When you need to buy a new boiler, it’s usually in a rush. Most boiler breakdowns happen during the coldest months – particularly the irreparable ones. To restore hot water and heating to your home or your rental property, you need to act quickly and make some decisions. However, these choices can have long-lasting ramifications. Choose a sub-par boiler or get the installation wrong, and you’ll be paying for it with multiple expensive callouts throughout your new boiler’s life.
However, armed with our guide to the cost of the different types of boiler and boiler installation available, you can quickly and confidently make those decisions, and look forward to getting your home warm and toasty again.
If you need a new boiler installation right now, we’re working with BOXT, one the largest boiler installation companies in the UK, who can install one as soon as the next day if you order before 4pm*, visit here and get your boiler installation started.
How much should a boiler installation cost?
Boiler installation costs can vary – by a lot. The total depends on things such as:
- Whether you’re replacing like for like or swapping a very old system for a new one (ie. how much work is required)
- Whether you add a filter, eg. MagnaClean (£100-£200)
- Whether you’re adding thermostatic radiator valves (TRVs) (approx £15 per radiator), which can be an efficient way to manage your heating requirements and save money in the long run. Bear in mind changes to Building Regulations will make the installation of thermostatic radiator valves mandatory when a new gas boiler is installed
- What parts are needed
- How available those parts are
- Where in the UK you live
- Which Gas safe registered boiler professional you hire to get the job done
According to the Which? Consumer rights champion, you can expect to pay between £2,000 and £3,000 for a typical boiler installation.
We’ll break this figure down for the different types of installations available, but first let’s look at what your boiler installation quote should contain.
What your boiler installation quote should itemise
It’s really important to know exactly what you’re getting before you pay for it and live with it for the next 10+ years, so here’s what you should look for in an itemised quote:
- Boiler model, make and price
- A full explanation of why they recommend that particular boiler, with reference to type and size in relation to your property
- Details of extra heating controls, which must meet boiler + standards for combination boilers and time and temperature control for all other systems
- Boiler location
- Notes on whether the boiler needs to be moved or not – and if so, why
- What kind of system flush they will do to clean it – gravity flush, mains flush or power flush – and why it’s necessary for your existing system
- Labour costs
- System balancing/post-installation checks on radiators shouldn’t typically incur extra costs, but it should be noted that the engineer will carry these out once the installation is complete
- Warranty details, including if you’re required to give your boiler an annual service to uphold the terms of the warranty
Compare installation prices by type of boiler
According to a Which? Consumer association survey carried out in late 2019, these are the typical prices for installing the various different types of boilers you can get:
Boiler Prices table
See how much you should expect to pay for your boiler replacement in the table below.
Table last updated in November 2019. The price range is the highest and lowest price of a boiler of each type from all the boiler manufacturers in the UK with a greater than 1% market share.
| Type of boiler | Price range |
| Gas Combi | £499 – £2,950 |
| Gas heat-only | £580 – £1,964 |
| Gas system | £540 – £2,366 |
| Oil Combi | £2,327 – £2,949 |
| Oil heat-only | £1,479 – £2,425 |
| Oil system | £1,609 – £2,583 |
| Table last updated in November 2019. The price range is the highest and lowest price of a boiler of each type from all the boiler manufacturers in the UK with a greater than 1% market share. | |
As you can see, a gas combi boiler is the cheapest on average – and just so happens to be the most popular. Let’s break it down a bit further:
Combi boiler replacement: £499 – £2,950
This is the UK’s most common type of boiler replacement and can cost anywhere between £499 and £2,950 depending on the type of combi boiler you want, the length of its warranty, and on all those factors we mentioned earlier regarding how straightforward or complex the installation is, and where you live.
Of course, it makes sense that if you buy a premium boiler, you can expect premium prices. This is where you need to take a long-term view.
Why you need a reliable boiler
It costs an average of £200 to get your boiler fixed every time it breaks down. If you’ve bought a less-than reliable boiler, it develops faults more regularly – it’s just a fact. So those repair costs stack up, not to mention the inconvenience of potentially spending days without heating and hot water.
This is why it’s important to weigh up the initial cost of your new boiler installation with the cost of its upkeep. Skimp now and you’ll pay later.
Regular and System boiler replacement: £1,500 – £3,000
Replacing a regular or system boiler can cost between £1,500 and £3,000 – not including the cost of a new or replacement hot water cylinder, but you may not need this. Again, the final cost will depend on all the factors we’ve listed at the top of this article, including boiler manufacturer, warranty length, extra controls, pumps and valves and the general complexity of the task.
Converting your regular boiler to a combi boiler: £2,500 – £4,500
This is another common job because many homeowners and landlords want to upgrade an old traditional boiler to a combi boiler.
This comes under the category of complex jobs, and therefore comes with a more ‘complex’ price tag.
But exactly how much extra will you be paying?
It seems like a lot more but a boiler conversion is a mighty big job. Alongside fitting your new boiler, your engineer will need to fully remove your old one and water cylinder, and upgrade your pipework going into the existing or new location of the combi boiler.
Happy decision-making!
We hope we’ve made it a little easier with these ballpark figures. If you need a new boiler installation right now, we’re working with BOXT, who can install one within as soon as the next day if you order before 4pm*, visit here get your boiler installation started.
Plus, our boiler cover and heating breakdown insurance can protect it for as little as £9 per month.
FAQs
How much is the average boiler installation?
According to the Which? Consumer rights champion, you can expect to pay between £2,000 and £3,000 for a typical boiler installation.
How long does it take to install a boiler?
It can take anywhere from one morning to replace a combi boiler like for like, to 2 days for a much more complex boiler conversion with extra controls, for example.
*Subject to engineer availability