I thought replacing my boiler would be time-consuming and complicated - but with BOXT, it only took about 20 minutes of my time

I had a new boiler installed by BOXT in my three-bedroom home to set me up for the winter months, and I reviewed the whole process to help you decide if it’s the right route for you.

And while the idea of replacing my old and inefficient boiler filled me with dread, I shouldn’t have been concerned. The whole process was quick, easy, and extremely professional. This is everything you need to know.

In a nutshell

I’ve known for a couple of years that our old, inefficient boiler would need to be replaced in the near future, but the hassle associated with it had always put me off. But when our Renovation and Home Energy Editor, Sarah, had great things to say about BOXT after having BOXT air conditioning installed in her home over the summer, I figured they’d be a good bet — and they were.

The process is quick and simple: all you need to do is answer a few questions on the website to find a variety of boilers that suit your home and needs. You can feel confident that your fixed-price installation quote won’t change if you need time to weigh up your decision — and if you choose to go ahead, you can book your installation as early as the next day.

From my experience, there’s very limited input on your part. All you need to do is upload photos of your current boiler and setup to the app or through email, (you'll be given clear instructions of exactly what pictures are required), and the dedicated team of BOXT boiler engineers will make sure your choices are suitable and won’t require any extra work or hit any snags along the way. This is ideal if you're really not sure about the ins and outs of boiler replacement, as the BOXT team are there as a safety net.

When it’s all done, you can keep track of all of your information and certificates on the app, while having constant communication with BOXT and their team. The one-year workmanship guarantee on all installations, coupled with the manufacturer’s warranty (which can be up to 12 years, depending on the product), also helps you rest easy. I know I have been, and I wish I’d done it sooner.

Ordering the BOXT boiler

As someone with limited knowledge of boilers and not a lot of time to spare, I really appreciated how simple it was to get a boiler quote with BOXT. The online tool guided me through the whole process, asking me simple questions such as whether I’m a homeowner or landlord, the type of fuel my current boiler uses, what type of boiler I have, and general questions about the rooms and radiators in my house.

Then, things got a little more technical. The online tool asked me where my flue comes out, how far the current boiler is from my outside wall, how close my flue is to the ground, and whether my flue is 30cm or more from a door or window. This required some more input on my part, as I had to double-check and measure these distances.

I was worried I would do this wrong, but there were helpful prompts on the screen to guide me through the process. I’d later learn that BOXT would also require photographic evidence of the information I’d supplied, in order to help their team of dedicated engineers get the lay of the land and determine whether my current setup met current legislation and guidelines (spoiler alert: they didn’t!)

All in all, there were 22 questions to answer. And when I’d submitted all of my responses, I supplied my postcode to give me the dates available for the installation —which can be the next working day if you order by 3pm.

I was then faced with a wide range of boiler options to suit my home and needs, and I must admit I was very impressed with the selection available. However, I was also a little daunted by the options, as a lot of the makes and models didn’t mean a lot to me.

Handily, though, BOXT offers little hints at the top of each option - such as ‘compact model,’ ‘latest model’, and even ones that offer a 0% finance payment plan. The specifications of each option are also clearly stated, from the included warranty to the central heating output and any extras, such as carbon monoxide alarms, fittings, and the included removal of my old boiler. I decided to go for the brand’s bestseller, a Worcester Bosch Greenstar 4000 25kw

It’s at this stage that you can also bolt on optional extras, such as a fancier thermostat and a MagnaCleanse Flush. These are totally optional, and I didn’t feel as though I was being forced to add them to my booking.

As it was flagged that I live in a hard water area, it was also recommended that I add an in-line scale reducer to my order, which cost me an extra £65. Again, though, this was completely optional, and I was happy to pay the extra as I wanted to make my heating system as efficient as possible.

The booking system also made me aware that current building regulations require every radiator in your home (except one) to have a TRV (thermostatic radiator valve). As my radiators were old and outdated, I also added these for £40 a pop. If you already have TRVs, though, you won’t need to add these on.

Arranging installation

Once you’ve chosen your boiler and any added extras, arranging installation couldn’t be easier. I was greeted with an open calendar listing all available installation dates, and I could have even chosen the following day if I wanted to.

In most cases, choosing a date won’t cost you a penny. On quieter days, you can even get a discounted rate. However, if you choose a weekend, you will need to pay an extra £100. Personally, I went for the next week to give myself time to prepare and chose a Thursday so I wouldn’t have to pay any extra.

Almost immediately after I’d placed the order, I received an email from BOXT asking me to submit pictures to prove the answers I’d provided earlier on were correct. And while you can simply send these pictures via email, I decided to download the app to make the process even easier — and it was seamless.

I was a little worried about the pictures, not knowing exactly what they needed to see, but BOXT made this easy by providing helpful examples and I was assured that the engineers would be in touch if the pictures didn’t meet their requirements.

In my case, I needed to send them evidence of:

• The boiler, including the area above and below it
• The existing controls
• The flue exit
• The front of my house
• My gas meter
• The pipes underneath or above my boiler

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During this stage, BOXT stresses that their technical team must review these pictures by 3pm on the working day before the installation. If you don’t send them in time, they might have to reschedule, and you may be charged.

A few days after this, I received a phone call from one of the BOXT engineers, confirming that my pictures provided all the information they needed and that the boiler I’d chosen would be a suitable fit for the space and my home in general.

