency?
Best answer by Ben_OVO
Morning
I can’t give an opinion personally on whether the efficiency check would be overkill, however I can let you know exactly what would be included in the Gas Safety Check to help you make up your mind.
What is a Gas Safety Check?
Having a gas safety check ensures:
- Gas appliances are on the right setting and burning correctly with the correct operating pressure
- Harmful gases are being removed from appliances safely and released outside
- Ventilation routes are clear and working properly
- All the safety features in gas appliances are working correctly
If faults are found, we’ll take the following action to help you:
- Gas leak – We’ll contact National Grid so they can attend the property as an emergency.
- Faulty appliance – We’ll highlight this to you so you can contact a local Gas Safe registered engineer to arrange for the fault to be repaired.
- Unsafe appliance – The engineer may condemn the appliance for safety reasons, in line with the current legislation. It's up to the customer or property owner to arrange for it to be fixed.
Who can get one for free?
You’ll need to meet all of the following criteria:
- Have not had a gas safety check within the last 12 months
- Be currently receiving a means tested benefit
- Not live in a rented property (it's the responsibility of the landlord (under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974) to ensure that these appliances are safe and that yearly checks are undertaken)
You’ll also need to fulfil at least one of the following:
- Live with others, at least one of whom is under five years old
- Be of pensionable age, be disabled or chronically sick and living alone
- Live with others who are of pensionable age or under 18 and disabled or chronically sick
Morning
I can’t give an opinion personally on whether the efficiency check would be overkill, however I can let you know exactly what would be included in the Gas Safety Check to help you make up your mind.
What is a Gas Safety Check?
Having a gas safety check ensures:
- Gas appliances are on the right setting and burning correctly with the correct operating pressure
- Harmful gases are being removed from appliances safely and released outside
- Ventilation routes are clear and working properly
- All the safety features in gas appliances are working correctly
If faults are found, we’ll take the following action to help you:
- Gas leak – We’ll contact National Grid so they can attend the property as an emergency.
- Faulty appliance – We’ll highlight this to you so you can contact a local Gas Safe registered engineer to arrange for the fault to be repaired.
- Unsafe appliance – The engineer may condemn the appliance for safety reasons, in line with the current legislation. It's up to the customer or property owner to arrange for it to be fixed.
Who can get one for free?
You’ll need to meet all of the following criteria:
- Have not had a gas safety check within the last 12 months
- Be currently receiving a means tested benefit
- Not live in a rented property (it's the responsibility of the landlord (under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974) to ensure that these appliances are safe and that yearly checks are undertaken)
You’ll also need to fulfil at least one of the following:
- Live with others, at least one of whom is under five years old
- Be of pensionable age, be disabled or chronically sick and living alone
- Live with others who are of pensionable age or under 18 and disabled or chronically sick
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- Plan Zero Hero
As long as the boiler passes the GSC then of course it’s good/safe to use.
Efficiency is a whole other question.
“If the boiler hasn’t been serviced in years,”
Suggests that it’s an older boiler and so whilst operating perfectly well it is probably not as efficient as a newer boiler.
That’s more to do with improvements in boiler design rather than ageing.
So you then have to try and weigh up if the efficency savings you may get from a brand new boiler will repay the cost of a new bouler in a reasonable time period.
As this appears to be a house purchase then you will have no consumption figures of you own to go off so you can only realy calculate using the ‘average’ consumption figures for that type of property.
Difficult to say but my feeling is that you are not going to be able to justify a new boiler on efficency savings alone.
So unless the boiler breaks down and cant be repaired, or you just fancy a new one, keep using the one that’s there.
PS. You use the term “a non-renovation purchase” which makes me wonder if this is a BTL and you will be letting it to tenants, hence the GSC?
Although I have never know a landlord be that bothered about fuel efficency in their rental properties unless it’s an All-inclusive tenancy.
(All Inclusive has become fairly rare in most areas since many LLs got stung when fuel prices shot up and they couldn’t just pass the increases on to existing TAs as a rent increase.
It was particular bad for student rental LL’s where an all-inclusive price can be agreed/fixed up to 12 months in advance of the tenancy actually statring).
I said, Hey - Watts going on.
+1- Plan Zero Hero
My major concern would be carbon monoxide leaking from the boiler. Because gas boilers have a fan the pressure inside the boiler case tends to be above atmospheric and any CO will be vented into the space surrounding the boiler. At the very least I would get a carbon monoxide detector and place it at the top of the boiler which is what my Gas Safe maintenance engineer said to do. Residue in the gas can build up on the burners causing incomplete combustion and the production of CO. Part of the maintenance is to clean the burners and then check the level of CO production. Above a certain level the boiler would be marked as condemned.
- Carbon monoxide alarm now
- Get it checked ASAP
Peter
Reducing my yearly fossil fuel usage with an EV (-900 litres petrol), A2AHP (-8,500 kWh gas) and Timed Immersion heater (-1,500 kWh gas)
- Plan Zero Hero
The GSC tester will check for and pick up on any CO production, they also check that any gasses that are being produced are being safely vented to outside.
If CO is being produced that the boiler will/should fail the GSC.
It’s one of the reasons why rental properties must have a new GSC each year.
I agree that you should also have a CO monitor/alarm, same as you should have Smoke and Heat alarms. (All 3 are mains wired and interlinked in my flat)
I said, Hey - Watts going on.
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