Are you concerned about Brexit, and whether or not you should be buying a British boiler?
As I’m sure you’re aware, Brexit is a complicated issue. You may be concerned about where to invest your money in terms of which boiler you should be purchasing for your home.
Perhaps you’ve even heard the price of some materials has increased recently. The cost of copper, boilers and radiators has gone up substantially, which is worrying.
But you also like the idea of buying a good, well-known brand like Worcester Bosch or Vaillant. So, what should you be doing?
As an experienced heating engineer, I’m going to tell you my opinion of how Brexit will affect things, and whether you should invest British boiler above other makes.
Is Brexit going to affect many boiler brands?
As I mentioned above, the cost of boilers and other materials has risen significantly since Brexit was announced. All manufacturers seem to be blaming Brexit for this increase, however in my opinion, it seems like there’s a bit of profiteering going on – based on various things I’m hearing in the industry right now.
Brands such as Baxi, Ideal and Vauxhall are currently shouting about being made in Britain to try and resonate with the consumer. ‘Made in Britain’ seems to be appearing on more and more products over the past year, and people are becoming more loyal to British products.
As for Worcester Bosch, they currently have a factory here in the UK, owned by the Bosch group. I’m not sure Brexit will really affect them at all, so there’s no reason not to keep buying. Vaillant on the other hand, have a UK plant, but 50% of their boilers come from Germany.
Brexit may affect the way they do things, and they might find themselves sitting on the fence, deciding what to do. Their choices are to either stop importing a certain amount of boilers in the UK, or make more here. It could be very expensive, but we’ll find out later into Brexit negotiations.
Will manufacturing plants stay in the UK?
I can’t see manufacturing plants moving outside the UK. For domestic boilers, Britain is one of the biggest markets in Europe. Germany and Sweden both use a system called ‘district heating’ and ‘block heating’. This means they have a boiler plant to heat all the houses in an estate, or a large boiler heating all of the flats in a block.
This is more common in other parts of the Europe. In the UK, almost every home or apartment has its own gas boiler. This means the British market is very different from the likes of Germany, Belgium, Scandinavia etc. and we’re actually the biggest market for single domestic boilers.
So, if plants were to move out of the UK – in other words, where they’re sold – then manufacturers would have to pay tax to get them back to the UK. It just doesn’t make any sense!
How will Brexit affect buying boilers in future?
Hold on while I grab my crystal ball. But seriously, I can’t see Brexit affecting British boilers like Baxi, Ideal or the most popular Worcester Bosch brands. Vaillant? Only the future will tell.
The only thing I can see if the price of boilers going up, as parts are being manufactured outwith the UK. In fact, the price of boilers has already increased, so it might be worth your while buying a boiler sooner rather than later.
For Italian and other European brands such as Vokera, Ariston, and Intergas, they probably will be affected depending on tariffs. It might not be cost-effective to sell in the UK unless brands have a plant in the UK. It could cost hundreds or even thousands of pounds.
Other companies could end up gaining more market share because of this.
Advice from an experienced heating engineer
I’d say that if you’re living in the UK and looking for a boiler, stick to the top brands. Your best bets are Worcester Bosch, Baxi, and Ideal, due to the fact they manufacture in the UK. Stay away from Italian brands or things predominantly manufactured abroad. If something goes wrong in five or seven years, getting parts could cost a fortune!
We personally saw a massive downturn, shortly after the election was announced. However, we’ve noticed that since the election, our phones have been ringing again. People are worried about Brexit, and what’s going on politically at the moment.
I can’t guarantee the future. However, as things develop over the next 18 months, and do your research, look for updates on the internet. There’s no hard and fast rules about how this is going to play out. Click on news articles, and see if it’s going to affect you buying.
Look at sticking to British or British-manufactured brands as futureproofing yourself. It might pay off in the long-run!
Conclusion
Not sure if you should buy a British boiler because of Brexit? It’s true that Brexit could potentially have a big impact on brands such as Vokera, Ariston and Vaillant. However, the most popular brands – including Worcester Bosch which has a manufacturing plant in the UK – should still be fine.
Do you have any more specific questions about European or British boilers – and how Brexit will affect them? Let me know in the comments. I promise to help!