I was also given more information about the boiler engineer that would be coming on the day, as well as the general running order of the day — in terms of when the boiler would be delivered (it arrives between 7:30 and 9:30 am on the morning of the installation via courier), when the engineer would arrive, and how long it would roughly take.

He also explained any potential problems that could arise during the day, like having to replace the gas pipe running to my home, but stated that this would come at no extra cost to me if that was the case. Luckily, it wasn’t!

All in all, the ordering and booking process couldn’t have been simpler, and I was really impressed with BOXT's communication. I even received text messages and emails the day before and the morning of the installation to confirm everything.

What was the installation process like?

As my boiler cupboard sits behind my sofa in the living room and is used to store all kinds of junk, I spent some time clearing the area around the boiler — and the contents of the cupboard — the night before the installation. This was to ensure the engineer, Kevin, would be able to get cracking as soon as he arrived.

The morning of the installation, the engineer and the boiler arrived separately. As per his text message the night before, Kevin arrived at 8am on the dot and immediately introduced himself. In his hands, he had protective floor coverings, which he put down before he set foot in my house. He then covered the entire area from the front door to the boiler cupboard to keep my floors clean.

He then explained everything he would be doing throughout the day, and was more than happy to answer any questions I had about the process. And while Kevin works for BOXT as a contractor, I felt confident in his ability and his professionalism, as all of BOXT’s installers are vetted and audited to ensure they adhere to the company’s high standards.

The new boiler then arrived by courier at 8:30, and the engineer explained that my old boiler and all the packaging from the new boiler would be picked up later in the day, so I wouldn’t have to dispose of anything myself. This was a huge relief, as I wouldn’t even know where to begin with disposing of an old boiler.

Over the next few hours, I largely left Kevin to it — not wanting to get in his way, but making him a cup of tea every so often and ensuring his supply of biscuits was readily available. But whenever he had to do anything that would affect me, like turning the water off for a few hours or switching the power off, which left me without internet — he always gave me advance notice. This meant I could go to the toilet one last time, get a few glasses of water prepped, and make sure the work on my computer, since I work from home, was saved.

As I was simply replacing an old boiler with a new one, the installation process was straightforward. Kevin worked hard for a full day and thankfully didn’t encounter any problems along the way. However, if you want to move your boiler, replace the type of boiler, or have a gas line replaced, it may take longer than that.

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Before Kevin left, he gave me a complete rundown of what he’d done and the changes he’d had to make to our setup to make it regulation-compliant. This included a new carbon monoxide alarm placed a certain distance and height away from the boiler (and not just plopped on top of the boiler as it had been before), insulation around the condense pipe outside, and placing a cage around the flue due to its close proximity to the ground and our neighbours.

He also spent a good 30-45 minutes running through the new boiler and central heating controls with my husband and I. He explained the on-screen boiler controls, what to do in the event of any problems, and how to use the thermostat. He even took the time to set up our thermostatic controls to suit our needs, so we haven’t had to change anything since.

When he left, the house was just as clean as when he arrived, and he made sure to take all his rubbish with him. He also told me to keep an eye on the app, where I could see my warranty and view all my job certificates and information, like the Gas Safety Certificate, the workmanship guarantee, and even the user manuals for my new boiler and thermostat.

This is a nice touch, as this means that I don’t have to store (and potentially lose) hard copies of these. By having them in an app, I can have them to hand at all times and print them off if needed.

It’s worth noting that, throughout the process, the engineer had to take photos of his work to prove to BOXT auditors that everything had been completed to their exacting standards. About a week after the installation, I was contacted by a BOXT auditor named Sean to arrange a quick 30-minute visit to check something that had come up during the audit — but fortunately, it turned out to be an issue with an unclear photo rather than a problem with the work itself.

Nevertheless, having both the BOXT-approved engineer and a BOXT auditor verify that the work was correct and safe left me extremely confident in the process.

What’s the boiler like to use?

As I write this, I’ve been living with my boiler for a couple of weeks now. And while I didn’t think it would make that much of a difference to my central heating system, the impact was obvious.

In fact, after our first couple of showers with the new boiler, my husband and I had to change our water temperature as it was just too hot - despite the fact that it was set to the same temperature our old boiler had been set at. This was a great sign, though, as it proved that this new boiler was more efficient.

It’s also obvious that our heating system heats up faster, and the addition of the TRVs means that we can now adjust each radiator’s temperature accordingly to help save some pennies.

In the long run, I also expect a more efficient boiler to cut our energy bills further, and BOXT now has a boiler savings calculator — an interactive tool that shows how much you can save by upgrading your boiler based on your property type and the age of your current boiler.

Based on my old setup vs my new setup, I should be saving almost £10 a month on my energy bills — so I can’t wait to see that pay off, quite literally!

Is a BOXT boiler installation worth it?

I put off buying a new boiler for a long time because I thought the process would be stressful and complicated, but having BOXT on hand to handle everything made it seamless. For anyone looking to upgrade their boiler, I couldn’t recommend them highly enough.

Choosing the perfect boiler for my home took no more than 20 minutes, booking slots are wide open (even for the next day), and the installation couldn’t have been easier. The engineer and everyone I spoke to from BOXT were also extremely knowledgeable and kept me up to date on every step of the way, and I feel confident that the replacement adheres to legal requirements and is the right choice for my home.

Of course, you do need to make sure that you can dedicate at least a day to being home and allowing the engineer to do what they need to do — but that’s just part and parcel of having a new boiler installed.

If you're seeing signs you boiler needs replacing, then definitely check out BOXT's offering.