A compact boiler with knockout performance at an appealing price. What's not to like about the Alpha E-Tec combi boiler? Read more in our review.
Headquartered in the garden of England, Kent, Alpha Innovations is a well-established boiler manufacturer with over 50 years of experience in the heating industry, producing a staggering 7 million boilers from their manufacturing hub in Italy.
A relatively new brand in the UK boiler market, in recent years Alpha has built a reputation for offering affordable boilers that don’t cut corners when it comes to reliability or quality.
The Alpha E-Tec is the brand’s best-selling combi boiler, offering a level of quality to rival premium brands but at an extremely reasonable price point.
Kind of like that time, Anthony Joshua was knocked out by a chunky Mexican.
IMPORTANT NOTE: The Alpha E-Tec boiler has now been replaced by the new and improved Alpha E-Tec NX model, you can read our complete review here.
Alpha E-Tec Boiler Review
In this Alpha E-Tec boiler review, we've scored the E-Tec in 4 key areas, including:
Reliability: 4/5 Stars
Performance: 4/5 Stars
Warranty: 5/5 Stars
Price: 5/5 Stars
Designed to meet the needs of the average-sized property, the Alpha E-Tec combi boiler is available in a range of sizes including 28kW and 38kW, all coming with a generous 10-year warranty on parts and labour (when purchased via Heatable).
Let’s take a closer look at the Alpha E-Tec and all that it has to offer...
Main features of the Alpha E-Tec Boiler
Alpha’s best selling combi boiler
Designed to neatly fit into small spaces like kitchen cupboards
Easy access front panel making servicing quick and easy
Built with a stainless-steel heat exchanger
Compatible with all leading third party controls such as Hive, Nest, tado etc.
High-efficiency Grundfos pump and hydroblock assembly
Zinc plated expansion vessel to prevent corrosion
10-year guarantee on parts and labour (when purchased via Heatable)
ErP rating 93%: A-rated
Dimensions: 712 x 440 x 255
Good Homes Magazine Approved (2021)
Reliability: 4/5
The Alpha E-Tec offers incredible value and is technically brilliant with a stainless steel heat exchanger, typically only something you would see in a premium boiler model - a particularly important part as it's often any boilers Achilles Heel.
Trustpilot Reviews
Testimony of the brand's customer service and product quality is the astonishing number of positive reviews they have accumulated on the review platform Trustpilot.
As of September 2023, over 4,400 customers left the brand a review.
The brand has an average rating of 4.7 stars out of 5, a very positive score for a relatively new brand in the UK market, demonstrating just how well their boilers and their highly rated aftercare team are performing.
In addition, in our article on the best boiler brands ranked, Alpha was rated as offering the third-best boilers of the year, so this is a brand you can certainly put your trust in.
Performance: 4/5
Alpha E-Tec Combi Boiler Power Outputs:
The Alpha E-Tec combi boiler range is available in the following sizes (power outputs):
28kW
38kW
The 28kW combi boiler has a heat output of 28kW and a flow rate of 12.1 l/min, making it suitable for small properties and flats that may have limited hot water demands.
The 38kW is a new release from the brand with enough power to rival something like the Worcester Bosch 8000.
With an additional 10kW of power and a flow rate of 15.9 l/min it is suitable for medium-sized properties with higher hot water demands.
Interested to find out which boiler power is most suitable for your property? Check out our guide to calculating the boiler size your home requires.
Efficiency of the Alpha E-Tec
The Alpha E-Tec is accredited as A-rated for energy efficiency, with a whopping 93% efficiency.
This is the highest grade in the Energy Related Products Directive (ErP), meaning that it can potentially save you money and recoup itself in a matter of years.
The Alpha E-Tec boasts a whopping 93% efficiency rating. That’s 7 off a hundred..
Looking to spread the cost of your new boiler? Check out our guide to boilers on finance to see what types of financing deals are currently available.
Controls & Features of the Alpha E-Tec
Smart Thermostat Compatible
The E-Tec is also compatible with all of the most popular smart thermostats including Google Nest, Hive and tado, allowing you to integrate the boiler into the rest of your smart home hub, enabling you to take greater control of your heating, helping to prevent energy wastage and save more money on your heating bills.
