Why choose a local, family-run business?

When your boiler breaks down or your fuse board needs replacing, it's tempting to click the biggest name in the search results. National online installers spend heavily on advertising, and their websites are slick. But the person who actually turns up at your door matters far more than the logo on the website. Here's why choosing a local, family-run business is often the smarter choice, and how to compare any installer fairly.

You deal with the people doing the work

With a family-run business, the person who prices your job, the engineer who carries it out and the people who look after you afterwards are part of the same small team. You're not passed between a call centre, a scheduling system and whichever engineer is free that day. If you have a question, you speak to someone who knows your home and your job.

Some national and online installers use subcontracted engineers to carry out their work. That isn't necessarily a problem, but it's worth asking who will actually be fitting your boiler, and who you'll deal with if something goes wrong.

Our reputation lives on your street

A national company can absorb a bad review. A local business can't. Our work is seen by your neighbours, your family and the people you'll recommend us to, and much of our work comes from recommendations and repeat customers. That gives us every reason to get it right first time and to put things right quickly if anything isn't.

The same quality, without the middleman

Our engineers have carried out installations for some of the UK's best-known online boiler companies. When you come to us directly, you get that same experience and the same manufacturer warranties, but you deal with the engineers themselves rather than a middleman, and your money goes to the people doing the work.

We also offer the convenience you'd expect from a big company. You can get an instant fixed price online by answering a few questions and sending photos from your phone, with no home visit needed for most jobs.

Local knowledge that makes a difference

We know the housing across London and the East of England: inter-war homes in Barking and Dagenham, Victorian terraces in Waltham Forest, converted flats in Redbridge and new-build estates in Essex. Much of the area has hard water, which is why we fit the right water treatment to protect new boilers. We also know the property licensing schemes that local councils run for landlords, and what their inspectors look for.

More than one trade, one point of contact

Many local jobs need more than one skill. A new boiler might need a fused spur or a new circuit. A landlord might need a gas safety certificate, an EICR and new smoke alarms in the same week. Because we're Gas Safe registered, an NICEIC Approved Contractor and F-Gas certified, and we also handle plumbing and fire safety, one visit can often cover what would otherwise take three companies.

Your money stays in your community

Research by the Federation of Small Businesses and the Centre for Local Economic Strategies found that for every £1 spent with a small or medium-sized business, 63p was re-spent in the local area, compared with 40p for every £1 spent with a larger business. Choosing a local firm helps keep money, jobs and skills in the communities where we all live.

Aftercare from people nearby

If something needs attention after an installation, a local team based in East London can usually get to you far more easily than a company covering the whole country. You also get to know the people who look after your home, which makes annual servicing, landlord certificates and future jobs easier to arrange. See our service plans.