Can I still get a gas boiler?

The short answer

If your home already has gas heating, you can have your boiler replaced with a new gas boiler. There is no ban on replacing a gas boiler in an existing home. The rules that move away from fossil fuel heating apply to new homes being built, not to the boiler in the house you live in now.

You may have seen headlines about gas boilers being phased out. These are usually about new builds, or about long-term government aims rather than rules in force. Replacing a gas boiler today, whether it is a combi or a system boiler, is a normal, legal choice.

What a replacement gas boiler must meet

A new boiler in an existing home has to meet the current Building Regulations, which your installer takes care of. In practice that means:

• It will be a condensing boiler, which is what modern gas boilers for homes are.
• It must be fitted by a Gas Safe registered engineer.
• It must have controls that meet Boiler Plus: time and temperature controls, plus an extra energy-saving measure on a combi.
• The system must be cleaned and treated with inhibitor to BS 7593.
• The installation must be notified to Building Control through the Gas Safe Register, and you receive a compliance certificate.

None of this stops you having a gas boiler. It just sets the standard it has to be fitted to. See boiler replacement for how we handle it.

You don’t normally need permission from the council to replace a boiler in a house. Flats can be different: if the flue needs to move, or goes through a shared wall, check whether your freeholder or managing agent needs to approve it. Our page on boiler replacement in flats covers that.

Why new-build homes are different

The Future Homes Standard is the set of rules for new homes being built in England. It is designed to make new homes far lower in carbon from the start, which in practice means they are expected to use low-carbon heating, such as heat pumps, rather than gas boilers. It applies to homes being built, not to homes that already exist.

If you are buying a new-build or planning a new home, the developer or architect will design the heating to meet those rules. If you are extending or renovating an existing home, ask your installer how the current rules apply to your project.

Heat pumps: an alternative some homes consider

An air source heat pump takes heat from the outside air and moves it into your heating and hot water. It runs on electricity rather than gas. Some homeowners look at one when their boiler needs replacing, and for the right home it can make sense.

• Heat pumps work at lower flow temperatures than a typical boiler, so some radiators may need to be larger.
• They suit well-insulated homes, where the heat lost through walls and roof is modest.
• They need space outside for the unit and usually a hot water cylinder inside.
• Running costs depend on electricity and gas prices and how well the system is designed.

Government schemes sometimes help with the cost of low-carbon heating, and what is available changes. Check the GOV.UK pages for what is open now. If you are seriously considering a heat pump, ask a heat pump installer to assess whether your home suits one.

Replacing an old, back or non-condensing boiler

If your current boiler is old enough to be non-condensing, or it is a back boiler behind a fire, you can still replace it with a new gas boiler. The new one will look and work a little differently, so it helps to know what to expect.

• A condensing boiler produces water as it runs, so it needs a condensate pipe to a drain.
• It needs a new flue, in a position that meets the manufacturer’s instructions and the relevant standards.
• A back boiler can’t be replaced in the same place, so the new boiler usually goes in the kitchen, a utility room or a cupboard.
• The heating system is cleaned and treated with inhibitor before the new boiler is connected.

See back boiler replacement for how that job is done.

Deciding what is right for you

For many homes, especially when a boiler has broken down and the house needs heat now, a new gas boiler is the practical choice. It works with your existing radiators and pipework, and a like-for-like swap is usually done in a day. For others, a renovation or a new extension is a natural moment to think about other options.

• How urgent is it? A breakdown in winter limits how long you can spend planning.
• How well insulated is the home, and are you planning to improve it?
• Do you have space for a cylinder and an outdoor unit?
• How long do you plan to stay in the home?

There is no single right answer. We’ll give you a fixed written price for a gas boiler, and you can weigh that against anything else you are considering. The quote form takes about 2 minutes.

Getting the most from a new gas boiler

If you choose gas, the way the boiler is set up makes a real difference to your bills. A condensing boiler is most efficient when the water returning from the radiators is cool enough for it to recover heat from its exhaust. Running a lower flow temperature, using good controls, and keeping the system clean all help.

Ask your installer to set the boiler up for low-temperature running, and read our guide on boiler flow temperature. Keep it serviced every year with boiler servicing, which also keeps the warranty valid.

Good controls help too. Every new gas boiler in England comes with time and temperature controls, and a combi gets an extra measure such as weather compensation or a smart thermostat with optimisation. Used well, they mean the boiler runs only when you need heat, at the lowest temperature that keeps the home comfortable.