Facts last checked 17 September 2026
The short answer
Fitting gas central heating in a home that has never had it is a design job, not a swap: the boiler, radiators, pipework and controls are sized room by room, so Smart Energie prices it after a free survey rather than online, and the price you sign is the price you pay. If there is no gas supply yet, the gas network quotes for the connection separately, and Cadent says works take 6 to 8 weeks on average from payment. If you heat with electric storage or panel heaters, a heat pump can qualify for the £7,500 Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant, because GOV.UK counts electric heating as a fossil fuel system you can replace.
What are your options if your home has no central heating?
Homes without central heating are usually heated by electric storage heaters, panel or fan heaters, or a gas fire in one room. You have three realistic routes to a proper wet system, where hot water from one heat source runs through pipes to a radiator in each room.
| Option | Suits you if | What to weigh up |
|---|---|---|
| Gas combi boiler | You have a gas meter, or the gas main runs in your street and a connection can be made | Lowest upfront cost. No grant, standard-rate VAT, and a new gas connection adds cost and weeks if you have no supply |
| Gas system boiler with a cylinder | You have a larger home or more than one bathroom in use at once | Needs space for a hot water cylinder. The cylinder also suits a heat pump later |
| Air source heat pump | You own the home in England or Wales and currently heat it with electricity, gas, oil or LPG | £7,500 Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant and 0% VAT. Needs a cylinder, radiators sized for lower flow temperatures, and reasonable insulation |
Oil and LPG boilers are the remaining options where there is no gas main, but both need a storage tank that has to be refilled, and the Energy Saving Trust notes LPG is the most expensive of the three boiler fuels. If you are off the gas grid, a heat pump is usually the route worth pricing first. Our guide to on-gas and off-gas homes explains the difference in more detail.
How much does first-time central heating cost?
| Item | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Full system: boiler, radiators, pipework and controls | Priced after a free survey | Depends on size, number of radiators and how easily pipes can be routed |
| Hot water cylinder (system boiler or heat pump) | Priced after a free survey | Sized to your household |
| Radiator replacement, like-for-like size | From £145 each | When fitted the same visit as a boiler |
| Thermostatic radiator valve | £42 each | Fitted the same visit; lets you set each room separately |
| New gas connection | Quoted by your gas network | Separate from the heating install; see below |
The biggest variable is the pipework route. Running flow and return pipes under suspended timber floors is quicker than working around solid concrete floors, where pipes may need to run along skirting or be chased into walls. The number of radiators is the second driver.
VAT matters too. HMRC zero-rates heat pump installations in homes until 31 March 2027, while a gas boiler central heating system is standard-rated unless it is grant-funded for a qualifying person. For a heat pump, the published figure of £8,500 to £13,500 after the grant for a typical 3-bed semi assumes the home already has radiators, so a first-time install adds radiators and pipework on top. That is why a heat pump for a home with no wet system has to be priced from a survey.
What does the work involve, room by room?
- Survey and heat loss check. Each room's size, windows and insulation decide how much heat it needs, which sets the radiator size and the boiler or heat pump output.
- Radiators. One in each habitable room, usually under a window, plus a towel rail in the bathroom.
- Pipework. Flow and return pipes from the heat source to every radiator, run under floors, through joists or along walls.
- Boiler or heat pump position. A boiler needs a flue through an outside wall or the roof and a condensate drain. A heat pump needs an outdoor spot with space around it.
- Gas supply. For a boiler, a gas pipe from the meter to the boiler, sized for its output, and a new meter if you have none.
- Hot water. A combi needs no cylinder. A system boiler or heat pump needs a cylinder, usually in an airing cupboard or loft space.
- Controls. In England a gas boiler must have a timer and a room thermostat, and a combi needs one extra efficiency measure such as smart controls with automation and optimisation.
- Commissioning. The system is filled, cleaned, treated with inhibitor, balanced so every radiator heats evenly, and, for a gas boiler, notified for Building Regulations through Gas Safe Register.
