As the big freeze continues, your gas boiler may be the single most important item in your home. So, when it comes to maintaining your boiler or getting a boiler replacement, it’s essential to get it right.
The cost of replacing a gas boiler will exceed £1,500 and could even rise as high as £5,000. But if your current boiler is 10 years old or more, it’s probably adding hundreds of pounds a year to your gas bill because it’s so inefficient.
With this in mind, when is the right time to replace your existing boiler, and what should you look for in a newer model?
HOW MUCH IS A NEW BOILER?
While you can purchase a new gas boiler for as little as £600, that won’t include the cost of fitting it, along with any other additional work that may need doing if you’re not simply swapping out your old boiler for a new one.
A new gas boiler’s cost can be broken down into various parts: the price of the boiler itself, the cost involved in fitting it, plus any add-ons, such as the control system or any extra work required like fitting new pipes or altering existing ones.
HOW MUCH DOES A STANDALONE BOILER COST?
According to recent statistics, you can expect to pay anywhere from £600 to £2,500 for your replacement boiler. Budget boiler replacements cost around £600-£900, while premium models cost £1,300 upwards.
When you compare boiler prices, it’s tempting to choose the cheapest model to save money, but this is likely to be a false economy. Cheaper boilers are less powerful, and so suited to smaller properties – boilers rated 24-30kw are suitable for homes of up to three bedrooms; larger houses require a boiler of 35kw or more.
The surveyor visiting your home should make an appropriate recommendation based on your home’s type (such as terraced or detached), the number of bedrooms and bathrooms, and even its location.
ARE LABOUR COSTS INCLUDED IN BOILER COSTS?
No, these will be added to your boiler replacement cost and integrated into the overall quote. Typical labour costs come to £300 per day per fitter. Most standard jobs – swapping like for like – can be completed in under a day by a single person, while more complicated jobs, such as converting from a back boiler to a combi or system boiler – will take two days or maybe more.
WHAT OTHER COSTS ARE THERE?
You may be charged for additional required equipment, such as new or replacement pumps or valves along with the control system if switching from one type of boiler to another. Other optional extras may include fitting wireless smart control systems (around £200), as well as boiler magnetic filters and a chemical cleanse of your existing pipes to improve the efficiency of your system (anything from £300 to £500).
If the job requires it, you’ll also be charged for the cost of moving your boiler – this would include laying new pipes and may involve some building work.
All of these additional costs should be itemised and included in the quote.
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO CONVERT A REGULAR BOILER TO A COMBI BOILER?
Upgrading a regular or system boiler to a combi adds a premium of around £800 to £1,200 on top of the standard boiler cost, bringing a typical cost to between £2,500 and £4,500 depending on other factors. The cost of upgrading includes the full removal of your old boiler and water cylinder and upgraded pipework where required. The additional cost comes from the extra time and engineers required.
There’s an additional premium of around £500 if you’re switching from a back boiler to a combi boiler – partly because this usually involves moving your new boiler to a different location. This brings the typical cost of a back boiler upgrade to somewhere between £3,000 and £5,000.
HOW LONG WILL A NEW BOILER LAST?
Modern condensing boilers are designed to last up to 10 years, subject to how well they’re maintained. Make sure you get yours serviced annually by a registered Gas Safe engineer, which will ensure you don’t void your warranty.