Trianco, the leading manufacturer of central heating products entered into administration back in July with a reported loss of 43 jobs. With seemingly popular products within their portfolio (including the Trianco Aztec electric boiler, the timeless Trianco TRG solid fuel boiler, a wide range of Trianco oil fired boilers and a growing collection of renewable products) there was a real sense of shock at the news.

However, it is our understanding that Trianco and their products will rise again this time under a new company, TR Engineering, backed by the Mountcity Group. There have been quite a few rumours flying around the industry suggesting that only the Trianco solid fuel range would be retained. It now appears that the entire range of products will be continued possibly using the same pricing structure.

We will keep you updated on this story as further information becomes available. In the meantime a wide range of Trianco / TR Engineering products are still available to buy online at BHL. If you have a Trianco product and require aftersales help, take a look at this website which we hope may be of use.

Manufacturers of plumbing and heating products are not traditionally known for promoting their wares via mass media. In fact central heating has always been the poor relation when it comes to home improvement promotion.

We have all seen the TV adverts for double glazing, flooring and kitchens. But, with a few exceptions you would have been hard pressed to find advertisements extolling the virtues of plumbing and heating products outside the confines of the plumbers trade press.

The reason for this historic lack of hype is probably because plumbing and heating products were marketed exclusively to the installer rather than the end user. Mass marketing was not required because the manufacturer influenced the plumber who in turn specified the products for the consumer.

Nowadays, thanks mainly to the advent of the internet, the route to market of plumbing and heating products is changing. The end user can now research (and buy) central heating systems and products online, independent of the (biased) opinion of the plumber. Magazines such as Which?, manufacturers own websites and blogs (such as Glow-worms great Blog), plumbing forums and DIY sites help the decision making process.

This new found end user power has encouraged manufacturers to rethink their marketing strategy. Some forward thinking brands are now talking directly to the end user using a whole arsenal of methods from improved websites, social media, press advertising and even television adverts.

Worcester Bosch Group sponsor Channel 4’s weather. Saniflo and their TV adverts. I even spotted the Worcester Bosch logo being paraded during the recent Tottenham Hotspur Vs Leeds FA Cup game at White Hart Lane.

Why Vaillant? TV Commercial

The most high profile advert was Vaillant’s recent ‘Why Vaillant’ TV commercial. Vaillant are leading manufacturers of home heating products including Gas Boilers, Solar domestic hot water systems, ground source heat pumps and solar cylinders.

With Vaillant’s high profile advert designed to target the homeowner, the end user is at last beginning to influence which plumbing and heating products are installed within their home.

Central Heating is not the recent invention that most of us think, the heating of a home from one central point dates back to ancient times when first the Greeks and then the Romans devised early central heating systems to heat public baths and their private villas. The hypocaust system was an early underfloor heating system and the forerunner to modern central heating systems.

It was a further 2000 years later before the central heating system became widespread throughout the UK. Other than the occasional Victorian entrepreneur who filled his home with the latest gadgets such as a warm air heating system, it wasn’t until the late sixties that central heating became affordable and so began to revolutionise the British home.

Up until that point homes were heated mainly by solid fuel – an open fire in the fireplace with a back boiler to heat the water - the traditional scene of the family huddling around the fire. Solid fuel appliances are making a comeback and are enjoying a renaissance but the wall mounted gas boiler, usually in the kitchen is certainly king.

Back in 1966, boiler manufacturer Baxi saw the potential of offering a product designed to offer the homeowner all the conveniences of a modern gas boiler but with hints of the charm of an open fire. The Baxi Bermuda back boiler unit (bbu) had a gas boiler located within the chimney breast and a modern fire bolted to the front .

Due to changes in legislation and the fact that the Baxi Bermuda was not a high efficiency condensing boiler, the Bermuda was phased out, much to the disappointment of the Bermuda’s loyal customers. Speaking from experience, the absence of a condensing back boiler left a huge gap in the heating boiler market. There are thousands of homeowners looking to replace their old Baxi Bermuda - the only option open to them was to replace their BBU with a wall-mounted boiler, until now.. 

