No Power to Your Boiler? Top Causes & Fixes

There is nothing more frustrating that being without heating or hot water, especially if your boiler has no power to give you any clues as to what is happening.

In Summary: What to do if You Have No Power to Your Boiler

Like any electrical appliance in your home, boilers are prone to faults. In this detailed guide we’ll be focusing on what causes a boiler to not turn on, and what your next steps should be. 

The most common faults associated with a boiler not turning on or having no power include: 

• An error with the boiler's printed circuit board (PCB)
• Blown fuse
• Fused spur fault
• Recent power cut / tripped RCD
• LED light failure on your boiler
• No electricity supply to your property

We’ve explained each of these points in further detail below.

Whilst some of the faults relating to not getting power to your boiler are quick and easy fixes, others are not. Repairs for a boiler that has no power can sit anywhere in the £100-£500.

Should You Repair or Replace Your Boiler?

Now you’ve got an overview of what could be causing your boiler not to turn on, the big question is whether you should fix it, or replace it. 

For newer boilers that are less than a couple of years old, especially if they have a parts and labour warranty, fixing the fault is likely to be the most economical route to take. Generally boilers will last 10 plus years, so after the fix, it should still have plenty of life left in it. 

If you have a boiler that’s 8-10+ years old, it’s worth comparing the cost of repairing your old and unreliable unit with a new one. Depending how old it is and how inefficient, a new A-rated boiler (typically 90%+ efficiency) could pay the majority of the cost of your new boiler in energy savings alone. 

If you click through to our boiler installation page here, you can get a fixed price on-screen, with finance options available.

‍The 6 Most Common Causes of a Boiler Not Turning on

Anything from a faulty printed circuit board, a blown fuse or even a recent power cut could be what’s causing your boiler to not turn on. 

Below we explain the most common faults in detail and what you need to do to get them fixed. 

Or, if you’re sick of your inefficient, old and unreliable boiler? Click through to our fixed price boiler quotation form here and get a price on-screen for a new boiler in less than 2-minutes.

‍Do not attempt a DIY fix of any kind. Gas Safe engineers are the only people legally qualified to work on gas boilers.

Faulty Printed Circuit Board (PCB)

The printed circuit board (PCB) on your boiler is the brains of the operation. It monitors and controls many of the components that keep your boiler functional. 

As a quick example, it monitors changes such as air pressure, as well checking components are operating correctly, such as the fan. If the boiler recognises an air pressure change (when the boiler fires up) but the fan isn’t turning, the boiler will lock out. It’s the PCB that recognises the fault and causes the lock out. 

If your boiler won’t turn on, there’s a chance it could be due to a faulty PCB. A blown PCB or old and weak electrical connections are just a few of the reasons your PCB might not be operating correctly. 

The fix here is to contact a boiler repair engineer (they need to be Gas Safe registered). Assuming there’s a simple fix such as securing loose wiring, the cost could be in the £200-£300 range. 

However, if you need a new PCB, which is incredibly likely if your boiler is old, the cost to repair your boiler could be £500 or more. It makes little sense to invest this kind of money in an old, inefficient and unreliable boiler. 

Prices for new boilers start at around £2,250 (property dependant). You can see how much a new boiler is using this 2-minute clickable boiler quotation form.

A Blown Fuse in Your Boiler

Like many household electrical appliances, a quick power surge (usually in synchrony with a power cut) could blow the fuse in your boiler. 

Contact a Gas Safe registered engineer to check that this is the problem and there’s nothing else connected to the fuse blowing. If this is the reason for your boiler not powering up, then it’s a quick and easy fix and you certainly don’t need a replacement boiler. A Gas Safe engineer can simply replace the blown fuse and reset your boiler, removing any fault codes that might be displayed in the process.

Issues With The Boiler's Fused Spur

Fused spurs are common in most homes, especially in kitchens. They keep certain appliances (especially powerful and expensive ones) separated from the main electrical circuit in your house.

It’s likely your property has one for both your boiler and cooker; it’s usually a red switch located near sockets. 

If there’s a problem with your boiler’s fused spur, then the unit won’t be getting any electricity. A Gas Safe engineer with electrical knowledge will be able to both test a fused spur, as well as fix / replace it. 
Typically, costs associated with repairing a fault like this are in the region of £150.

Power Cut or Tripped RCD

Power cuts are extremely common and if your boiler isn’t turning on, then this could be the cause of the fault. 

Typically when there’s a power cut or power surge your residual current device (RCD, or put simply, your property’s electricity box) will trip out. Some or all of the switches will flick into the down position. 

If other appliances or devices aren’t working in your home, check the RCD in your property. If switches on the RCD are flicked into the down position, it’s likely a power cut has tripped the RCD. 

Flicking these switches back up in this instance will restore electricity (assuming there isn’t a current power outage) and restore electricity to your boiler.

Boiler LED Failure

A not so common but still possible cause of the fault is that the PCB’s display isn’t working correctly. Typically, a PCB will have a range of LED’s that will light up, flash or flicker depending on whether the boiler is operational, showing a fault, or has an intermittent display. 
If you’ve noticed the LED’s on your boiler have flickered in the past, it’s likely there’s a loose connection from the PCB, and now they’ve failed completely. If you can hear your boiler working, have hot water and heating but there are no lights on your boiler, this is likely to be the cause. 
In this instance, a Gas Safe engineer will be able to check your PCB and LEDs, repairing them if necessary. Typically, a repair like this only takes 1-2 hours so costs sit in the £100-£150 range.

No Electricity Supply

If you’re not currently using any other appliances, double check your property has electricity by turning an appliance on. 

As simple as it sounds, not having power to your boiler could be something as simple as electricity meters not being topped up (for those that used metered cards). 

Or in other cases, this could be a power outage. You can check power outages in your area using the National Grid’s Power Outage Tool here.