How Much Does Boiler Replacement Cost?

Whether you heat your home with steam, a radiant heat flooring system, or a hydronic radiator, you have a boiler that produces the heat for your home. A boiler’s job is to heat water and push either the hot water or hot steam through your pipes to your radiant heat system or radiator and ultimately heat your home. These appliances are comfortable, efficient, and deliver even heating with lower amounts of allergens than conventional furnaces.

Boilers come in a wide selection of configurations, sizes, fuel types, and efficiencies. Because of this, installing a new or replacement boiler in the United States has a wide range of costs associated with it. Ultimately, boiler replacement cost will depend on the type of boiler – including brand, BTU needs, and fuel type – and the labor required for the install. The cost estimate for replacing a boiler usually includes the removal and disposal of the old unit, in addition to any wiring or lines required for the new system to function properly.

With that said, the average cost to replace a boiler is between $1,500 and $15,000, with most homeowners paying around $8,362 for the service. Depending on a number of factors, you could pay as little as $1,192 or as much as $21,300 to have a boiler replaced. This cost estimate is for a high-efficiency gas boiler that is designed to heat a 2,000 square foot home with in-floor radiant heating.

Like everything else, boilers do not last forever. With proper maintenance and care, they can last quite a long time but the typical boiler only lasts about 15 years. As a homeowner, understanding the costs associated with installing a new boiler or replacing an old one is important. That way, you can plan ahead and budget accordingly when the time for boiler replacement comes.

The average cost of a new boiler is comparable between oil, propane, or gas units. However, there is a number of choices between these units and your other options. For instance, electric boilers typically cost less but are not suitable for warmer climates or smaller homes. On the other hand, outdoor wood boilers are the most expensive upfront but are the most affordable to run.

Regardless of the type of boiler that you choose, the labor costs to install a new or replacement boiler can be high because of the various lines and hookups required to get it functioning. Whether or not the setup needs to be repaired will also have an impact on the overall cost of replacing the boiler. The following table displays a brief overview of the average costs to replace a boiler.

Boilers can run you anywhere from $800 to $14,000, while the cost of the unit an installation can cost between $1,500 and $20,000. Of course, prices vary based on the type of boiler. You may also end up spending more money on the fuel that you burn.

Ultimately, the efficiency and size of the boiler are the biggest price determinants, but the boiler’s fuel type also has an impact on cost. Each of the following options have specific applications with unique benefits and drawbacks, along with their own cost range for the boiler itself and installation.

Electric boilers are the most affordable option, in terms of purchasing and installing. This has to do with the fact that they are not designed for heating an entire home, especially in colder climates. Despite being more effective at converting energy to heat, electric boilers are notoriously pricey to run and are a little bit slow. They don’t generate as much heat as fast as gas or wood to service a larger home.

As such, they are an excellent choice for homes in warmer climates that require little to no heating. Electric boilers will also work well in colder climates for supplemental heating purposes. To have an electric boiler installed, you’re looking at spending between $1,500 and $9,000.

Gas boilers are the most common way to produce hot water for a hydronic or steam heating system. Although gas is not available everywhere, gas boilers are incredibly efficient and the gas itself is very inexpensive. The cost to have a gas boiler installed is between $3,800 and $12,000 – depending on the size of the boiler and any modifications that may be required.

Since both gas and propane boilers are the most popular, you’ll typically find cheaper parts and services for these systems. However, for the system to function, you will need a gas line running to your property.

Oil boilers are relatively common in parts of the Northeast where natural gas may be challenging to obtain. Although oil boilers burn hotter than propane or gas, they require more maintenance. Costs are higher because you also need to have an oil supply tank installed. The oil tank often requires replacing, which adds to the cost of lifetime ownership.

While the cost to maintain an oil boiler is more, you will use less oil. Though, these boilers are typically less efficient than other boiler options, with high-efficiency units only reaching 95% efficiency with a few brands. Not to mention, oil, which used to be cheap, has grown increasingly expensive in recent years. The cost to purchase and install an oil boiler is between $4,000 and $9,000.

If you live in a rural location and have convenient access to a lot of wood, you may choose to heat your home using an outdoor wood boiler. Aptly named, these boilers burn wood outside your home to heat water and then circulate the hot water throughout your home. As such, outdoor wood boilers serve as exceptional off-grid systems.

When compared to other alternatives, outdoor wood boilers are large units that produce a lot of heat. Although they are more expensive upfront, they are cheaper to run. In fact, most are large enough to heat both your home and the hot water that you need in your house. Outdoor wood boilers have an installed cost range of $8,000 to $20,000.

Generally speaking, boilers heat your home in one of two ways: steam or hot water. A lot of newer homes use in-floor radiant heat systems or hydronic radiators. In these homes, a hot water boiler heats up the water, which then is distributed throughout the pipes in your home and back to the boiler where it cools to be heated again.

Older homes sometimes feature upright steam radiators, which require a steam boiler that heats water to a higher temperature and converts it to steam. This steam is then sent throughout the pipes to heat your home, before condensing back to water and returning to the boiler to be reheated.

