Here, we look at the guide prices to give you some idea of what a central heating system including a new boiler can cost depending on the size of your property. This guide is for gas combi boilers which are the most popular type of heating system in the country and to the current building regulations.
How Much Does a New Central Heating System Cost?
Currently, in 2022 the average cost for a new central heating installation for a 3 bedroom house is around £3800. If you have moved into a home and the heating doesn’t meet your needs or you have electric storage heating that you want to have replaced, how about installing new gas central heating from scratch which includes a brand new boiler, pipework, and radiators?
What does a new central heating system installation include?
This is what happens when a new boiler is fitted:
- Survey of your property to see what you need and quote given
- Removal of the old boiler and heating system
- A new energy efficient boiler installed
- New pipework and radiators
- New heating controls with optional upgrade to smart controls
- System cleansed and commissioned
- All documentation given including warranty terms
Central heating costs for size of property
Property size | Number of Radiators | Number of bathrooms + showers | Total cost | Example of boiler and power output |
1 bed bungalow | 5 | 1 | £2000 | Alpha E-Tec 28kW |
2 bed terraced | 8 | 1+1 | £2700 | Ideal Logic C30 30kW |
3 bed semi-detached | 10 | 1+1 | £3800 | Worcester Greenstar 4000 30kW |
4 bed detached | 12 | 2 | £4200 | Viessmann Vitodens 100-W 35kW |
5 bed detached | 15 | 2+1 | £4700 | Worcester Bosch 8000 35kW |
The above table assumes that the boiler is fuelled with mains gas and the boiler will be located on an outside wall so the flue comes straight out rather than going through the roof or other spaces.
Central Heating Installation Cost Calculator
The cost of a heating system depends on many factors from the size and type of your house to what level of control you want to have. You will need to take into account all the following factors:
- The boiler brand, type and size. For higher hot water demands, you may want a system boiler with a hot water storage tank.
- Style and size of radiators. To suit the room or if you already have pipework that you want to keep but just change the radiators.
- Number of rooms that wil have radiators installed.
- What type of boiler controls you opt for. Will you want wireless or app controls?
- How disruptive will installation be? Will the house be occupied during the work? or will it be empty during renovation.
- You opt for smart controls such as Hive or Nest.
- You live in areas where prices are higher.
- Check if you can get a grant or subsidy for a new boiler.
The questions most online calculators ask to calculate the cost are:
- Postcode.
- Type of fuel in your property: mains gas, lpg, or something else.
- Current Boiler type: Combi boiler, regular boiler, system boiler, or back boiler etc.
- Replacement: Do you want the same type of new boiler?
- Want Boiler Moving or not.
- Is the boiler on the floor or wall-mounted.
- House Type: Semi-Detached, terraced etc.
- Number of bedrooms.
- How many radiators are there currently.
- Number of bathtubs in the property.
- Number of showers.
- Flue Exit: External wall or roof.
Companies that install boiler and full central heating
What is connected to the new boiler during installation?
Many things that are connected to the new boiler are: the mains cold water supply, pipework for the hot water taps and radiators, external heating controls and thermostats, external sensors and other electrical connections such as for power and safety. The boiler is installed in a location with all these in mind.
How long will it take to install new central heating?
Installing a new central heating system can be disruptive, especially if you and your family are home at the time. It can take up to 3 days for a company with two engineers to install a boiler and radiators. It is much quicker if the house is empty for them to work in or you can plan to minimise disruption.
How long does it take to change a boiler? For a straight swap boiler replacement, this can be done in one day, usually within a few hours, as long as the pipework and radiators and all other parts of the system are to remain as they are.
Can you use a new boiler straight away?
Once installed, the boiler needs to be tested it’s operating correctly and safely and providing hot water and heating adequately. This is known as commissioning. When this is completed by the gas safe engineer, he will hand over the user manual and other documentation, then you can start using the boiler straight away.
Installing central heating in old houses
You can install central heating systems in older properties. Depending on the heating method already in place, the new central heating system can be very disruptive. The floors might be fully concrete and ceiling gaps may not have enough space for pipes to go through. You may need to box in many of the pipe runs along the house.
A gas combi boiler is likely to be the best option for an old house in terms of efficiency. To make the most efficient use of your boiler, you may want to look at wall and roof insulation of the house. If old radiators are already in the property, they are likely to be filled with sludge built up over time with rust in the metal interiors.
How disruptive is installing central heating?
It can be quite disruptive for the 3 days of installing central heating and one day either side to move furniture around for space needed. But good planning by the installer working with you can greatly minimise disruption if you work together. Expect restricted access and noise during the work.
During the installation work, the gas supply is turned off when the gas pipe is being fitted, and this means the gas cooker and hob, gas fire or any other gas appliances in the house won’t work for that time. But this is will be for a few hours rather than days. The water is also turned off, at least the supply to the boiler. This means no hot water until the new boiler is up and running.
The installers will need access to every room in the house and any loft space if necessary. You should remove items around the boiler and discuss with the installer where furniture needs to be moved around to. You will not have access to hot water while the new boiler is being fitted.
How quickly can I get an appointment?
Most companies can get a home survey booked within a couple of days. The installation date will depend on the availability of a boiler and engineers. Summer is a better time to get it done quicker.
It is also done quicker if you accept the terms and conditions on your quote and either make an upfront payment or accept the terms and conditions of your finance agreement early.
*The information in this article should be used for general guidance only and not as financial advice. Full details are on the link in the footer to our disclaimer page. Always discuss your requirements with a competent and suitably qualified professional before undertaking any work.
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