Immersion controller pricing

[Energetic]

Those of you who are fitting these, are you charging a flat rate or surveying the job and pricing what you find. I'd like to charge a flat rate but there are implications with RCD protection and bonding and 3036 fuses that mean some jobs will be longer than others.

I'd also like to not have to survey them as there really isn't enough in it to warrant 2 trips out. A different story if you have guys in vans out and about perhaps...

I'm also thinking of a discounted rate for 'our' PV customers and a more expensive rate for yours (everyone elses).

Those of you with immersun, are they sending you leads or web traffic or retail enquiries?

 

[Worcester]

We have got leads direct from the immersun site, the user chooses, they pick up the phone and call us

We have a rate for a 'standard install', and tell the customer what that includes (written) and advise that if there any problems, as you've listed above, that those are chrged at £x / hour, we do a telephone survey, and ask the customers to send in photos, - we need to know distance to incoming, how the pV system is installed (henleys / exisitng CU) how is the immersion wired, is it on a timer etc etc.

It's no different really than electrcial work, when a customers asks for a new socket to be put in, - same questions / challenges / opportunities.

One would hope though that if they have PV installed the bonding should be correct - though once agains depends who did it! We aren't touching the PV system, though ot will be interesting to see other installs and how well (or not) they've been done.

What suprises me - perhpas it shouldn't though, is that none of them have aslked their PV installer for it, - they've come to us.

Their should be enough money in this to cope with the odd challenge as it goes.

To keep costs down, we schedule a number in a day, without other work, so it enables the sparks to focus on the job.

 

[whinmoor]

When you retro-fit these, can you still charge 5% VAT or is it back to 20%?

 

[Gavin A]

hmm.. we would be, but it probably is debatable if it actually is energy saving as such.

 

[Somecamel]

Surely it's classed as heating controls so the 5% should stick

 

[Gavin A]

I'll go with that argument.

 

[Worcester]

Absolutely 5%- especially as it has a timer in it (the EMMA Doesn't) so from the HMRC Guide 708/6

Para 2.6:

Central heating and hot water system controls include manual or electronic timers, thermostats, mechanical or electronic valves, including thermostatic radiator valves.

Looks V good to me!

 

[SolarCity]

Those timers are to prevent unnecessary power usage - the Immersun doesn't really do that. In fact, it could be argued that it actually wastes energy.

I'm charging 5%, but I'm not sure that the powers that be will agree. Hopefully they won't be clued up about it.

 

[SRE]

How are you calculating the savings from the Immersun? 25% @ whatever the electricity rate is - 14p possibly plus 75% at whatever the cost of the heating fuel is that would be used to heat the water so 4.8p gas, 5.7p oil, 8p lpg or 5.4p cheap rate electric????

 

[SolarCity]

There seems to be some more discussion on the main forum about the VAT rate for these devices. We're about to fit a couple so I'm still not sure what to price them at. I don't really see how they can be considered an energy saver. I didn't really want to discuss this in the main area for obvious reasons.

 

[Worcester]

As it has a electronic timer and a manual control to manager the use of the electrcity to heat the hot water, it clearly fits under

708/6, Para:
2.6 Controls for central heating and hot water systems
Central heating and hot water system controls include manual or electronic timers, thermostats, mechanical or electronic valves, including thermostatic radiator valves.

Of course the EMMA, and all of the other similar products don't have that timer, and that is a significant difference.
No discussion....

 

[Gavin A]

I'd argue the case for any of the other units also falling into the 5% bracket, as they clearly are 'controls for ... hot water systems', and the timer part is merely an example of something that would fall into this designation, rather than a requirement for it.

either way, there's no argument at all about the Immersuns, they're 5% vat when professionally installed, end of story. Anyone arguing different simply doesn't understand the relevant VAT legislation / guidance properly.

 

[Somecamel]

Pricing wise, I'm seeing what I can get for them Sold one for £1200 and another on the boil for £699

 

[Gavin A]

wow. I'd not think those sort of prices will last long. depending on the complexity of the job of course.

 

[BruceB]

I offered a free inspection for my installs after one year and am taking the opportunity to offer the Immersun. I took the lead from Gavin's site regards pricing for my first. The speed with which the customer jumped at it made me think I was undercharging. But it was a simple one: service head, meter, boiler, HW tank all in same utility room.

BTW, I agree with the analysis above that it clearly falls in the 5% category.