Quote:I've been told that condensing combis will save on the energy bills but they are very unreliable as the technology is still developing, and that repairs are expensive
Complete rot. The person who told you this probably isn't trained to fit condensing boiler,doesn't know what he/she is looking at and therefore has spun you some line so that they can fit what they are used to. Without wishing to sound arrogant, we have been installing both conventional and condensing boilers for over 7 years now and we have markedly fewer problems with condensing boilers IF they are correctly installed, commissioned and maintained.
Admittedly there were some teething problems some 6-8 years ago with corrosion due to condensate buildup and aluminium components but all the major manufacturers have dealt with this and the Vaillant Ecomax range are virtually trouble free IF - and this is a big IF, they are correctly installed and commissioned. They also need to be serviced every year to avoid possible problems with blockages to condensate drain and to make sure that the boiler is working at optimum efficiency. Whoever you get to fit any condensing boiler MUST have a gas analyser in order to correctly commission it.
Repairs are no more expensive than any other boiler type - a PCB is a PCB etc. If you contact some of the better players in the condensing market, Vaillant, Viesman, Worcester etc and ask them for the contact details of reliable installers in your area they should be able to help you.
There is a government initiative at the moment which allows a significant slice off the price of many high efficiency (condensing) boilers - check out the A1 boiler scheme run by NPower. Any reputable installer should be able to give you some help towards the price of a condensing boiler via this scheme. As of 6th April 2005 only high efficiency boilers will be available for installation so now is the time to purchase if you want to take advantage of the discount which we are told is probably going to end later this year.