Central heating system costs
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
- What are the components of a central heating system?
- 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
- Cost for replacing common central heating components
- 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 |
• Usually about £50 -£75 per hour. |
Work undertaken | Materials | Labour |
---|---|---|
Installing a new radiator |
• Radiator prices vary according to whether they are single or double panel and the width. |
• Usually about £50 -£75 per hour. |
Work undertaken | Materials | Labour |
---|---|---|
Central heating controls |
• Prices vary according the boiler you have and manufacturer. |
• £50 - £75 per hour, |
Work undertaken | Materials | Labour |
---|---|---|
Hot water |
•Copper cylinders costs as little as £130 but unvented cylinders (used with system boilers) are more expensive. |
• 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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