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Central heating system costs

07/06/2020

Jo Alsop

Heating Hero

The Heating Hub

How much a central heating system cost to install? We guide you on prices for radiators, filters, power flushing as well as boilers. 

 

How much does a central heating system cost?

A central heating system, including radiators, with a mid-range combi boiler will cost around £3,500 for a 1 bed flat, £4,250 for a 3 bed house and £5,500 for a 5 bed house. Costs for heat-only and system boiler heating systems, including the cost of a hot water cylinder, range between £4,000 - £6,000. Our tables below give a full breakdown of cost for installing a combi, regular or system boilers in 1-5 bedroom properties. The biggest variable is the cost of the central heating boiler. We provide a selection of the best boilers by brand and price to you can adjust your estimate accordingly.

Contents

  1. What are the components of a central heating system?
  2. How much does central heating cost for 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 bed houses?
    • Cost scenarios for combi boilers
    • Cost scenarios for heating only boilers
    • Cost scenarios for system boilers
  3. Cost for replacing common central heating components
  4. Central heating boiler costs

1) What are the components of a central heating system?

A modern central heating system comprises a boiler, radiators, thermostatic radiator valves, heating control (i.e. a thermostat and programmer) and, depending on the boiler type, possibly an external central heating pump and hot water cylinder.

2) How much does central heating cost for 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 bed houses?

The tables below a breakdown of costs for a full central heating installation for a combi, heat only and system boiler. Under each boiler type you can review costs for 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 bedroom properties.

Combi boiler

The table below sets out the costs of the component parts of a full central heating system installation with a mid range combi boiler, radiators, heating controls and standard materials costs, including labour and VAT. We have given total costs for a range of property sizes. Prices may increase if less common works are required, for example, an extra long gas pipe run or building/electrical works.

Central Heating Cost Breakdown

1-2 bed flat

6 radiators

2 bed house

7 radiators

3 bed house

8 radiators

4 bed house

9 radiators

5 bed house

10 radiators

Central Heating Combi Boiler £750 £850 £975 £1,050 £1,200
Radiators/pipework/gas pipe £792 £924 £1,056 £1,248 £1,380
Standard TRVs £75 £87 £100 £112 £125
Programmable room thermostat £110 £110 £110 £110 £110
Inhibitor £25 £25 £25 £50 £50
Labour/VAT £1,650 £1,650 £1,980 £2,640 £2,640
Total incl VAT £3,402 £3,646 £4,246 £5,120 £5,505

Heat only boiler & vented copper hot water cylinder

The table below shows central heating installation costs for a mid range heat only boiler with copper hot water cylinder, radiators, heating controls and standard materials costs, including labour and VAT. The costs assume a standard installation set up for a range of property sizes.

Central Heating Cost Breakdown

1-2 bed flat

6 radiators

2 bed house

7 radiators

3 bed house

8 radiators

4 bed house

9 radiators

5 bed house

10 radiators

Central Heating Heat Only Boiler £600 £700 £750 £850 £950
Copper/foam hot water cylinder/pipework £312 £336- £360 £372 £408
Radiators/pipework/gas pipe £792 £924 £1,056 £1,248 £1,380
Standard TRVs £75 £87 £100 £112 £125
Programmable room thermostat £200 £200 £200 £200 £200
Inhibitor £25 £25 £25 £50 £50
Labour/VAT £1,980 £1,980 £2,310 £2,970 £2,970
Total incl VAT £3,984 £4,252 £4,801 £5,802 £6,083

System boiler & unvented hot water cylinder

The table below gives a breakdown of the component costs of a full central heating installation including radiators, mid range system boiler, unvented hot water cylinder, heating controls and standard materials costs, including labour and VAT. We have calculated the cost for a range of property sizes assuming a standard installation set up.

