Cost of installing new gas central heating system.

amistupid

To a three bedroom, one bathroom, semi detached house, currently heated by electric storage heaters.

Any rough ideas of the cost of fitting a boiler and 8 radiators?

TELLIT01

Is the property currently occupied and/or carpeted? Is there gas to the property or is some other form of fuel to be used?

Phil4432

If you have fitted carpets, get a carpet fitter to take them up and put them back down. I'd also consider a carpenter to deal with the floorboards also.

A central heating installer is not a carpet fitter or carpenter, though some make themselves out to be. Obviously not an issue, if pipes are not going under the floors.

nofoollikeold

Assuming:
1. Gas available. I.e. meter already installed and connected.
2. Suspended floors with reasonable access for running pipes under OR
3. You are prepared to have pipes dropped down from ceilings / run on the surface.
4. You are talking about a combi boiler.
5. You are not in Central London or the centre of another large city

Then you'd be looking at somewhere between £4,500 and £6,000 for a good quality installation of a decent boiler, good radiators, mid-range controls. Say £1,500 for boiler and flue, £800 for radiators and valves, £300 for controls, £100 for filter, and say £300 for pipe fittings and ancillaries. Then probably 4 or 5 man days labour. Location / firm dependent, but say £1,500 to £3,000.

Plus the costs of:
a. Removal of storage heaters. Some contain asbestos, so may be quite expensive.
b. Any redecoration / making good

You could probably shave £500 to £1,000 off the cost, but it would mean an inferior boiler, and, perhaps worse, a poor quality installation, which might cost you more in the long run.

tacpot12

I would thought the cost would be about £6000 for the plumbing work if you get a carpenter to relay the floorboards and a carpet fitter to refit the carpet. It will depend where you are in the UK.

Phil4432

nofoollikeold wrote: »

a. Removal of storage heaters. Some contain asbestos, so may be quite expensive.

If asbestos is suspected, do not allow any work until inspected by an asbestos company.

If a heating installer, or any other tradesman, does not seem to care whether there is asbestos or not do not let them in your home.

amistupid

TELLIT01 wrote: »

Is the property currently occupied and/or carpeted? Is there gas to the property or is some other form of fuel to be used?

Currently there is no gas to the property, a gas service pipe connection will cost about £700 and Eon, the family's energy provider, will fit a meter free of charge.
The house is occupied, young family with two young kids. It is carpeted and has a new tiled kitchen floor. I've done some rough costings on internet sites.

£5,500 on https://job-prices.co.uk/gas-central-heating/#grants

£3,500 on https://householdquotes.co.uk/how-much-to-install-central-heating/

I was wondering with a two grand difference which is the most realistic?

That's why I'm asking for opinions on here.

tacpot12 wrote: »

I would thought the cost would be about £6000 for the plumbing work if you get a carpenter to relay the floorboards and a carpet fitter to refit the carpet. It will depend where you are in the UK.

North Lincs.

nofoollikeold wrote: »

Assuming:
1. Gas available. I.e. meter already installed and connected.
Currently no gas connection but have been given a quote for £684 for a service pipe connection
2. Suspended floors with reasonable access for running pipes under chipboard floors OR
3. You are prepared to have pipes dropped down from ceilings / run on the surface. Yes if need be
4. You are talking about a combi boiler. Yes
5. You are not in Central London or the centre of another large city
No

Since posting I've contacted 3 local firms who've given approximate quotes, pending site visits, of £3000-3,500, £4,000 and £5,500. Various boilers but most have 10 year warranties. Each say the work should be completed in 3 days.

It will be at least 2 months for the service pipe to be fitted so there is no rush, but I'm grateful to you all for your help, advice and guidance.

dunroving

amistupid wrote: »

Currently there is no gas to the property, a gas service pipe connection will cost about £700 and Eon, the family's energy provider, will fit a meter free of charge.
The house is occupied, young family with two young kids. It is carpeted and has a new tiled kitchen floor. I've done some rough costings on internet sites.

£5,500 on https://job-prices.co.uk/gas-central-heating/#grants

£3,500 on https://householdquotes.co.uk/how-much-to-install-central-heating/

I was wondering with a two grand difference which is the most realistic?