The recently launched Baxi Bermuda BBU HE is a modern day direct replacement for the old Bermuda models. Working in conjunction with the Valor Dimension electric fire the new Baxi Bermuda BBU HE is not a revolutionary product, rather the re-engineering of an old appliance. However, an old favourite has returned and this certainly offers a solution to thousands of homeowners requiring a replacement boiler. It would seem that established ideas are often the best.

The new Baxi Bermuda BBU HE back boiler and Valor Dimension electric fire is available to buy from BHL

First there was the car scrappage scheme, now a similar scheme for central heating boilers has been mooted. The Boiler Scrappage Scheme would work in a similar way to the car scrappage scheme

The concept of a Boiler Scrappage Scheme was concieved within the industry and clearly homeowners replacing their old boiler with a new appliance will benefit plumbers, boilers manufacturers and suppliers.

But more than that, a householder replacing an old inefficient boiler with a new condensing boiler could save more than £200 a year in gas bills. And replacing some of the millions of old boilers with efficiencies less than 70% would save thousands of tonnes of carbon dioxide emmisions every year.

A Boiler Scrappage Scheme will have all the benefits that the car scrappage scheme does, but with added clout. For example, there is nothing to prevent you replacing your old car with a new gas-guzzler. The Boiler Scrappage Scheme on the other hand would replace old inefficient boilers with new, highly efficient condensing boilers.

The scheme has attracted the support of leading figures with the industry as well as Sian Berry the 2008 Green Mayor of London candidate.

The proposed Boiler Scrappage Scheme really does make sense. You can register your support by signing the petition.

Read more about the scheme here

Buy Condensing Boilers Here

The age old question and one we hear everyday. For every soul looking for a new Boiler asks the same questions – a variation of ”Which is the best Boiler?” or ”Who makes the best boiler?”

Trying to answer these questions can prove a little tricky, particullarly when trying to remain unbiased. Buying a boiler is expensive and can be confusing and the customer faces a huge choice of seemingly comparable appliances.

Vaillant and Worcester – the Best Boilers?

Traditionally Worcester-Bosch and Vaillant are acknowledged as the best boiler brands for which I would agree (despite the fact that I am not an installer and have never got down and dirty with such an animal). How then do I then reach this conclusion? Well, years of talking to both installers and home-owners pay homage to these brands.

In my experience most engineers and installers choose to install either Worcester or Vaillant boilers and most informed home-owners will ask for a Worcester or Vaillant boiler, partly due in part I suspect to the respective manufacturers larger marketing budgets. Glowing reports in consumer magazines also help. Which? magazine (September 2009) in their ‘Best and Worst Boiler Brands’ rated both Vaillant and Worcester as their ‘Best Brands’ scoring both an impressive 83%.

The Which? report asked 3,000 of it members about their personal experiences with their boiler. Just 26% of Vaillant owners have had any problems with their new boiler in the last four years.

My Worcester Greenstar 35 HE Plus

Worcester is the most frequently bought boiler brand by those surveyed and just 29% of owners had experienced any problems. My own personal experience of Worcester is echoed. I am the owner of a six year old Worcester Greenstar 35 HE plus. Up to now the boiler has not once let me down!

Best Buy Boilers

Among the best buy appliances tested the following appliances scored highly. Baxi Duo-tec Combi 28 HE, the Glow-Worm Ultracom 24 hxi, the Vaillant ecoTEC Plus 824 Combi and Vaillant ecoTEC Plus 831 Combi and finally the Potterton Gold C24 HE Combi.

We found the Cheapest Boilers Online

A great shot in the arm for all online Plumber’s Merchants – all the Best Buy Boilers were found cheapest online. If proof was ever needed, this confirms that shopping online for Boilers (at a store like BHL or Boilers2go) is both fruitful and, so it would seem, the future consumers chosen market place.

Buy Boilers Online