HOW MUCH WILL A NEW BOILER COST ME?

Replacing your boiler is one of the biggest household expenses there is. If you’ve already done a little research,  you’ll see that prices can vary widely.

​It’s important to research your purchase carefully, as you should be living with your new boiler for 15 years or more. Let’s take a look at the things that will affect the cost of replacing your boiler.

Manufacturer

The quality of the boiler is the biggest determining factor in the cost of replacement. You can get some very cheap nasty boilers, which we do not fit and would never recommend. You’re entering a world of pain if you choose to fit a Ferroli, a Biasi, or something similar.

At the high end, you have brands such as Worcester, Vaillant and Viessman. These companies have built a reputation for reliability and build quality.

Somewhere in the middle sit brands like Ideal and Baxi. If you’ve bought a new build house in the last 10 years, the chances are, it has an Ideal boiler.
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All boiler manufacturers offer some kind of reward scheme to their installers, so many companies will steer their clients towards their preferred brand. It’s wise to ask the engineer or salesperson about other potential options. 

Power output of the boiler

Ideally you should have a detailed heat loss survey on your house to ensure you’ve sized the boiler correctly. This obviously adds to the cost but may save you money in the long run.

The energy output of boilers is measured in kilowatts.  Most domestic boilers range from 12kw to 40kw. The greater the output, the more you will pay.

Changing the type of boiler

If you currently have a boiler with a separate hot water cylinder in the airing cupboard and you’d like to change this to a combi boiler, the installation cost will increase. There are pipework alterations needed for this and changes to the heating controls.

Swapping out one boiler for another of the same type can usually be done in a day, so the labour costs in this case are reduced.

Moving the boiler

If you’ve decided to locate your boiler elsewhere in the house, this will significantly increase the cost of installation. It usually means lifting floorboards to move pipes and cables. It also means a new hole will need cutting for the flue.

Flue position

If your flue comes directly off the top of your boiler and straight through an outside wall, this makes replacement easier and cheaper. Vertical flues that terminate through a roof can add a great deal to the cost, especially if the installer insists on erecting a scaffold tower to access the roof.

Controls

Thermostats and programmers vary widely in both quality and price.

Regulations now require new boilers to be fitted with high efficiency controls. This means either a smart thermostat you can control from an app, such as Hive or Nest, or a more sophisticated control that communicates directly with the boiler.

Many boiler manufacturers produce their own controls which tend to be more expensive but give greater efficiency to the boiler, so could save you money over time.

Type of system flush

A proper powerflush, which uses a pump to circulate cleaning chemicals around your system, will take a full day to complete.

A chemical cleanse is often used when new boilers are fitted. The engineer will add a cleaning chemical to the system and let it run for a while before draining the system to remove the dirty water. This is by far the cheapest option, but doesn’t clean the sludge out of your radiators very effectively.

Mains pressure flushing can be used as an alternative to powerflushing. This uses the pressure from your cold-water supply to clear debris from your system. It can target each radiator individually but takes a fraction of the time of a full powerflush. 

Other alterations

Changing radiators, replacing your hot water cylinder, or any other additional work will add to the cost of your installation.

Installer

Perhaps the hardest decision to make is which company to choose to do the work. It’s wise to get a number of quotes to see how prices may vary. It’s not always wise to opt for the cheapest. Check out reviews online and look for recommendations from friends and family.