Home / Cost guides / What changes the cost of an oil boiler?
What changes the cost of an oil boiler?
An oil boiler quote depends on whether the appliance stays in the same place, what happens to the tank and the flue, and which controls are included. This guide does not print a figure for the boiler or the tank, and it explains the lines to compare and who should do the work.
Last reviewed:What an oil boiler quote covers
An oil boiler burns oil, usually from a tank outside, and heats radiators or hot water. The quote can be a straight replacement of the boiler, or it can include the tank, the oil line, the flue and the controls. Those are different jobs sharing one fuel.
This guide does not print a boiler price, a tank price or a service price. A gas combi is a different fuel and a different register: combi boiler quotes. A heat pump, if you are weighing one up instead of oil, is heat pump installation quotes.
QuoteZila is starting in Cheshire. Crewe, Nantwich and Sandbach are among the first towns, and anyone in the UK can post or register. Oil is more common in homes without a gas main. The town name does not set the price. The appliance and the tank do.
Lines that move the quote
| What you are buying | What the quote should say | What gets missed |
|---|---|---|
| The boiler | Make and model, and whether it stays put | A "similar boiler" with a different output |
| The flue | Existing flue reused, lined or replaced | A flue that does not suit the new appliance |
| The tank | Leave, replace, or move | Clearances that the installer has not checked [S1] |
| The oil line | Existing pipe or a new run | A buried line nobody has traced |
| Controls | Which controls stay and which are new | A quote that never mentions them |
| Hot water | Combi-style oil boiler, or a cylinder | A cylinder thermostat nobody has mentioned |
| Alarm | Carbon monoxide alarm in the room [S3] | Left off because the old boiler had none |
| Waste oil and the old boiler | Who removes them | A boiler left in the garage |
| Sign-off | How building control is told [S1] [S2] | A finished job with no certificate |
| VAT | Included or extra | A business over the £90,000 threshold [S5] |
Send every installer the same photos: the boiler, the flue outside, the tank and the oil line where you can see it.
Who to hire, and how the job is recorded
OFTEC's questions for householders say you can search for a technician by the type of work, and that the results are businesses currently registered for that work, not people who used to be registered. It also says you can check a business by trading name or registration number, and that you should open the record to see they offer the service you want. It recommends quotes from several businesses [S1].
The flue on a bungalow or a two-storey house is above floor level. HSE classes work above floor level as work at height where a fall could cause injury if precautions were not taken [S6]. Do not go on the roof to photograph the terminal. Describe it from the ground. This guide does not give a flue-fitting method.
HSE: work at height. QuoteZila is not affiliated with this organisation.
HSE's work at height questions set out that definition.
OFTEC says that since 2002, in England, Wales, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands, new heating equipment has to be notified to the local building control department. The examples it gives include a fuel storage tank, a boiler, a solar panel and a wood-burning stove [S1]. GOV.UK says you might need building regulations approval to install or replace a heating system, and that you do not need to arrange the approval yourself when the installer is on a competent person scheme [S2]. Ask which route your installer will use, and ask for the certificate when it arrives.
The tank is its own piece of work
A new boiler on an old tank can be the right job, or it can leave you with a tank the installer will not connect to. OFTEC says you should ask a registered liquid-fuel tank installer about siting, because the rules vary by region of the UK or Ireland [S1]. This page does not copy distances, fire separation or base details. If the quote includes a tank, the position and the base should be written in it. If the quote leaves the tank alone, it should say the existing tank is suitable, and why.
Controls, the alarm and VAT
Ask which controls are already fitted: a programmer, a room thermostat, thermostatic radiator valves, and a thermostat on a hot-water cylinder if the house has one. This page does not print a required set, and it does not print a saving. The quote should say which of those stay and which are new.
Approved Document J, paragraph 4.30, says a carbon monoxide alarm should be provided in the room where a new or replacement fixed oil-burning appliance is installed [S3]. Put the alarm on the quote.
A business must register for VAT when its taxable turnover for the last 12 months goes over £90,000, or when it expects to pass that amount in the next 30 days [S5]. Ask whether VAT is in the total.
Citizens Advice says to get written quotes from at least three traders, that a quote is a fixed price and an estimate is a rough guess, and that you should not agree a deposit above 25 per cent [S7]. Get a receipt if you do pay a deposit [S7].
Service, replacement, or both
An oil boiler that still heats the house is not automatically a replacement. A service visit and a new appliance should be two quotes if you have not decided. OFTEC's advice to get quotes from several businesses applies to both [S1]. Ask a service quote to say what is inspected, whether the flue and the tank are looked at, and what is excluded. Ask a replacement quote to say the service is not included unless it is written in.
Keep the last service sheet if you have one, and the tank installation paper if the tank is newer than the boiler. OFTEC explains that a buyer of a house may ask for the certificate for the heating equipment, which some people also call a building regulations certificate or a compliance certificate [S1]. Since 2002, in England, Wales, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands, telling the local building control department about new heating equipment has been a requirement [S1]. If you cannot find the paper and an OFTEC registered business did the work, OFTEC says an email copy can be requested from them [S1]. That is a record of past work. It is not a price for the next job.