- Making good. Floorboards go back down and holes are filled. Redecorating is normally your job, so budget for it.
What if you need a new gas supply or meter?
If there is no gas pipe into your home, the connection is made by the gas distribution network for your area, not by your heating installer. Cadent, one of the networks, sets out the process like this:
- You apply online or by phone with your address, where you want the meter, and the distance from the meter to your boundary. Cadent's pricing tool gives an indicative cost and the current lead time.
- You get a quotation and have up to 90 days to accept and pay.
- After a site visit, the works take 6 to 8 weeks on average from payment.
- You receive a Meter Point Reference Number (MPRN) and give it to the energy supplier you choose, who fits the meter.
Order the connection early. The heating can be fitted while you wait, but the boiler cannot be commissioned until gas is live. If the connection quote is high because of a long run from the road, that is often the moment a heat pump starts to look like better value.
How long does it take, and how disruptive is it?
As a guide, fitting the heating itself usually takes 2 to 3 working days in a small home with 5 to 7 radiators, 3 to 5 days in a medium home with 8 to 11, and 5 to 8 days in a larger home. Add the gas connection lead time if you need one, and the survey and quote before that.
It is real building work. Expect floorboards up in several rooms, holes drilled through walls and joists, and dust. You can usually live at home, but clear the rooms being worked on, and plan around a day or two when water or power is off for short spells. Doing it before redecorating or new flooring saves paying twice.
Gas boiler or heat pump: which is better value for a home with no heating?
Start with running costs. From 1 July to 30 September 2026 the price cap is 26.11p per kWh for electricity and 7.33p for gas (Ofgem, Direct Debit, GB average). Storage and panel heaters turn one unit of electricity into one unit of heat, so a gas boiler costs far less to run than direct electric heating. A heat pump is more than three times as efficient as a gas boiler, according to the Energy Saving Trust, which puts its running cost in a similar range to gas, and well below direct electric heating.
Upfront, a gas system is the lower cost, especially where a gas meter is already in place. A heat pump costs more to fit but carries the £7,500 grant and 0% VAT, and avoids a gas connection entirely. It needs a reasonably insulated home to work well, so check your loft and walls first; our insulation service starts with a survey of both.
How do you get an accurate price?
A first-time install cannot be priced properly from a form, because the pipe routes, radiator sizes and flue position all depend on your home. What you can do online is get the process started. The boiler quote tool recognises a home with no central heating and points you to a free survey instead of guessing a price, and if you are weighing a heat pump, read how an air source heat pump installation works.
Before the survey, have a photo of your gas meter if you have one, rough room sizes, and a sense of which rooms you use most. If you already have gas heating and just want a replacement, our guide to new boiler costs has the fixed prices.
Common questions
How much does it cost to put central heating in a house with none?
It depends on the size of the home, the number of radiators and how easily the pipes can be routed, so Smart Energie prices first-time central heating after a free survey rather than online. A new gas connection, if needed, is quoted separately by your gas network.
Can I get a grant for first-time central heating?
There is no grant for a gas boiler system. If you own your home in England or Wales and currently use electric, gas, oil or LPG heating, the Boiler Upgrade Scheme gives £7,500 towards an air source heat pump.
Do storage heaters count as fossil fuel heating for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme?
Yes. GOV.UK lists electric heating alongside gas, oil and LPG as fossil fuel heating systems the grant can replace.
How long does a new gas connection take?
Cadent says works take 6 to 8 weeks on average from when you pay, after the quotation and site visit. Your energy supplier then fits the meter using the MPRN the network gives you.
Do floors have to come up to fit central heating?
Usually some do, because the pipes run under floorboards to reach each radiator. On solid floors pipes can run along walls or be chased in instead. The survey sets out where pipes will go before work starts.
Is a combi boiler right for a home that has never had central heating?
Often, for a flat or a home with one bathroom, because it needs no cylinder. If you might want a heat pump later, the Energy Saving Trust points out most heat pumps work with a cylinder, so a system boiler with a cylinder keeps that door open.