Average cost to replace a radiator

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

In the winter months, households will begin to rely on the warmth that a radiator provides. Radiators in the home supply the necessary warmth for rooms within the home throughout the winter or colder months. A centrally heated house is a safe and simple way of ensuring the ideal temperature that is required. It is widely considered a far better and safer alternative to lighting a coal or wood fire in the various rooms of the house. Central heating works in a very simple and controllable way, fuelled by gas or oil and powered by a boiler.

Average Cost

Factors to consider

An important factor to consider is ensuring that the correct size of the radiator is chosen for the room that it will be situated in. For this to be established, the room needs to be comprehensively measured to determine the length, width and ceiling height. Other important factors are the type of floor in the room and the type of windows the property has – are they single glazed or double glazed? Important also is to determine the direction the room faces, in particular if it is south facing of north facing. Other considerations are if the room has French doors and the number of outside walls which form the room. Once all this has been worked out, the amount of heating required for each room can be calculated and therefore the correct size of the radiator that is needed. It is important to fit the correct size radiator in each room to avoid large rooms having too small a radiator and being too cold and vice versa. An incorrectly sized radiator in the room will create an insufficient amount of heat to the property, which can also cause the heating system to become unbalanced.

Having a radiator installed will incur additional costs due to maintenance over time. Any heating system should be regularly serviced to keep it running efficiently, safely and effectively. Problems noticed early will result in fewer breakdowns over the year. All heating systems will perform far better with regular servicing. As the heating system is often not in use at all in the summer months, it is even more important that it is thoroughly checked so that it continues to work properly during the winter season. Radiators often get excess air in the system (as opposed to water) and as a result will not give out as much heat as required, feeling lukewarm or even cold to the touch. If this happens the radiator will need ‘bleeding’, which results in emptying out the air in the radiator to clear the blockage. As the air empties, existing water in the system replaces it. A plumber is not necessarily required to bleed the radiator as long as the DIY’er has the right tools. An additional cost that may be considered is the taking out of a service contract so the heating system is checked regularly to hopefully avoid any sudden breakdowns. Also this will provide peace of mind and the knowledge that if the system does break down, an engineer will come and sort out the problem instead of relying on an emergency call out which will cost much more.

Costs to consider

Installing a new radiator will require a skilled and qualified professional tradesman. It is a much safer option to employ an experienced tradesman than an amateur attempting the task. If you require any extra work to the boiler, a plumber must be CORGI/Gas Safe registered, as the job deals with gas which is flammable and therefore hazardous to deal with. The cost of a professional tradesman to install a radiator could be around £150 – £250. It is also vital that the radiator complies with the British Standard Regulations, BS EN 442-3:2003.

The cost of replacing a new radiator will usually depend on the type, style or size of radiator that is required. The approximate cost of a compact radiator can be around £70 for a 700mm high x 400mm wide. A flat panelled radiator can cost around £108 for a height of 300mm x 500mm wide. If a ‘designer’ radiator is preferred this will increase the cost to around £300, whilst a traditional old school radiator can be £330 and upwards.

For most households, radiators are part of the home and are not regarded as a luxury item but as a necessity. As the winters here can be quite harsh and long it is good to feel secure in the warmth that radiators bring to the home.