Straight answers
Real questions we get asked, answered plainly — including when the answer is “you don't need us for that.”
How much does a new boiler cost in Hertfordshire?
A like-for-like combi swap in Hertfordshire typically costs £1,900–£2,600 installed — including the boiler, flue, system flush, controls, labour and VAT. A conversion (say, system boiler to combi) runs higher, typically £3,200–£4,300, because pipework and cylinder removal are involved. Anyone quoting far below these ranges is leaving something out of the job or out of the price.
Read the answer →Why is my boiler losing pressure?
Boiler pressure between 1 and 1.5 bar (cold) is normal. If you've topped it up once this year, that's ordinary. If you're topping up every few weeks, something is letting water out — most often a tiny leak on a radiator valve or joint, a weeping pressure-relief valve, or an expansion vessel on its way out. None of those fix themselves, and repeated topping up masks the symptom while the cause quietly gets worse.
Read the answer →Do I need a CP12 as a landlord in Hertfordshire or London?
Yes. If you let a property with any gas appliance, flue or pipework, the law requires an annual Landlord Gas Safety Record — the CP12 — carried out by a Gas Safe registered engineer. You must give tenants a copy within 28 days of the check (or before they move in), and keep records for two years. There's no exemption for 'good condition' appliances, and the fines for missing it are far larger than the certificate costs.
Read the answer →How much does home air conditioning cost in the UK?
A single-room air-to-air system (one indoor wall unit, one outdoor unit) typically costs £1,800–£2,600 installed in the UK. Multi-room systems start around £3,400 and scale with the number of rooms. Because these systems are air-to-air heat pumps — they heat in winter as well as cool in summer — a £2,500 Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant can apply where the installation is MCS-certified and the home qualifies, which changes the maths considerably.
Read the answer →Combi or system boiler — which is right for my home?
For most homes with one bathroom, a combi wins: instant hot water, no cylinder, no tank in the loft, lower install cost. For households running two or more showers at once, a system boiler with a hot-water cylinder wins — a combi shares its output between taps, so the second shower goes lukewarm. The right answer is about how your household actually uses hot water, not which boiler is 'best'.
Read the answer →What should a proper boiler service include?
A proper annual service includes: a flue gas analysis (combustion check with an instrument, not a glance), gas pressure and flow checks, inspection of the flue run and terminal, operation of all safety devices, checks on system pressure and the expansion vessel, controls operation, a visual inspection for corrosion and leaks — all recorded, with the record left with you. It takes 45 minutes to an hour. A five-minute look and a sticker is not a service, whatever the invoice says.
Read the answer →How much does air conditioning cost to run in the UK?
Cooling a typical bedroom or living room costs roughly 15–40p per hour at current electricity prices, depending on the unit size, the temperature outside and how hard it's working. Used sensibly (cooling the room you're in, doors closed, a realistic set-point), a UK summer's cooling usually totals tens of pounds, not hundreds. In winter the same unit heats the room at roughly a third of the cost of electric radiators, because heat pumps move heat rather than generate it.
Read the answer →Do I need planning permission for air conditioning in the UK?
Usually no. Most houses can have an air-conditioning outdoor unit installed under permitted development rights, provided the unit meets the size and siting conditions (one unit, sensible position, not on the principal elevation facing a highway in some cases). The common exceptions: flats and maisonettes (freeholder/management consent, and planning rules differ), listed buildings (consent needed), and conservation areas (extra siting restrictions). We confirm which applies at the survey — before you commit.
Read the answer →How long does a boiler last — and when should I replace mine?
A decent modern boiler, serviced annually, lasts 12–15 years — some soldier on longer, but efficiency falls and parts get scarcer and pricier past that point. The rule of thumb: under 10 years old with a single fault, repair; over 12–15 with rising bills, repeat faults or discontinued parts, replacement usually wins on total cost within a couple of years. The worst option is the one most people choose: waiting for the fatal breakdown on the coldest week of the year.
Read the answer →What size boiler do I need for my house?
For a combi, size is driven mostly by hot-water demand: a one-bathroom home typically suits 24–30kW; larger homes with a big bath or two bathrooms, 30–35kW; beyond that, a combi may be the wrong type entirely (see system boilers). For heating alone, most UK homes need far less than people think — oversized boilers cycle on and off inefficiently. Proper sizing counts your radiators, bathrooms and mains flow rate; it isn't read off the house price.
Read the answer →Why is my boiler making banging, gurgling or whistling noises?
Most boiler noises map to a known cause: a rumbling 'kettling' usually means limescale or sludge on the heat exchanger; gurgling is usually trapped air or low pressure; banging on start-up can be delayed ignition — that one's worth an engineer promptly; tapping and ticking is often normal thermal expansion; whistling tends to be flow restriction or a pump issue. The pattern (when it happens, where it's loudest) tells most of the story — a short video with sound lets us tell you which you have before anyone books anything.
Read the answer →Heat pump or new boiler — what should I actually do in 2026?
Honestly: for a well-insulated home with generous radiators (or underfloor), an air-source heat pump with the £7,500 grant is a serious option. For a typical draughty UK home with microbore pipework and standard radiators, a modern boiler is still often the pragmatic swap today — with the house prepared (insulation, radiator upgrades) so a heat pump is the natural next step. And there's a middle path most people miss: air-to-air heat pumps (air conditioning that heats) can take over room-by-room heating now at low cost, with a £2,500 grant where eligible.
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