Central Heating Cost Breakdown

1-2 bed flat

6 radiators

2 bed house

7 radiators

3 bed house

8 radiators

4 bed house

9 radiators

5 bed house

10 radiators

Central Heating System Boiler £725 £825 £900 £975 £1,000
Copper/foam hot water cylinder/pipework £1,032 £1,032 £1,092 £1,212 £1,322
Radiators/pipework/gas pipe £792 £924 £1,056 £1,248 £1,380
Standard TRVs £75 £87.50 £100 £112.50 £125
Programmable room thermostat £200 £200 £200 £200 £200
Inhibitor £25 £25 £25 £50 £50
Labour/VAT £1,980 £1,980 £2,310 £2,970 £2,970
Total incl VAT £4,829 £5,073 £5,683 £6,767 £7,057

 

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3) Cost for replacing common central heating components

If you need radiators replacing, thermostatic radiator valves adding, new heating controls or a new hot water cylinder then these can be done at any time but its usually cheaper if done with a new boiler installation. The table below gives a guide to upgrading system component costs (they include VAT). NB the prices are based on ‘stand alone’ jobs, if they are undertaken as part of a new boiler installations they will likely be cheaper.

Work undertaken Materials Labour

Installing thermostatic radiator valves

From £12.50 per valve
(see our Guide to Thermostatic Radiator Valves for our review of 32 types/style of valve and prices)

• Usually about £50 -£75 per hour.
• For one TRV allow approx one hour.
• For more than one TRV, the engineer will probably have to drain down.
• ​It’s usually worth doing all the radiators at the same time. Approx ½ day to do 8 TRVs.

Work undertaken Materials Labour

Installing a new radiator

• Radiator prices vary according to whether they are single or double panel and the width.
• It is less work to choose a width that fits the gap, however that may take up a lot of room.
• If you go with a narrower radiator then the installer will need to adjust the pipework.
• This can be done under the floor if you have timber floors but above if they are concrete.

• Usually about £50 -£75 per hour.
• A single radiator can probably be done without draining down the system and that will take around 2 hours.
• Changing more than one will require a drain down.
• Changing 8 radiators: 1 day at £400 - £500.

Work undertaken Materials Labour

Central heating controls

• Prices vary according the boiler you have and manufacturer.
• New systems must have a programmer and thermostat (for more on types of programmer and thermostats see our Guide to Thermostats and Central Heating Controls).
• Combined units start around £90 and go upto around £220 for smart thermostats that you can control from your phone

• £50 - £75 per hour,
• 1-3 hours depending on whether its hard wired or remote.

Work undertaken Materials Labour

Hot water
​cylinders

•Copper cylinders costs as little as £130 but unvented cylinders (used with system boilers) are more expensive.
• For more on cylinder costs and products view our Guide to Hot Water Cylinders.

• Allow ½ -1 day at £450 - £600 per day.

4) Central heating boiler costs

There are three types of central heating boiler: combi, heat only and regular. If you need more help deciding which boiler type you need, try our Guide to boiler types where we review all the pros and cons of each. The tables below show our pick of the best combi, heat only and system boilers.

Guidance on picking the right combi boiler

Combi boilers are grouped together according to hot water production. As the average UK home only requires 6-8kW of heat on a very cold day so even the smallest combi boilers are big enough to heat our homes. The important factor is hot water production. The tables have been grouped together based on how quickly they can supply hot water to one or more bathrooms. This is expressed as litres per minute (LPM). NB the bigger the hot water capacity the bigger the boiler will be for heating. Oversized boilers can be very inefficient in smaller homes with lots of bathrooms, therefore pick a boiler that has a good output to hot water but can go down really low on the heating side (see end column on the tables). The lower the boiler can go, the more efficiently it can operate all year around. For more see our Guide to the best combi boilers.

 

1 Bathroom Properties - 9-10 litres per minute

Budget Range Manufacturer / Model Code Price Standard warranty Free Extended Warranty Maximum output Litres per minute for hot water Minimum output
Ideal Independent 24 £670 5 5 24kW 9.9 4.8kW
Baxi 200 224 £620 3 3 22kW 9.8 5.2kW
Ravenheat HE80 25 £649 5 5 21kW 10.2 3.6kW
Glow Worm Energy 25 £700 7 7 19kW 10.4 5.0kW
Vaillant EcoFit Pure 825 £910 2 7 19kW 10.4 5.2kW
Intergas Xclusive 24 £969 10 10 19kW

