We have all been there. You own a ten-year-old car. At the service, there is a substantial bill to get it through the MOT. So, do you repair and maintain the car, or do you let it go?

Some fortunate people rarely encounter this issue. Perhaps they lease their car and replace the vehicle after three years.

But in that moment when the garage is giving you the bad news, a whole range of factors come into your head. Rarely will you write down the pros and cons and actually work out the maths of repair or replace.

Fear plays a massive part. Fear of an unwanted and inconvenient breakdown, just when you need the car the most. Fear that the repair won’t last the test of time. Fear that this is only the first repair of many to come, and that you are now locked into an expensive maintenance cycle.

It is a difficult decision to which there is no right or wrong answer.

With your gas fired boiler, it might surprise you to know that 40% of German boilers are over 20 years old[1], whereas in the UK 75% of homes have boilers less than 12 years old[2]. So, as a nation, the Brits chuck out boilers that probably have over a decade of life left in them.

How do we balance the economic case for repair versus replace?

Again, emotionally, no one wants their 15-year-old boiler to break on Christmas Day, especially when your plumber suggested that you replace it back in the summer. We rely on the advice our tradesmen and women give us however it might well be in their interest to recommend replacement in the hope that they are selected to do that higher value work.

The Heating Hub bust a few myths about the economics of boiler replacement. They note that you rarely gain sufficient efficiencies from a new boiler versus one installed post-2005 to make it worth the capital outlay of replacing it; they note that boilers should last on average 22 years, and that parts are well stocked on most boilers out to at least 20 years.

The same logic applies to new windows and doors. There are many reasons to replace your double glazing. Aesthetics and sound proofing are two very valid reasons. Perhaps your window or door has warped and no longer shuts properly.

But if we assume that your windows are basically sound, it will rarely make economic sense to go ahead and replace the windows and frames based on heat loss alone. You might be able to get away with replacing the hinges and the rubber seals, it may even be possible to replace the glazing units whilst retaining the frames.

At Brimstone Energy, we appreciate that your hard-earned money shouldn’t be wasted. During your heat loss survey, we’ll identify the areas that will benefit the most from an upgrade and give you an action plan for how to proceed.

We’ll give you the hard data on which you can make an informed decision.

Because we are independent, we have no vested interest in upselling you a heating system, double glazing or any other form of home improvement.

We believe that the business case for technologies like solar power stand on their own merit – but only in the right conditions (for instance the suitability of your roof orientation and shading). And it may well be that the biggest bang for your buck will be enhancements to your loft insulation prior to pressing ahead with solar.

At Brimstone Energy we stand by our values. Trust. Integrity. Quality.

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[1] Section 1 (publishing.service.gov.uk)

[2] Heating 40 million homes – the hurdles to phasing out fossil fuels in German basements | Clean Energy Wire