Cost guide
How much does central heating cost?
A full central heating system for a three-bedroom house costs £3,500 to £7,500 including the boiler, radiators, pipework and controls. Extending an existing system to a new room is £400 to £900 per radiator.
Typical prices
Ranges, not quotes. A quote depends on your home and the job.
| Work | Typical UK price |
|---|---|
| Full system, two-bedroom flat | £3,000 to £5,000 |
| Full system, three-bedroom house | £3,500 to £7,500 |
| Full system, four or five bedrooms | £6,000 to £11,000 |
| Extend heating to one new room | £400 to £900 |
| Add zoning and smart controls | £400 to £1,000 |
| System balancing and commissioning visit | £120 to £250 |
Ask for the heat loss calculation. A system sized from the heat loss of each room matches the house; one priced off the number of bedrooms is an estimate that usually comes out too big.
What moves the price
- Number of radiators, which follows the room count and the heat loss calculation.
- Floor construction. Timber floors take pipework easily; solid floors mean cutting channels in the walls or running pipes at skirting level.
- Whether the property is occupied during the work, which slows everything down.
- Boiler type. A combi is cheaper than a system boiler with an unvented cylinder.
- Controls. Zoning, smart thermostats and weather compensation add cost and reduce running cost.
- Whether the house has ever had heating, since a first installation has no existing pipework to reuse.
What the money buys: full system installations in properties with none.
Who quotes for it
4900 of the 7,519 plumbers and heating engineers listed on this site take on central heating.
The towns where most are based: Nottingham (54), Glasgow (49), Bristol (38), Liverpool (32), Manchester (31).
Questions about central heating
Why is one radiator always cold?
If the top is cold, bleed it. If the bottom is cold, it has sludge in it. If it never warms at all while others are hot, the system needs balancing at the lockshield valves.
Should I run my heating lower for longer?
For a condensing boiler, yes. A lower flow temperature keeps the boiler condensing, which is where its efficiency comes from. It needs radiators sized for it, which is why the design matters.