10.1

3.6kW
Baxi Ecoblue Advance 24 £1,020 10 10 21kW 9.8 4.9kW
Viessmann 100-W 26 £1,070 5 10 26kW 8.9 4.7kW
Ideal Vogue C26 £1,005 10 10 19kW 10.6 4.0kW
Worcester 8000 30kW £1,275 5 10 30kW 10.7 3.0kW

 

1 Bathroom Properties - 11-13 litres per minute

Budget Range Manufacturer / Model Code Price Standard warranty Free Extended Warranty Maximum output Litres per minute for hot water Minimum output
Baxi 200 228 £612 3 3 26kW 11.5 5.2kW
Ravenheat HE98 30 £719 5 5 26kW 12.1 3.7kW
Vailliant / EcoFITpure 830 £1,110 2 7 26kW 12.4 6.3kW
ATAG iC Economiser 27 plus NK 10 10 23kW 12.6 5.0kW
Intergas Xclusive 30 £1,029 10 10 23kW 12.2 3.6kW
Intergas Xtreme 24 £1,209 7 7 19kW 11.0 3.6kW
Ideal Vogue C32 £1,115 8 10 26kW 13.1 4.6kW
Intergas Xclusive 36 £1,149 10 10 27kW 13.5 3.6kW
Intergas Xtreme 30 £1,269 7 7 26kW 13.3 3.6kW
Vaillant EcoTEC Plus 832 £1,290 5 10 25kW 13.0 5.2kW

 

1-2 Bathroom Properties - 14-15 litres per minute

Budget Range Manufacturer / Model Code Price Standard warranty Free Extended Warranty Maximum output Litres per minute for hot water Minimum output
Ideal / Independent C35 £805 5 5 24kW 14.5 7.1kW
Glow Worm Energy 30 £800 7 7 26kW 14.2 6.1kW
Vaillant EcoTEC Plus 835 £1,470 5 10 30kW 14.3 5.8kW
Intergas Xtreme 36 £1,389 7 7 27kW 14.5 3.6kW
Vaillant ecoTEC Green iQ 835 £1,465 5 10 26kW 14.5 3.4kW
Worcester 8000 35kW £1,405 5 10 35kW 14.3 3.5kW
Viessmann Vitodens 200-W 200-W £1,602 3 10 25kW 15.7 1.9kW

 

2 Bathrooms in use at the same time - 16 litres per minute or more

Budget Range Manufacturer / Model Code Price Standard warranty Free Extended Warranty Maximum output Litres per minute for hot water Minimum output
Glow Worm Energy 35 £900 7 7 26kW 16.5 7.2kW
Ideal Vogue 40 £1,225 10 10 32kW 16.4 5.7kW
Worcester 8000 40 £1,600 5 10 35kW 16.4 3.5kW
Vaillant ecoTEC Green iQ 843 £1,700 5 10 33kW 17.8 4.3kW
Worcester 8000 45kW £1,904 5 10 35kW 18.3 3.5kW
Worcester Highflow 440CDi £2,115 5 10 29kW 20.0 7.4kW

 

Guidance on picking the right heat only boiler

The average UK home requires 6-8kW of heat on a very cold day, much less the rest of the year. The smallest heat only boilers available to buy are 11-13kW - easily big enough to heat the vast majority of homes. The important factor here is hot water production. If your cylinder requires 12kW of heat, a 12kW heat only boiler will be sufficient for your home. If it needs 25kW then you'll need a 25kW boiler. Your heating engineer will be able to help you. NB the most important consideration is how low the boiler will go on the heating side. Some boilers are manufacturers to give up 30kW of heat - vastly too big for most homes - but they will reduce down to very low outputs of say 3kW. These are also good boilers for smaller homes as a 30kW boiler that goes down to 3kW will be more efficient all year round than a 12kW boiler that goes down to 5kW. For more help see our Guide to the best boilers.

