Navien boilers. You haven’t heard of them. Poor marketing, or poor quality? Are Navien just rubbish?
Navien Inc. is a major Asian player in the international market. The last Asian player to achieve that was Yao Ming.
As a top exporter within the overseas HVAC industry, it can’t be denied, Navien are ‘a thing’.
But are they a good thing? And how do Navien compare with other boiler manufacturers?
KD (KyungDong) Navien has a range of combi, system and oil boilers on the market.
It’s their oil boiler range that is particularly extensive and accounts for the bulk of their UK boilers, currently rendering them irrelevant to readers not living on farms. But is that about to change?
Their typical warranty in market stands tends to be at the 2-year mark which is a combination of both brave, and worrying with almost all other boilers never dropping below 7 years.
Navien prides itself on using high-quality stainless-steel components for the purposes of exceptional build quality and durability.
They also claim that these boilers can be fitted practically anywhere on your property due to "flueing flexibility". Can you finally you can get creative with your next boiler installation?
Heatable fit new combi boilers with gas installation nationwide. Simply answer these questions, get your fixed price and you could get it installed as quick as tomorrow.
History of Navien Boilers
KD Navien was established in South Korea in 1978. By the late eighties, the company would develop and manufacture a high-efficiency condensing boiler that was also eco-friendly (ish) in nature; this was a first for boiler brands in Asia.
For your own sanity, please do scroll past this obligatory 'Navien History' segment. More Navien boiler gold resides below.
They also produce ventilation systems, zone control systems and home network systems among other technologies. Wow.
Navien has expanded its export focus to over thirty countries across the world such as those in Europe, North America and elsewhere in Asia.
KD Navien put a lot of emphasis on trying to develop more eco-friendly technology, helping to ease the burden of guilt we feel as humans for the relentless smog we typically pummel into our lovely blue sky.
Navien UK, a.k.a. Navien LTD was founded in 2014 with an address in Guilford (an unusual brag) and Matthew Byung Gu Choi is the current Managing Director of the UK wing of Navien, but you already knew that.
Navien Combi Boilers
Now it’s time to look at what the brand has to offer. First off, we have Navien’s diverse range of combi boilers.
Navien currently provides twelve combi boilers with efficiency levels of no less than 92%. But is twelve too many? Are we foreshadowing a spoilt boiler broth?
The brand’s combi boilers consist of three selections, including the NCB Combi Gas Boilers and LCB700 External Combi Oil Boilers.
But less about sexy South Korean model names, is there any substance?
(Quickly) What is a Combi Boiler?
The most popular boilers in the UK are combination boilers. These appliances exist as one compact unit. A central heating boiler and a high-efficiency water heater are combined within this unit, hence the term ‘combi’.
Combi boilers don't require external water tanks which is one less place for baby crocodiles to hide, and it means you get instant hot water to your taps.
With modern A-rated combi boilers providing energy efficiency levels of over 90%, it’s no surprise that about seven in ten UK homes use a combi boiler. Not to mention the fact that most people will just crack on with whatever appliance is in the house when they buy it. But yes, efficiency too. Definitely.
Looking to pay for your new boiler monthly? Refer to our boiler on finance guide for more info.
Have you got limited space in your home? Check out our guide on the best small boilers.
What about Oil Boilers?
Burning oil sounds awfully dangerous, but Navien has been known to make decent oil combi boilers (which are also available as system or regular boilers), so it’s worth looking a little more at these types of boilers (we think).
These appliances basically use oil to create heated water. This water is then pumped around a property to reach the relevant radiators to heat up the home. Nothing new there.
Oil boilers can also produce hot water to be used in taps for the bathroom and kitchen - we should think so.
Among the benefits of these boilers is that you can choose when to fill them up (e.g., during the summer months when prices are usually lower) and the fact that they are generally more fuel-efficient.
Oil boilers arguably come with fewer hazards than gas boilers, such as carbon monoxide leakage. However, the fuel cost tends to be higher and if oil leaks into the ground, Government folk will excavate your entire land plot to ensure it doesn't spread.
Fortunately, this gives you the rare opportunity of a truly fresh start in which you won't use oil (or probably Navien) to serve your newly built home.
Navien Combi Boilers: Price Range
The overall cost of a boiler installation consists of expenses like supplies, labour, filter and flue. However, some customers are interested in learning the material costs only of the boiler units (apparently).
When it comes to Navien combi boilers, the supply costs range from about £630 to almost £2,700.
Right now, as Navien UK attempt to gain a foothold in the UK, they're undeniably cheap but their reliability is an unknown and having one repaired could prove funny. National installers will purchase a Navien combi for around £400, or a trade in for a fair condition Playstation5.
For the overall cost of installation, you can expect an additional £800 to £1,300 to be added to your bill.
This would bring the total installation prices of Navien combi boilers to between £1,430 and £3,975. As a result, if you’ve received a quote (all costs included) for a Navien combi boiler instalment of £1,000 - £1,300, the installation is probably missing more components than a 90's board game.
Heatable can secure you a fixed price for a combination boiler installation that is Gas Safe today. You could have it installed in a mere 24 hours. Get yourself a quote on our website in only sixty seconds as we're all so time poor now.
