Advice · 4 min read
Five questions to ask any heating installer before you sign
Five questions that separate a survey-based quotation from a sales visit: heat loss calculations, who certifies the electrics, MCS numbers and service prices.
1. Have you carried out a room-by-room heat loss calculation?
For any renewable system this is not optional. If the answer is no, or "we'll do that after you accept", the quotation is a guess. Ask to see it.
2. Who does the electrical work, and who certifies it?
Heat pumps, solar PV, EV chargers, electric boilers and underfloor heating all involve notifiable electrical work. If it is subcontracted, you have two companies, two schedules and two points of failure. Ask for the scheme registration of whoever is issuing the certificate.
3. What is your MCS registration number?
Required for grant funding, and publicly checkable. A number given without hesitation is a good sign.
4. Who services it afterwards, and what does that cost?
A company that installs but does not service is handing you a problem in twelve months. Ask for the annual service price in writing before you sign. Ours are published: £70 + VAT for a gas boiler interim service, £95 + VAT for a full strip-down, and heat pump services from £195 + VAT.
5. Can you quote me an alternative?
A company that only fits one technology can only recommend one technology. Ask for a comparison — a heat pump against a boiler, or solar PV against solar thermal — with running costs stated and the assumptions written down.
Questions we get asked
Should I always take the cheapest quote?
Compare what is included rather than the headline figure. Scaffolding, system cleansing, controls, electrical work, certification, making good and the annual service price are all places where a cheap quote turns out not to be.
How do I check an installer is genuinely registered?
Gas Safe, NICEIC, MCS and WaterSafe all publish searchable registers. Use them.
Want this checked against your own property?
A survey costs nothing and turns general advice into specific numbers. We are Gas Safe, NICEIC and MCS accredited (NIC601962), so whichever direction the answer points, the same team can do the work.
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Read guideReady to get started?
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