Average boiler cost

Summary: How much does a new boiler cost to replace, average boiler installation costs and average boiler prices.

Replacing a boiler can be a daunting prospect, with costs often running into the thousands. However, if your boiler is over 10 years old it can be a worthwhile investment as you could be throwing money away by using an older boiler to heat your home.

Average Cost

Factors to consider

If your boiler is over 10 years old you are likely to save yourself a good deal of money by upgrading to a newer, more efficient model. Building regulations changed in 2004 for gas boilers and 2007 for oil fired boilers and now state that all replacement boilers need to be condensing.

A condensing boiler recycles much of the waste heat generated in the combustion process, meaning it achieves much greater efficiency than conventional boilers of years ago. Even the most inefficient condensing boiler will typically achieve around 83% efficiency compared to around 60% for conventional boilers. With typical household heating bills reaching around £1000 a year, upgrading to an energy efficient condensing boiler could save your household hundreds of pounds each year.

As with any household appliance, boilers are rated in categories A – G for efficiency, with A being the most efficient and G being the least. Going for an A rated boiler might cost you a bit more in the first place, but is likely to make a great saving over the lifetime of the appliance. A rated condensing boilers can achieve up to 97% efficiency, compared to C rated which average around 85%.

An important consideration if you are changing to condensing boilers is the location of the appliance. Because it produces condensation as part of the heating process, these new boilers will require a drain which means it will need to be situated on an outside wall. If your current boiler is already on an outside wall the installation should be a fairly straightforward process, but if the boiler requires relocation the costs of running new gas and water pipes to the new site can have a significant impact on cost.

Many homes will currently have a combination boiler fitted. These boilers instantly produce hot water on demand, eliminating the need for a hot water storage tank and giving mains pressure hot water at the turn of a tap. They are favoured by installers as they are less complicated to install and in small properties are useful as no cupboard space is needed for the tank.

Whether your current boiler is a system or combi, you will have the choice to change to the other type if you wish to. If you think you will ever wish to install solar water heating on your home then it can be worth changing to a system boiler as very few combination boilers work with pre heated hot water. If you install a system boiler with this in mind and buy a new water storage tank as part of the deal, specify a dual coil hot water tank because then a solar panel can just be bolted into the system later on with very little extra cost.

Your installer should specify the size of boiler needed for your property based upon the cubic area it needs to heat. He should measure each room and calculate the BTU required to efficiently heat your home. There are programmes on line to help you do this yourself if you wish to check he is specifying the correct type of boiler.

Costs to consider

The cost of the actual boiler is typically from £600 – £1,000 for gas and £1,200 – £2,000 for oil. The cost of installation can be from £1,200 – £2,500 or more depending on numerous factors involved in installing the appliance.

DIY installation is not permitted by law unless you are a Gas Safe (for gas) or OFTEC (for oil) registered installer. Make sure your installer has these certifications and obtain three quotations prior to commissioning the work.

Building regulations state that if you are upgrading any part of your heating system then energy efficient controls should be installed. If you do not have TRV’s on all radiators, a room thermostat and a timer / programmer then your installer should be specifying these as part of the installation. These will incur extra expense but will help you save money in the long run.

After installing your boiler the installer should flush the system through to get it working efficiently. This shouldn’t cost more than £70 – £120 but do make sure it is completed as you risk having air trapped in the system which will cause the boiler to work less well and could damage your new appliance in the long run.

Grants, scrappage schemes and other discounts are sometimes available to help with the costs of installing new energy efficient boilers. The Energy Efficiency Advice Centre can advise you on this and it’s sometimes worth speaking to your own local authority and fuel supplier as well.