Boilers in London: grants, local rules and heating engineers

Quick answer: London households on low incomes can apply for free home upgrades through the Warm Homes: Local Grant, run for 31 boroughs by the Greater London Authority (GLA) and London Councils. It funds insulation and heat pumps, not gas boilers. If you are replacing a boiler yourself, expect a like-for-like combi swap to cost around £1,800–£3,500 nationally (Heatable), and check the engineer on the Gas Safe Register first.

Replacing or repairing a boiler in London works the same way as anywhere in England: a Gas Safe registered engineer does the work and notifies building control. What is different in London is who runs the grants, which gas network serves your street, and how strict your borough is about solid-fuel appliances. This guide covers those local points, then lists some heating engineers who trade in the capital.

Grants for heating in London

Warm Homes: Local Grant. Camden Council says it is part of a London consortium with 30 other boroughs, led by the GLA and London Councils, and that applications are handled by the GLA’s delivery partner, Sureserve. The aim is to bring homes up to at least EPC band C. From Camden’s page, you are likely to qualify if:

Test	What Camden’s page says
Location	Home in England, in a participating borough
Energy rating	EPC band D, E, F or G
Income	Gross household income below £36,000 a year, or at least one resident on a means-tested benefit such as Universal Credit, Pension Credit or housing benefit
Savings	Under £25,000, unless someone in the home gets Pension Credit Guarantee Credit
Measures	Insulation, solar panels and low carbon heating, including air source heat pumps

Two points matter if your boiler is the problem. First, the scheme is aimed at insulation and low carbon heating, so it will not simply pay for a new gas boiler. Second, Camden warns that people have approached residents asking for a fee of £300 to £1,500 to “ensure” a successful Warm Homes application. The grant does not need a paid middleman. See our explainer on the Warm Homes: Local Grant.

ECO4 and the Boiler Upgrade Scheme. These are national, so they apply in London too. Ofgem says ECO4, the energy-supplier scheme that can replace a broken or inefficient heating system for eligible households, runs until 31 December 2026. The Boiler Upgrade Scheme gives £7,500 towards an air or ground source heat pump in England and Wales, but nothing towards a gas boiler or a hybrid system (GOV.UK). More on both in our guide to ECO4 and GBIS.

Your gas network: Cadent or SGN

London is split between two gas distribution networks. Cadent runs the North London network and SGN covers Southern England, which includes south London (Cadent). The network owns the pipes up to your meter; your installer is responsible for everything after it. You do not choose your network, but it is the network’s engineers who attend if you report a gas escape. If you smell gas or suspect a leak, call the free National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999 at any time. See what to do if you smell gas.

Smoke control areas and solid-fuel boilers

If you are thinking about a wood or solid-fuel boiler, or you have an old back boiler behind a fire, check your borough’s smoke control rules first. Several London boroughs are smoke control areas across their whole area. Waltham Forest says the whole borough is covered, Kensington and Chelsea was designated in full in 2004, and Richmond upon Thames has been a smoke control area since the first Clean Air Act of 1956. In a smoke control area you may only burn authorised fuels unless you use a Defra-exempt appliance. Gas, electric and heat pump systems are not affected. Our guide to solid-fuel boilers in smoke control areas covers the penalties.

Typical private boiler prices

We have not found a reliable London-only price survey for boiler replacement. One cost guide does note that labour rates are typically £10–£20 higher in London and the surrounding area than the UK average (MyJobQuote, boiler servicing), so expect London quotes to sit towards the top of national ranges. National guide prices, checked in September 2026, are in our UK boiler costs guide. In short: a like-for-like combi swap is typically £1,800–£3,500 installed, converting a regular or system boiler to a combi £3,000–£5,700 (both Heatable), and a gas boiler service £85–£120 (MyJobQuote). Moving the boiler, rerouting the flue or replacing old pipework adds to the bill, so get at least two written quotes for the same specification.

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We are a comparison and referral service, not a heating engineer. We do not guarantee a quote, a price or a response time. Anyone working on gas appliances in the UK must be on the Gas Safe Register; check the engineer's ID card before work starts.

Flats, leaseholds and rented homes

Many Londoners live in flats, which adds two checks before any boiler work. If you are a leaseholder, read your lease: some blocks have a shared plant room or communal heating rather than individual boilers, and changing the flue route on an outside wall may need the freeholder’s consent. If the block has a shared boiler, major works are usually subject to service-charge consultation; see shared boiler plant and Section 20 rules. If you rent, the landlord is responsible for boiler repairs and an annual gas safety check; see boiler problems in a rented home.

How to choose a heating engineer in London

Any work on a gas boiler must be done by a Gas Safe registered engineer. That is the one check that matters most, and it is quick to do:

Check the register, then the card. Look the business up on the Gas Safe Register and ask to see the engineer’s Gas Safe ID card. The back of the card lists the work each engineer is qualified for, so for a boiler job it should list gas boilers, and the qualification should be in date.
Ask about the paperwork. In England and Wales, the engineer must notify the local authority within 30 days of fitting a new gas boiler, after which you should receive a Building Regulations Compliance Certificate. Keep it: you will want it when you sell. Our guide to Building Regulations notification for boiler work explains how this works.
Compare like for like. Ask each installer to list the boiler model and output, the flue, controls, any filter or system clean, removal of the old boiler and the warranty terms. Our guide to comparing boiler quotes like for like has a checklist.
Warranty conditions. Manufacturer warranties usually depend on registration and yearly servicing. Ask who registers it and what the service interval is.
Oil, LPG and heat pumps. Gas Safe covers gas work only. For an oil boiler ask about OFTEC registration, and for a heat pump funded by the Boiler Upgrade Scheme the installer must be MCS certified.

More detail: how to check a Gas Safe engineer before booking.

Heating engineers in London

These businesses appear in public business listings for London, and each has its own website describing gas boiler work. We have not checked their work, prices, Gas Safe registration or insurance, and they have not paid to appear. Check the Gas Safe Register yourself before you book.

R H Heating And Gas Services Ltd

Area: Deptford, SE8

Services listed on its website: boiler installation, repairs and servicing; landlord gas safety checks; unvented cylinders

Website: rhheatingandgas.co.uk