That's why I'm asking for opinions on here.



North Lincs.



Since posting I've contacted 3 local firms who've given approximate quotes, pending site visits, of £3000-3,500, £4,000 and £5,500. Various boilers but most have 10 year warranties. Each say the work should be completed in 3 days.

It will be at least 2 months for the service pipe to be fitted so there is no rush, but I'm grateful to you all for your help, advice and guidance.

You should ask each company how many people will be working on the job, to get an idea of whether they are quoting for a similar job. Two people working for 3 days and 3 people working for 3 days are very different things.

I would also be quite thorough in discussing (maybe via email, so you have a record) issues related to mess, disruption, and reinstatement of the house. What is expected of you (some companies expect you to remove the carets, others will do it themselves - maybe with damaging results), and what will they do? Do they include making good any paintwork and wallpaper, if necessary (probably not, but you need to understand what else you will personally have to arrange).

This is a potentially very big, very disruptive job. I'd be surprised if everything that is involved could be done in 3 days unless they have an army of people working in perfect harmony. I also think a £3k quote is unrealistically low.

amistupid

dunroving wrote: »

This is a potentially very big, very disruptive job. I'd be surprised if everything that is involved could be done in 3 days unless they have an army of people working in perfect harmony. I also think a £3k quote is unrealistically low.

My thoughts exactly. The house was bought by my daughter and her partner nearly 3 years ago. Unfortunately they did not ask for any advice, I'd have deterred them from buying anywhere with storage heaters, or had central heating fitted when it was empty before they moved in. It's a nice starter home and was bought for a reasonable price, with a huge garden for my two grand kids, and they intend staying there for the next few years. The only drawback has been the Economy 7 storage heaters, their electric bills have been astronomical. I'm trying my best to help them out. The houses in the area have a ceiling price of about 90 grand.

sgun

amistupid wrote: »

My thoughts exactly. The house was bought by my daughter and her partner nearly 3 years ago. Unfortunately they did not ask for any advice, I'd have deterred them from buying anywhere with storage heaters, or had central heating fitted when it was empty before they moved in. It's a nice starter home and was bought for a reasonable price, with a huge garden for my two grand kids, and they intend staying there for the next few years. The only drawback has been the Economy 7 storage heaters, their electric bills have been astronomical. I'm trying my best to help them out. The houses in the area have a ceiling price of about 90 grand.

Storage heaters are really easy to remove once you have the power supply removed (Npower took out my meter free). The worst part is the bricks which are really heavy, you can only carry a couple at a time. It took me and husband a day to remove 5 heaters. We repurposed the bricks in our new place as an outdoor kiln, a fire pit and a pizza oven. Save some money and DIY. They would have to be really old to contain asbestos, from early 80's or thereabouts but if you aren't sure it's pretty easy to find out online when they would have been manufactured.

As an aside our quotes for 2 bed, 1 bath house (6 rads) were £1800, £3200 and £4500. We went with the middle one and it took two fitters 18 hours over two days, they worked a very long day on the first day!

Undervalued

amistupid wrote: »

My thoughts exactly. The house was bought by my daughter and her partner nearly 3 years ago. Unfortunately they did not ask for any advice, I'd have deterred them from buying anywhere with storage heaters, or had central heating fitted when it was empty before they moved in. It's a nice starter home and was bought for a reasonable price, with a huge garden for my two grand kids, and they intend staying there for the next few years. The only drawback has been the Economy 7 storage heaters, their electric bills have been astronomical. I'm trying my best to help them out. The houses in the area have a ceiling price of about 90 grand.

Just a thought but are you sure there is not anything odd going on like some or all of them getting some or all of the energy at peak rate? It can happen. What about their hot water?

I used to have what was once a small Victorian house as a business premises. That was heated with reasonably modern (at the time) storage heaters which worked very well. Whilst I am sure gas would have been cheaper, the disruption involved in installing plus the length of time it would have taken to recover the capital costs didn't make the idea appealing. Also, boilers need annual servicing and there is far more to go wrong than with storage heaters.