Frequently Asked Questions
Keep the main FAQ page broad, then let people drill into heat pumps, boilers, central heating, or plumbing for more specific answers.
Straight answers on air source heat pumps in Edinburgh, the Lothians, and Scotland's central belt — from grants and radiators to noise and winter performance.
Most domestic air source heat pump installations in Edinburgh and the Lothians land between £10,000 and £16,000 before any grant or loan funding. The final price depends on the property size, heat loss, how much radiator or pipework upgrade is needed, and the system design. Because installs are completed under our partner JME Green Energy's MCS certification, eligible Scottish homeowners can access Home Energy Scotland funding — a grant toward the install plus an interest-free loan on top. We'll confirm eligibility and current amounts at the survey.
Read the answerYes — when the system is properly sized and designed for the property. A modern air source heat pump works fine at outside temperatures well below freezing, which is more than Edinburgh usually throws at one. The part that matters isn't the heat pump brand, it's whether the system has been designed for your home's actual heat loss, and whether the radiators or underfloor heating can deliver that heat at the lower flow temperatures heat pumps run at. That's why the survey matters.
Read the answerSometimes, but not always. Heat pumps run at lower flow temperatures than gas boilers, so existing radiators need to be large enough to deliver the same heat at a lower temperature. During the survey we measure each room's heat loss and check the existing radiators — often a handful of rooms need larger radiators, while the rest of the system can stay. We'll never quote radiator changes you don't need.
Read the answerModern air source heat pumps are quieter than most people expect — usually around 40-45 decibels at close range, which is roughly the level of a quiet conversation. Siting matters: we position the outdoor unit so it doesn't sit directly under a bedroom window or bounce sound off a neighbouring wall, and the MCS installation standards include noise assessment as part of sign-off.
Read the answerOften no, but not always. Air source heat pumps commonly fall under permitted development in Scotland, which means a separate planning application is not always needed. There are exceptions though — for example listed buildings, some constrained sites, and certain siting or height issues. We check the property properly at survey rather than giving a blanket yes or no.
Read the answerScottish homeowners access heat pump funding through Home Energy Scotland, not the Boiler Upgrade Scheme (which is England and Wales only). HES offers a grant toward an MCS-certified heat pump install, plus an interest-free loan on top for remaining costs. Rural and island properties may qualify for an uplift. Because our heat pump installs are completed under the MCS certification of our partner JME Green Energy, eligible homes can use the HES grant and loan through them — we support the paperwork alongside JME as part of the install.
Read the answerBoth are valid, and we install both, so we've no reason to push you toward one over the other. A new gas boiler is usually cheaper upfront and a better fit for homes that aren't ready for radiator upgrades or fabric improvements. A heat pump usually has lower running costs long-term, can qualify for Home Energy Scotland grant and interest-free loan funding, and is the right call for anyone planning to stay in the home for years and move away from fossil fuels. The honest answer depends on your home, your timeline, and your budget — which is what the survey is for.
Read the answerMost domestic air source heat pump installations take between three and five working days on site, depending on whether radiators need upgrading, whether the hot water cylinder is being replaced, and the complexity of the pipework. The full project — from first survey through commissioning and Home Energy Scotland paperwork — usually runs four to eight weeks once you decide to go ahead.
Read the answerHeat pump installs are delivered jointly by Macara Heating and our MCS-certified partner JME Green Energy. Macara Heating is the local, Gas Safe registered heating team you deal with on the ground. JME Green Energy holds the MCS certification required for Home Energy Scotland grant and loan funding and for the formal system design sign-off. That partnership is how Scottish homeowners get Home Energy Scotland eligibility through us — it's completely transparent and it's how the funding paperwork is meant to work.
Read the answerAir source heat pumps suit most reasonably insulated homes with space for an outdoor unit and space for a hot water cylinder indoors. They work well in 1960s-onwards semis, detached houses, modern builds, and increasingly in well-insulated older properties. They can be harder to justify in very small flats with no outdoor space, heritage properties with planning restrictions, or very draughty uninsulated homes where the running costs won't work out. Every property is different — the survey is the honest way to find out.
