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Central Heating

UK Central Heating Cost: Quotations and estimates

Includes estimates for servicing and fitting a Central Heating System, plumber call out charges and the cost of replacing radiators and their thermostats.

Central Heating Prices: Disclaimer

Category	Category	Average Cost	Price Range	Units	Last Updated
Central heating	Cylinder	£542	£390-770	per item/job	2008-06-12
Central heating	Fitting Only	£1733	£1733	per item/job	2008-07-08
Central heating	Install	£3188	£1347-6950	per item/job	2008-08-02
Central heating	Pump	£216	£60-500	per item/job	2008-06-28
Central heating	Radiators	£406	£60-1600	per item/job	2008-07-12
Central heating	Repair	£245	£75-480	per item/job	2008-07-16
Central heating	Replace	£4338	£1800-10000	per item/job	2008-06-23
Boiler	Fitting Only	£823	£250-1350	per item/job	2008-06-24
Boiler	Gas Supply Only	£865	£475-1300	per item/job	2007-10-30
Boiler	Oil Supply Only	£1408	£1100-1800	per item/job	2007-11-01
Boiler	Repair	£256	£50-450	per item/job	2008-06-16
Boiler	Service	£67	£42-110	per item/job	2008-08-06
Boiler	Solid Fuel Supply Only	£1925	£1700-2150	per item/job	2007-11-05
Boiler	Supply + fitting	£2244	£265-5400	per item/job	2008-08-21

Open Vented Systems

These are perhaps the most traditional method of central heating. If your property has a couple of water tanks in the loft the chances are you have an open vented system. Here the water is heated by the boiler (usally on the ground floor) and sent around the to the radiators or convectors via a pump. Once the water has flown around the system it returns (at a lower temperature) to the boiler to be re-heated. The level of water in the system is maintained via a feed and expansion tank in the loft which adds water if the level is low or removes it if its too high - for example if the system is oveheating. 

Sealed Systems

Many newer installed homes have these systems in place. They require less space to install and less parts (water tanks). Instead of the system being topped up or vented through an expansion tank in the loft there is a pressurised expansion vessel (near or in the boiler) which has a 'diaphragm' in it that can expand or contract as the water temperature changes. If required more water can be let into the system via a stop cock or one-way valve in a part of the heating circuit called a filling loop. If the water pressure gets too great then there are two safety valves - one near the boiler and one for hot water.

Boilers 

Whilst also shown on this page for completion you can find out more info here on boilers.

Cylinder

In a many central heating systems the hot water you get out of your taps has usually been heated indirectly and stored in a cylinder in the airing cupboard. There are two main types of cylinder depending on whether you have a vented or un-vented system. The price you pay depends on the brand and size of cylinder you choose/need. Cylinders may be measured in height and diameter or volume with the obvious conversion. For an vented system the cylinders materials costs range from about £200-350 (as of Nov 2007). In an un-vented system they can range from ~£350 to well over £1000 per cylinder incl VAT. Note this does not include installation costs, just the cylinder.

Pump

This surprisingly pumps the water around the central heating system from the boiler to the radiators. Hell, I'm not a plumber and don't understand all the subtle differences in pumps, but basically they can vary in price (materials) by quite a bit depending on the size of heating circuit they are pumping and whether they are fixed speed or variable. Prices for pumps only range from about £50-225 (as of Nov 2007). The latest average price we have for supply and fitting of a pump is £216 per item/job (as of October 10, 2008).

Radiators

Radiators are the final part of the heating circuit and are heat exchangers for transferring the energy in the hot water to the air/materials in the room. Whilst they are called radiators they actually come in two main types plus permutations of. Firstly we have true radiators which are nominally flat cavities made of metal with hot water flowing within. If you put your hands near the front of a radiator you can feel the 'heat' coming off it. There are also convectors which are typically ankle height and are made with lots of fins or folds of metal to provide a large surface area. The fins are heated up and the heat rises off them forming convetion currents of warm air which circulate around the room. Place your hands above (2-3ft say) and feel the warm air rising. The chances are you have lots of mixed topology radiators in your house which are designed to both radiate and convect heat (in fact even true radiators convect and true convectors will radiate but not as well as they could). A quick search around the web found that you could buy a pack of 7 radiators including TRV's (thermostatic radiator valves) and lock shields (the bit on the other end of the rad) with a total heat output of 10kW (~35,000 btu/h) for about £600 inc VAT (as of Nov 2007). This is enough to heat approximately a 2-3 bedroom house depending on insulation/location. The exact number of radiators and size per room will be calculated by your plumber. The latest price we have for supply and fitting of radiators is £406 per item/job (as of October 10, 2008).

You can check whether a plumber is registered to do gas work at Corgi (see the blue box on the right hand side of the screen).

It is important to shop around for quotations for central heating and especially, for some reason, boiler installs. The price quoted can vary hugely and it isn't always down to paying for the best people.  

 

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