Access for an oil delivery is part of a tank quote and not part of a boiler-only quote. Say whether a tanker can reach the tank without crossing a neighbour's drive, and whether the gauge can be read from the ground. Do not invent a clearance. The installer measures. If the filler point and the vent are hard to see in a photo, say so rather than guessing the distance to a boundary.
Cold weather is when a failed boiler is urgent and when a rushed quote is hardest to compare. If you can leave the existing boiler in use, wait for the written specification. If you cannot, say that the job is urgent and still ask for the model, the flue and the tank decision in writing before work starts. Citizens Advice's warning still applies: an estimate is a rough guess, and a quote is the fixed price [S7].
What to send
- The boiler make and model, from the casing, without removing panels.
- Photos of the tank, the gauge and the flue from ground level.
- Whether you want the tank replaced.
- Whether the house has a cylinder.
- Any leak, smell or lockout. If you think the appliance is unsafe, leave it switched off and say so. Do not try to fire it for the engineer.
Jobs you might post
These are examples, not taken from real job posts.
- "Oil boiler in a utility room, tank at the side of the house to stay. Please quote a like-for-like boiler replacement, OFTEC registered, including the flue and a carbon monoxide alarm. Controls stay if they already include a programmer and a room thermostat."
- "Oil tank is rusty at the base. Please quote to replace the tank and say whether the boiler should be changed at the same time. Do not assume a position. State where the new tank would go."
- "Annual oil boiler service only. OFTEC technician. Please say what the visit includes and what it does not."
Asking for oil boiler quotes
Say boiler, tank, or both, in the first sentence. Up to five matched local businesses can send a quote [QZ2]. QuoteZila is free for customers and local businesses [QZ1].
Honest status: QuoteZila is new. We're starting in Cheshire, beginning with Crewe, Nantwich and Sandbach, and growing area by area. Anyone in the UK can still post a job or register a business. How fast you get quotes depends on how many local businesses have joined near you. Businesses can register and receive jobs straight away. We don't check insurance, qualifications or registrations, so please check these yourself before you hire.
Posting a job is not open yet
See our heating engineers page.
Questions about oil boiler quotes
How much does an oil boiler cost to install?
This guide does not print a figure. A like-for-like swap is a different job from moving the boiler, replacing the tank or changing the flue. Ask for written quotes that list the same appliance and the same tank work.
Who should install an oil boiler?
Use an OFTEC registered technician for the type of work you need. OFTEC's register search shows businesses that are currently registered, and OFTEC says to get quotes from several businesses before you engage someone. You can also check a business by its trading name or OFTEC registration number.
Does a new oil boiler need building regulations approval?
GOV.UK lists installing or replacing a heating system among work that might need approval, and says you do not need to get approval yourself if you use someone on a competent person scheme. OFTEC says that since 2002, in England, Wales, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands, new heating equipment including a boiler has to be notified to the local building control department.
What about the oil tank?
OFTEC says the rules for where a tank can go vary by region of the UK or Ireland, and that you should take advice from an OFTEC registered liquid-fuel tank installer. This guide does not print clearances. Ask the installer to state the tank position in the quote.
Do I need a carbon monoxide alarm?
Approved Document J says that where a new or replacement fixed oil-burning appliance is installed in a dwelling, a carbon monoxide alarm should be provided in the room where the appliance is located. Ask whether the alarm is in the price.
What should the quote say about controls?
Ask whether a programmer, a room thermostat and thermostatic radiator valves are already fitted, and whether a hot-water cylinder has its own thermostat. This page does not print a control specification. The quote should say which of those stay and which are included.
Does QuoteZila check oil engineers?
No. We don't check insurance, qualifications or registrations, so please check these yourself before you hire. You can report a quote or a business from your job page.
This page is general information, not professional or legal advice. QuoteZila does not check Gas Safe, WaterSafe, NFRC, NICEIC or other registrations against the register on your behalf: look them up yourself.
Part of Cost guides. All services
Related trades
Cost guides
Related pages
- Power Flush Cost: What Changes the Price. Number of radiators, system type, sludge, filters and inhibitor: what moves a central heating power flush quote in Cheshire, and how to compare engineers.
- Underfloor Heating Cost: What Changes It. Wet or electric underfloor heating, the floor build-up, controls and sign-off: what moves an underfloor heating quote in Cheshire and how to compare prices.
Sources
- QZ1: QuoteZila product fact. QuoteZila home and FAQ copy.
- QZ2: QuoteZila product fact. QuoteZila FAQ How does getting quotes work.
- S1: OFTEC frequently asked questions, OFTEC. Accessed 2026-10-28. https://www.oftec.org/about/frequently-asked-questions-faq
- S2: Building regulations approval, GOV.UK. Accessed 2026-10-28. https://www.gov.uk/building-regulations-approval
- S3: Approved Document J, paragraph 4.30, GOV.UK. Accessed 2026-10-28. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6336e58be90e0772dc9651a2/ADJ_2022.pdf
- S5: Register for VAT, GOV.UK. Accessed 2026-10-28. https://www.gov.uk/register-for-vat
- S6: Work at height: frequently asked questions, HSE. Accessed 2026-10-28. https://www.hse.gov.uk/work-at-height/faqs.htm
- S7: Before you get building work done, Citizens Advice. Accessed 2026-10-28. https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/getting-home-improvements-done/before-you-get-building-work-done/