In the following table, as with each of the boiler categories explored in this cost guide, we’ve listed the price ranges and output ranges for several selections. As mentioned, these selections comprise various individual boiler models.
Feast your eyes.
Navien Combi Boiler Range
Models | kW | Warranty | Product Price | Overall Price (including installation costs) |
NCB Combi Gas Boilers | 21.4 - 33.2 | 2-7 years | £630 to £815 | £1,430 to £2,115 |
LCB700 Internal Combi Oil Boilers | 23-39 | 10 years | £2,200 to £2,530 | £3,000 to £3,830 |
LCB700 External Combi Oil Boilers | 23-39 | 10 years | £2,370 to £2,675 | £3,170 to £3,975 |
Navien System Boilers
Moving on to the brand’s system boilers, there are twelve on offer (why!?), which, like the brand’s combi boiler range, make up three selections.
These boilers also come with efficiency levels of at least 92% and warranties of 2 to 7 years.
For new parents, that means out of warranty issues would arise during your childs famously chilled out third year. Peace of mind here, at least.
What is a System Boiler?
System boilers are ideal for properties with a large demand for heating and hot water, like aspiring water park owners.
It may be a necessary solution for certain homes. A system boilers separate water tank will allow for almost non-stop hot water production and unwavering water pressure - this makes allowances for large families and won't hurt your Air B&B host rating.
Check our new boiler costs guide and our boiler size calculator if you want to get a better understanding of how our fixed price boiler quote tool works.
Navien System Boilers: Price Range
When it comes to the standalone costs of these models, prices range from about £600 to £785. Of course, this again excludes other costs such as that of labour or the lovely, efficiency boosting extras from a Heatable quote plug.
Navien System Boiler Range
Models | kW | Warranty | Product Price | Overall Price (including installation costs) |
NCB System Gas Boilers | 20-33 | 2-7 years | £600 to £785 | £1,400 to £2,085 |
LCB700 Internal System Oil Boilers | 21-36 | 10 years | £1,585 to £2,055 | £2,385 to £3,355 |
LCB700 External System Oil Boilers | 21-36 | 10 years | £1,645 to £2,130 | £2,445 to £3,430 |
Navien Regular Boilers
Last, and probably least, we have Navien’s regular boiler range. There are six regular boiler models available, which are part of two distinct selections, both of which are oil boilers.
What is a Regular Boiler?
These boilers are also referred to as traditional or heat-only boilers. These boilers can produce hot water that can be used for central heating. However, they can’t be used to produce hot water for taps, baths or showers.
Since heat-only boilers feature complicated pipework, regular boilers should only be installed as a like-for-like replacement. Unless you thrive upon a complex life, surrounded by unreliable hardware with never ending financial penalties.
Regarding the specific functioning of regular boilers, a loft-based cold-water tank is used to supply your boiler with cold water.
Ornithologists will be pleased to know this can double up as a bird bath.
A hot water storage cylinder would also be necessary to ensure hot water use is available daily.
Navien Regular Boilers: Price Range
Navien’s regular boilers come with standalone costs ranging from £1,445 to £1,900.
All Navien heat-only boilers feature 93% efficiency and 2 to 10 year warranties.
Navien Regular Boiler Range
Models | kW | Warranty | Product Price | Overall Price (including installation costs) |
LCB700 Internal Regular Oil Boilers | 21-36 | 10 years | £1,445 to £1,900 | £2,245 to £3,200 |
LCB700 External Regular Oil Boilers | 21-36 | 10 years | £1,500 to £1,980 | £2,300 to £3,280 |
Navien Customer Reviews
Before choosing a boiler, it’s good to have an idea of what real people think of them.
On Trustpilot, for instance, Navien UK (Navien LTD) has a 4.1-star rating out of five.
From a total of 129 reviews, this means you have more than a 10% chance of being like Victor, who's Navien boiler has 'never worked from the start' and has taken to the extremity of instructing legal advice.
But, it also means an over 80% chance of being like Tony. He describes the boiler to have a 'good output' but 'too noisy' and not 'neighbour friendly' - Tony may have been describing his dog, Navien.
It's worth noting the extremely small number of reviews for Navien boilers, backing up the unknown element of the brand. In time, they may well prove to be good dogs indeed.
Navien Verdict
Navien unquestionably provide a low cost option (at least in the gas boiler market) – but for a minimum outlay of £1500, the option isn’t a low risk one.
Right now, we would consider them akin to the toothbrush you reluctantly buy from a Travelodge vending machine. It’s likely to have a tiny brush head you’ll swallow, but there’s still half a chance it’s Oral B.
More time is needed to gauge actual UK consumer feedback, but their low review numbers to date are mixed.
Being a lesser known, lesser fitted boiler – the service and repair of them at present should also be a consideration prior to your purchase. Presenting a Navien boiler to a repair engineer would yield similar feedback to taking your pet slug to the dog groomers.
What are they going to do with that?
UK installers are as unfamiliar with them as you are, with the exception of their oil models which do hold more industry prestige.
With boiler prices as they are, it could be wise to consider one of the highest-ranked brands from this list of the best boiler brands on the UK market.
We have also reviewed and compared many other popular UK boiler brands, including the following:
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