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The honest guide toBoilers & central heating.
Combi vs system vs regular, the repair-or-replace question, and what's actually been announced about the end of new gas boilers.
Boilers
Who this is for
For households whose boiler is failing, old or simply up for review, and for homes fitting central heating for the first time.
The questions these guides answer
- Should I repair my boiler or replace it?
- Combi, system or regular: which suits my home?
- What does a new boiler, or first-time central heating, cost?
- Are gas boilers being banned?
Worth knowing first
There is no law stopping you repairing or replacing a gas boiler in an existing home. The Future Homes Standard requires low-carbon heating in new homes in England from 24 March 2027, and the 2035 date you may have read about was only ever an ambition. If you are replacing anyway, a heat pump can qualify for the £7,500 Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant, including in homes currently heated by electric storage heaters.
Reading order: beginner first
Start at the top.
09 guides
- 01
Combi vs system vs regular boiler: which one suits your home
A combi heats water on demand and suits most one-bathroom homes. A system boiler stores hot water in a cylinder for homes where two showers run at once. A regular boiler also needs loft tanks. If a heat pump is likely later, think twice before removing your cylinder.
7 min read
- 02
Should you repair or replace your boiler?
Repair a boiler that is safe, under about ten years old and has a single fault with parts still available. Replace it if it is unsafe, keeps failing, parts are no longer made or it is an old non-condensing model, and price a heat pump with the £7,500 grant at the same time.
7 min read
- 03
The end of new gas boilers in the UK: what's actually been announced
There is no law stopping you repairing or replacing a gas boiler in an existing home, and nobody has to remove a working one. The Future Homes Standard requires low-carbon heating in new homes in England from 24 March 2027, and the 2035 date was only ever an ambition.
7 min read
- 04
How much does a new boiler cost in 2026?
Real fixed prices for a new combi boiler fitted in 2026, what is and isn't included, the extra costs for system conversions, moving the boiler or a longer flue, and how paying works.
9 min read
- 05
First-time central heating: what it costs and what's involved
What it takes to fit central heating in a home that has never had it: gas boiler or heat pump (and the £7,500 grant if you heat with electricity), what the work involves room by room, getting a gas connection, how long it takes, and typical costs.
8 min read
- 06
How much does a boiler service cost in 2026?
What an annual boiler service costs, what a proper service checks, why skipping one can void a manufacturer guarantee, and the difference between a service plan and breakdown cover.
7 min read
- 07
Landlord gas safety certificates (CP12): the rules and the cost
What the law requires of landlords every year, what the engineer checks, what a gas safety record costs, and what happens if you miss one.
7 min read
- 08
Converting to a combi boiler: the cost, and when it is the wrong choice
What it costs to swap a system or regular boiler, or a back boiler, for a combi, what the work involves, and the homes where keeping a cylinder is the better answer.
8 min read
- 09
Boiler Plus explained: the controls every new boiler needs
The Building Regulations standard every new gas boiler in England must meet, the four extra measures a combi needs, and why a basic programmable thermostat is not enough on its own.
6 min read
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