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MPH GROUP
Facing rising bills and his old boiler system being condemned, artist Gerard M Burns turned to MPH Group for a solution to save money
W HEN celebrated artist Gerard M Burns was told his boiler was condemned, the last person he expected to give him heating advice was a former First Minister of Scotland.
Yet thanks to the tip, Burns now has a spanking new heating system that’s not only reduced his bills by hundreds of pounds but also keeps his house warm enough to store and exhibit his paintings without risk of them being damaged by the cold.
After the recent hike to energy bills across the UK, Burns found he was paying £630 a month to heat his large house outside Glasgow, as well as a monthly charge for regular services by British Gas.
That was bad enough but the artist was shocked when, after a service last winter, he was told his boiler was condemned and it would cost around £15,000 to replace it. To make matters worse, the boiler had to be switched off even though it was December.
Left without heating, his home quickly became very cold and was “freezing” when former First Minister Alex Salmond arrived with former MP Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh to make a programme for Salmond’s online show.
“One of his shows was to be focused completely on my work but when they arrived the house was freezing even though I had heaters on in the kitchen,” said Burns.
“I told them it was a disaster as British Gas had quoted me around £15,000 to get a new boiler installed but both of them immediately said I should speak to Ewan McLean of the MPH Group who sponsor the show.”
Above, MPH Boilers staff with acclaimed artist Gerard M Burns and his new boiler
Deciding to act on their advice, Burns called McLean of the Dunfermline-based company, who paid a home visit with his team to inspect the heating system that had been installed 17 years earlier and consisted of a separate tank for water and a combi boiler for heating.
“That made sense when the children were at home and there were lots of showers but it meant we were heating this big tank of water constantly and my heating bills were really high,” said Burns.
He was told technology had moved on and now only one Navien NCB 700 54Kw combo boiler was needed which MPH Boilers would be able to supply and fit for considerably less than the price quoted by British Gas.
Burns gave the go-ahead and now has an “amazing, really neat boiler” up in the loft which heats all the hot water and keeps the house at the even temperature his paintings require.
“It was cheaper to install than the one British Gas were going to put in as they were talking about building scaffolding outside the house and I had no real control over what kind of boiler it would be,” said Burns.
“I don’t know much about boilers but Ewan sent me a lot of stuff for me to look at and offered to bring me meet people he had done work for already.
“He recommended this particular boiler which has been brilliant. The team also went round the whole house and replaced radiators they felt were suspect.”
Burns added: “I was paying way over the odds on my heating costs and the new boiler has resulted in an almost 75% saving on my gas bill which is quite incredible.
“This boiler has made an unbelievable difference to what I am using every month.”
As well as the savings and the efficiency of his new heating system, Burns values the work of the team from the MPH Group.
“Probably there are any number of people who could have fitted a new boiler for me but what made this special was the team,” he said.
“They were absolutely brilliant - they were thorough, they were quiet in the house, they put plastic down everywhere so there was no mess and they tidied up after themselves. There was a wee bit of aftercare required but they were back like a shot.
"They were absolutely fantastic.”
As well as fitting boilers, MPH Group also specialises in fitting kitchens and bathrooms and has plumbers, plasterers, tilers and electricians who can carry out any home improvements required.
The family run business has thousands of positive reviews giving it a rating of 4.8 out of five.
To find out more about MPH Group visit www.mph.group and for boiler services visit www.mphboilers.co.uk or call 0800 779 7778
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