1-4 bedroom homes, small cylinder

Budget Range Manufacturer / Model Code Price Standard warranty Free Extended Warranty Maximum output Minimum output
Vaillant ecoFIT Pure Regular 412 £768 2 7 12kW 4.5kW
Glow Worm Energy Regular 12 £740 7 7 12kW 4.5kW
Ideal Logic Heat+ 12 £705 7 7 12kW 5.1kW
Vaillant ecoTEC Plus 412 £805 5 10 12kW 4.5kW
Worcester Bosch Greenstar Ri 12i £810 5 10 12kW 5.0kW
Worcester Bosch 8000 30 £1,275 5 10 30kW 3.0kW

2-5 bedroom homes, large cylinder

Budget Range Manufacturer / Model Code Price Standard warranty Free Extended Warranty Maximum output Minimum output
Glow Worm Energy Regular 15 £755 7 7 15kW 4.5kW
Vaillant ecoFIT Pure 415 £775 2 7 15kW 4.5kW
Ideal Logic Heat+ 15 £740 7 7 15kW 4.9kW
Worcester Bosch Greenstar Ri 15i £830 5 10 15kW 5.0kW
Vaillant ecoTEC Plus 415 £880 5 10 15kW 4.5kW
Worcester Bosch 8000 30 £1,275 5 10 30kW 3kW

2-5 bedroom homes, multiple bathrooms

Budget Range Manufacturer / Model Code Price Standard warranty Free Extended Warranty Maximum output Minimum output
Glow Worm Energy Regular 18 £790 7 7 18kW 5.0kW
Ideal Logic Heat + 18 £780 7 7 18kW 5.1kW
Intergas HRE 18 £759 10 10 18kW 6.1kW
Worcester Bosch 8000 30 £1,275 5 10 30kW 3.0kW

 

Guidance on picking the right system boiler.

The average UK home requires 6-8kW of heat on a very cold day, much less the rest of the year. The smallest system boilers available to buy are 11-13kW - easily big enough to heat the vast majority of homes. The important factor here is hot water production. If your hot water cylinder requires 12kW of heat, a 12kW system boiler will be sufficient for your home. If it needs 25kW then you'll need a 25kW boiler. Your heating engineer will be able to advise. TIP: most important consideration is how low the boiler will go on the heating side. Some boilers are manufactured to give up 30kW of heat - vastly too big for most homes - but they will reduce down to very low outputs of say 3kW. These are also good boilers for smaller homes and actually better than a 12kW boiler that only goes down to say 5kW. For more help review our Guide to the best boilers.

1-4 bedroom homes, small cylinder

Budget Range Manufacturer / Model Code Price Standard warranty Free Extended Warranty Maximum output Minimum output
Ravenheat CS system boiler 24 £546 2 2 26kW 4.0kW
Glow Worm Energy 12 £690 7 7 12kW 4.5kW
Worcester Bosch Greenstar System i 9i £903 5 7-10 9kW 3.0kW
Vaillant ecoTEC Plus system 612 £910 5 10 12kW 3.3kW
Ideal Vogue System 15 £905 10 10 15kW 3.2kW
Worcester Bosch Greenstar System i 12i £900 5 10 12kW 3.1kW
Worcester 8000 system 30 £1310 5 10 30kW 3.0kW
Viessmann Vitodens 200-W 11 £1,375 5 10 11kW 1.9kW

2-5 bedroom homes, larger cylinder

Budget Range Manufacturer / Model Code Price Standard warranty Free Extended Warranty Maximum output Minimum output
Ideal Logic + system 15 £809 7 7 15kW 4.8kW
Ideal Vogue 15 £902 8 10 15kW 3.2kW
Baxi 600 system 15 £903 7 7 16kW 4.9kW
Vaillant EcoTEC plus system 615 £925 5 7-10 15kW 3.2kW
Worcester 8000 30 £1,305 5 10 30kW 3.2kW
Viessmann Vitodens 200-W 19 £1,470 5 10 19kW 1.9kW

2-5 bedroom homes, multiple bathrooms

Budget Range Manufacturer / Model Code Price Standard warranty Free Extended Warranty Maximum output Minimum output
Ravenheat CS system boiler 24 £546 2 2 25kW 4.0kW
Ideal Logic + 18 £804 7 7 18kW 4.8kW
Ideal Vogue 18 £981 8 10 18kW 3.6kW
Vaillant ecoTEC plus system 618 £1,070 5 7-10 18kW 4.0kW
Worcester 8000 system 30 £1,305 5 10 30kW 3.2kW
Viessmann Vitodens 200-W 19 £1,470 5 10 19kW 1.9kW

 

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