New Boiler Brighton & Hove: Gas Safe Installers

Half of Brighton and Hove households live in a flat, and almost one in five live in part of a converted house. Those homes rarely have room for a hot water cylinder, so most replacements here are combi for combi.

The awkward part is usually not the boiler but the route out for the flue and the condensate pipe.

Brighton at a glance

Homes in converted houses: 19.6% of Brighton and Hove households (23,803) lived in part of a converted or shared house in 2021, and 27.6% in a purpose-built block. Together with other flats, about half of all homes are flats. Source
How homes are heated: 75.3% of households heat with mains gas only, 11.9% with electricity only and 1.6% from a heat network. 2.3% (2,844 homes) have no central heating, and oil-only heating covers about 200 homes. Source
Water hardness: Southern Water says most of the water it supplies is hard because it comes from underground chalk aquifers with high levels of calcium. Source
Conservation areas: Brighton and Hove City Council lists 34 conservation areas, and some have Article 4 Directions that remove permitted development rights. Source
Energy ratings: About 51% of homes with an EPC in Brighton and Hove are rated band D or below (median score 68, band D), against 47% across England. Based on certificates lodged in the 10 years to March 2025. Source

Flues in shared and listed buildings

The council lists 34 conservation areas across the city, from the Regency seafront to the old village centres. A new flue terminal on a front elevation can need permission there, and work to a listed building needs listed building consent. Ask your installer to keep the flue to the rear or side where possible.

If you own a leasehold flat, check the lease before you sign anything. External walls usually belong to the freeholder, so a new hole through one needs their written agreement.

Protect it from scale on day one

Southern Water's chalk-sourced supply is hard, so a new boiler should go in with a scale reducer on the incoming cold main, a magnetic filter on the return and fresh inhibitor after a flush. Ask for all three to be itemised in the quote.

Manufacturers often tie their longest warranties to a filter being fitted and the system being cleaned, so a quote that skips the flush is not a saving.

Comparing quotes

Line up at least three prices. Check each one covers removing the old boiler, any new gas pipe, the flue kit and controls, and that the installer will register the job with Gas Safe so you receive a Building Regulations certificate. Our new boiler cost guide gives national ranges to test them against.

Brighton homes and what they need

Flats in converted Regency and Victorian houses

A compact combi in the same cupboard is usually the cheapest route. Moving it to free up kitchen space can mean a long flue through a party wall or ceiling, which must stay accessible for inspection.

Victorian terraces on the hills

Terraces with a loft room and a second bathroom may need a system boiler and an unvented cylinder to run two showers. Measure the mains flow first, since pressure varies between the top and bottom of steep streets.

Interwar semis in the northern suburbs

Semis in Withdean or Woodingdean often have space for a cylinder and a garden for a heat pump later. If you plan to switch within a few years, keeping the cylinder can make that move easier.

Areas covered

Engineers who cover Brighton work across areas including Hove, Kemptown, Hanover, Preston Park, Patcham, Withdean, Hollingbury, Woodingdean, Rottingdean and Portslade.

View Brighton on Google Maps

Questions people in Brighton ask

Should I fit another gas boiler or a heat pump?

If you have outdoor space and can upgrade a few radiators, get a heat pump quote too. The Boiler Upgrade Scheme pays £7,500 towards one, and our heat pump cost guide explains the rest.

Sources

Also nearby: Boiler installation in Portsmouth, Boiler installation in London

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