Boiler Price

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The boiler is the key part of your home heating system, be it a modern solid fuel, gas or oil one or perhaps an older 'back boiler'.

The table below gives examples of the range of prices we have had submitted. Our price information shows that it costs on average £2266 per item/job (as of May 11, 2008) to have a new boiler installed. Of this average price £723 per item/job (as of May 11, 2008) of this cost is labour charges. To have your boiler serviced costs on average £71 per item/job (as of May 11, 2008).

Here are some prices from Whatprice users and personal research. The amount of information submitted varies and what you see is what we get! If you have any of your own feedback then please fill out the form at the bottom of the page and help this project.

The price for a boiler depends on several factors

• Where you are in the country
• Does an existing boiler need replacing?
• Does the boiler position need moving. So from on the floor to on a wall, this will potentially require significant pipework.
• Is there any significant building work required?
• Is there any significant electrical work required?
• What heat generating capacity the boiler is. Bigger is more expensive.
• What fuel type do you need? Gas is usually the cheapest.

There are 4 types of fuel that your boiler can use (not counting the renewable sources such as solar or heat pumps):-

• Gas - from mains supply or stored in bottles/tanks.
• Oil -Requires separate storage tank kept outside and/or underground
• Solid fuel - Fuel needs storing nearby and is sometimes fed to boiler through a hopper. Ash needs to be removed.
• Electric - Not covered here at present.

There are also different types of boiler:-

Conventional or Regular or Open Vented

Here hot water generated by burning the fuel is stored in a hot water cylinder or tank. The tank is placed in an 'airing' cupboard usually off the landing. There is also a cold water storage and an expansion cistern in the loft. The advantage of this is that a large volume of water (at a reasonable pressure head) is available assuming you have remembered to switch it on, the disadvantage is that the hot water is not available on demand and the cost in the hot water cylinder and water tank materials and installation costs. Heating up the large volume of water in the tank has a cost disadvantage but the systems are relatively cheap to maintain. Many older systems that are in need of replacing are conventional boilers.

System or Sealed

These have a hot water tank (in the airing cupboard) but do not have the storage tanks in the loft. The hot water cylinder is sealed and can provide hot water (and lots of it) at mains pressure. The advantages of this system are the reduced space required, large volume of water available and reduced complexity of installation. The disadvantage is that the hot water is not available 'on demand' and still requires the space for a hot water cylinder

Combination or Combi

A combi boiler differs in that the water is not stored anywhere (cold or hot), but rather supplied on demand when you need it. The term combination comes from the fact that it provides hot water for washing and hot water for heating. The advantages are that they save space (no pipework or tanks in the loft) and hence are easier to install (for a professional). Also, by heating only the water you want you can save money and be more environmentally friendly. The disadvantage is that the flow rate from the boiler can be slower depending on mains pressure and boiler size. A more powerful combi boiler could provide hot water at mains pressure and also sustain a decent flow rate through more than one tap at a time again depending on mains pressure.

It used to be the case that combi boilers were better suited to smaller houses (where the likelihood of more than one tap being used was reduced). However, there are new types of combi that have a small storage tank that means that can cope with a higher flow rate (for enough volume to fill a bath anyway).

Condensing

Now a building regulations requirement for new gas boilers (since 1st April 2005) and oil (since 1st April 2007). A condensing boiler has an additional step for removing heat from the burning fuel that improves its efficiency. In a sense it has two bites at the cherry. The secondary heat exchanger (copper or aluminium piping that transfers heat from one volume to another - here hot gases-to-water) heats the water going into the primary heat exchanger. When running at optimum efficiency, the flue gases undergo a phase change from gaseous-to-liquid releasing their 'latent heat'. Condensing boilers can achieve efficiencies of over 95% compared to as little as 50-60% for a typical older boiler.

Variations of the above boiler and fuel types are available but aren't discussed here at this time.

Size of boiler

The required heat output of your boiler is determined by the total requirement of all your radiators and your hot water needs. Allowance needs to taken for the heat loss through the walls, floor, windows and roof of your house. Therefore, if a property has undergone a serious insulation makeover (cavity walls, double glazing, draft reduction, loft insulation) you may find your need a smaller boiler capacity. The specific calculation/estimation will be done by your plumber.

Fitting Only 

You could buy the boiler yourself and then get a plumber to come and fit it. Just make sure you get the right size and type for your requirements. From our database we have average parts only prices for boilers (inc VAT) of £865 per item/job (as of May 11, 2008) for a gas boiler, £1408 per item/job (as of May 11, 2008) for an oil boiler and £1925 per item/job (as of May 11, 2008) for a solid fuel boiler.

The above prices are for the boilers only usually require a separate flue kit to be purchased which will add £150-300 to the cost. Plus of course any extra pipework and fittings to connect it to the existing heating/water system.

Get a plumber in

SO who to get to to supply and fit the boiler? Your first point of call may be a utility company. Now many people will go to them for convenience and a sense of security which is OK, just don't expect them to be cheap. The usual rules apply here asking relatives, friends, neighbours, local plumbers, ones who are members of Institute of Plumbing etc.

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).

For oil there is OFTEC members of which are competent persons under building regulations (or should be).

Hope this page helps and you can help others too by sending us your prices in the form below.