Hot water boilers are smaller, more efficient, and tend to cost less than their steam counterparts.

In terms efficiency, oil, natural gas, and propane boilers come in two main types: condensing and non-condensing. A non-condensing boiler is also commonly referred to as a standard boiler. This type of boiler heats the water, while some of that heat is released and vented to the outdoors.

A condensing boiler, on the other hand, condenses the exhaust in order to retrieve heat that would otherwise escape to the exterior. While a standard boiler can only reach efficiencies around 94% at best, and between 80% and 89% on average, a condensing boiler can reach efficiencies as high as 98%. Since condensing boilers must deal with the higher acidity that the exhaust condensing process produces, they must be outfitted with stainless steel heat exchangers.

As a result, condensing boilers are more expensive and have a shorter lifespan than non-condensing, or standard, boilers. While condensing boilers cost more upfront, they will save you money on your energy bills every month. Costs for standard boilers start at $1,200, while condensing boiler costs begin at $3,000.

Wood boilers function the same as a condensing boiler, but the process is referred to as gasification. If you want to purchase a high-efficiency wood boiler, look for a gasification boiler instead of a condensing boiler.

If you have a smaller home and would like to heat both your home and your hot water using natural gas, oil, or propane, you’ll want to look into getting a combination – or, combi boiler. These boilers are small-efficiency units that heat water on one side for heating your home and water on the other side for bathing, laundry, dishes, and the like.

Combi boilers are usually smaller in size and start at $2,000 for very compact units, and cost around $3,000 for average-sized models.

Regardless of the type or fuel type of the boiler that you buy, it’s important that you also choose a unit that is the proper size for your home. A boiler that is too small will struggle to maintain comfortability, while one that is too big means that you’ll spend more money on utility bills and shorten the lifespan of the unit.

To find out the proper size boiler for your home, you need to know the square footage of the area you want to heat as well as the climate where you live. You can find your zone by examining this map from the United States Department of Energy.

Electric boilers are ideal for zones 1 to 3, with only partial operation in zones 4 and 5 – such as for an addition. Meanwhile, wood boilers are recommended for zones 5 and up since they typically produce more BTUs than necessary for homes in warmer areas.

When you’re installing a boiler for the first time, you need to have the boiler installed as well as a number of other components in order for it to function properly. This includes a flue or flue pipe, exhaust, a drain for high-efficiency units, and a fuel line for propane, oil, or gas boilers. Wood boilers require a line to be installed between the outdoor boiler and the interior where it connects with a heat exchanger.

Each installation is different, with fuel type, location, and whether the unit is high-efficiency having the most major impacts on total installation cost. For this reason, the labor costs to install a boiler are typically between $1,000 and $3,000 for oil, natural gas, and propane. Additional costs such as hooking up drains, fuel lines, and exhaust lines cost $500 to $5,000. This makes the average installation cost for a gas boiler around $7,500. Whereas, wood boilers are $2,500 to $5,200 for the labor to install, with all the required equipment, and electric boilers cost between $800 and $1,200 to install.

Even if you already have a boiler installed and need it replaced, the labor costs to install are relatively similar. Whether the boiler is new or a replacement, it will still need a new exhaust, drain, or fuel line. You will also likely incur disposal fees for the old boiler or require new pipes for connecting the boiler to your heating system. With that in mind, the boiler replacement cost is equal to the cost of installing a new boiler – with the average cost of installation being roughly $8,362.

Boilers, like everything, won’t last forever and the average boiler has a life expectancy of about 15 years. However, most boilers that are properly maintained will last up to 25 years before they need to be replaced. The strongest indications of a boiler that needs replacing are when the unit is no longer heating water as efficiently, the boiler stops working, you notice that you’re paying more in fuel costs without an increase in heat, or you have visible corrosion or leaks on the outside of your boiler.

Additionally, if your boiler is over 10 years old, you may want to consider replacing it with a more energy-efficient model. This is especially beneficial if you’ve recently made upgrades to your home’s efficiency – like improved insulation – as this will make your current boiler oversized for the space.

The question of repairing or replacing a boiler ultimately comes down to weighing the benefits and costs of each option. Boiler repairs typically cost between $200 and $600 on average, while installing a new boiler can cost ten times that range.

A good rule of thumb to follow is called the $5,000 rule. Multiply the quoted cost of repairs by the number of years that you’ve had the boiler. If the resulting number exceeds the price of a new or replacement installation, or $5,000, you should replace it. If the number is less, then you should move forward with the repair instead.

Related Questions

What’s the difference between a boiler and a furnace?

The difference between a boiler and a furnace has to do with how the unit heats the air. A boiler heats the water first, which then travels through the pipes in your home and through radiators to produce heat. A furnace, on the other hand, heats coils and distributes air over the heated metal and through your ductwork to heat your home.

When should you replace a boiler?

Generally speaking, a boiler should be replaced every 15 years or so. Though, you may consider replacing an older low-efficiency model with a higher efficiency unit to reduce your carbon footprint and lower your utility bill.

Can a plumber install or replace a boiler?

In many areas of the country, plumbers can install or replace a boiler. However, the job is more traditionally done by an HVAC professional.