Stainless Steel Heat Exchanger
The fact that the Alpha E-Tec is built with a stainless steel heat exchanger is certainly worth a mention, especially when you consider that market leading brands such as Worcester use an aluminium heat exchanger.
Stainless steel is a much stronger alloy, better able to withstand extreme heat, which is even more important in areas that suffer from hard water.
Super hard water? Add on a limescale reducer at Checkout with your new Alpha Boiler through Heatable.
Zinc Plated Expansion Vessel
The expansion vessel is where both air and water go once it has travelled through your central heating system.
This component is designed to help your system maintain the correct amount of pressure and naturally due to the constant presence of water it is prone to corrosion.
However, since the E-Tec boilers expansion vessel is zinc plated it is able to withstand corrosion and so lasts much longer than standard models.
Read our full review and learn more about the Alpha brand in our Alpha Boilers Review.
Warranty: 5/5
The warranty is arguably the most important consideration when buying a new boiler. You want to know that the warranty offered is as long as possible, so that if anything does go wrong with your boiler, the manufacturer will assist you in getting the boiler up and running as soon as possible, ideally at no additional cost.
Thankfully, the Alpha E-Tec is offered a 10-year warranty when purchased via Heatable. This is extremely generous and competitive, being at the same number of years as the likes of market leaders Worcester Bosch and Viessmann.
Price Point: 5/5
Alpha E-Tec Combi Boiler Costs
The Alpha E-Tec is officially the most competitive boiler in terms of price offered on the Heatable platform.
Considering the price, the E-Tec is a budget friendly boiler that is technically brilliant and comes with a generous 10 year warranty (when purchased via Heatable). You may also be able to spread the cost with boilers on finance.
The exact costs of the boiler (including Gas Safe installation) may vary and depend on factors such as the type of property, hot water demands and a whole host of other important considerations.
So, to make it easy, we have designed a quick questionnaire that will give you an instant fixed price. It takes about 60 seconds to complete.
Our Verdict on the E-Tec: 4.5/5
The Alpha E-Tec is a budget-friendly boiler offering all of the essential features and more at an extremely competitive price point.
Not only does it have a compact exterior, making it ideal for kitchen cupboards and other small spaces, but it comes equipped with a stainless steel heat exchanger, typically only something you would find in premium boiler brands.
The boiler also comes with a very generous 10 year warranty, offering you long term peace of mind that if something does go wrong, the aftercare team will assist you in getting it up and running as soon as possible.
Lastly, the Alpha E-Tec was recently awarded the Good Homes Magazine Award and has accumulated countless 5 star reviews on Trustpilot, an amazing feat for a relative newcomer offering an affordable boiler model.
Should you buy it? If you're looking for a reliable boiler and are on a budget, then the Alpha E Tec is a superb choice.
Find out all that's involved in a combi boiler installation in our guide.
Who may the Alpha E Tec not be suitable for?
If you are looking for a combi boiler with a more modern design and aesthetic, then something like the Worcester Bosch 4000 may be more appealing.
In addition, if you are looking for a boiler brand that offers a 10 year guarantee and not just a warranty, then Worcester Bosch is likely going to be preferred.
...what’s the difference?
A guarantee is an agreement from the brand that they will attend your property and repair or replace the boiler within a reasonable timeframe.
However, a warranty is an agreement to investigate the problem, but is not an unconditional agreement to fix or repair it for free.
Even with these minor disadvantages, the Alpha E-Tec is a brilliant budget boiler alternative that may be cheaper, but certainly doesn’t mean you are losing out when it comes to what’s important: performance, reliability, warranty length and aftercare.
Looking for the best deal on an Alpha E Tec boiler?
If so, get your new boiler installed with Heatable, here’s why:
Gas Safe installation within 24 hours
Thousands of happy customers – an average score of 4.9 on Trustpilot (that’s better than the market leader).
Price match guarantee – if you find a cheaper quote, we will match (must be like for like)
Multiple payment options - interest free available
10 year guarantee
Fixed price guarantee – no hidden costs
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