Read the answerOften yes, but the answer depends on the condition of the house rather than the age on paper. Older stone-built homes can run a heat pump well if the heat loss is understood properly and the system is designed around it. The survey matters more here than on a newer house, because insulation levels, draughts, radiator sizes, and cylinder space vary a lot from one property to the next.
Read the answerNo. The Boiler Upgrade Scheme is an England and Wales scheme only — it does not apply in Scotland. If you've read articles mentioning a £7,500 BUS grant in Scotland, they're out of date or wrong. Scottish homeowners access heat pump funding through Home Energy Scotland, which is funded by the Scottish Government and administered by the Energy Saving Trust.
Read the answerNo — and we're straightforward about that. Home Energy Scotland requires an MCS-certified installer. Macara Heating installs heat pumps in partnership with JME Green Energy, who hold the MCS certification. JME handles the system design and MCS paperwork; Macara Heating handles the local install. This is a legitimate partnership model that meets the scheme rules.
Read the answerNo. Home Energy Scotland funding is applied for and approved before the work starts, so you know your grant and any interest-free loan position before committing to the install. The MCS paperwork runs through our partner JME Green Energy, and we confirm the net position in a fixed written quote. You're never asked to pay the gross price and chase it back.
Read the answerWe'll tell you at the survey stage — before any paperwork or commitment. If your property doesn't currently qualify (for example, because the energy report doesn't recommend the measure, or because it's a replacement heat pump rather than a first-time install), we'll walk you through the options. That might be fabric improvements first, or honestly a new A-rated gas boiler for now with a heat pump revisited later.
Read the answerNot the homeowner grant — Home Energy Scotland's grant requires you to own and live in the property as your only or main residence, so it doesn't cover buy-to-let. Landlords have a separate route instead: the Private Rented Sector Landlord Loan, which covers heat pumps and is open to landlords on the Scottish Landlord Register. We'll check the current position for your property at survey.
Read the answerFor a well-designed system in a reasonably insulated home, yes — typically 10-25% cheaper to run than a new A-rated gas boiler, and more against an old inefficient one. The saving is much bigger if you're replacing oil or LPG. For a draughty, uninsulated home with poorly sized radiators, the numbers can go the other way, which is why the heat loss survey matters so much.
Read the answerHybrid systems do exist, but we're cautious about recommending them for most domestic situations. They add complexity and cost, they don't always qualify for the Home Energy Scotland heat pump grant (which expects the heat pump to provide 100% of heating and hot water), and in most Edinburgh and Lothians homes a well-designed standalone heat pump or a well-installed new gas boiler is the more honest route.
Read the answerWe don't currently offer a structured finance product. On heat pump projects we can discuss staged payments tied to project milestones — typically a deposit on booking, a payment when materials arrive, and the balance on completion. The Home Energy Scotland interest-free loan is a separate route worth looking at alongside the grant, with eligibility confirmed during the application.
Read the answerStraight answers on boiler costs, replacements, servicing, LPG systems, and what to expect before, during, and after install day.
For most Edinburgh homes, a new combi boiler installed starts from around £2,200 and typically runs to £3,500, depending on the brand, model, and how much pipework needs changing. System and regular boiler installs start from around £2,800 and run to £4,200 with a standard vented cylinder, or £3,500 to £5,500 where a mains-pressure unvented cylinder is fitted. Replacing an old back boiler typically runs £2,800 to £4,000. These are typical Edinburgh ranges rather than a quote — we give a fixed written price after a free survey.
Read the answerA straightforward combi-for-combi swap is usually a one-day job. A full system change — for example moving from a regular boiler with tanks to a combi — typically takes two days. We clean up properly before leaving and walk you through how to use the new controls before we go.
Read the answerOnce a year. An annual boiler service keeps your boiler running safely and efficiently, and is usually required to maintain the manufacturer's warranty. A service normally takes about an hour, and it is the best way to catch worn parts or safety issues before they turn into a bigger repair.
Read the answerCombis suit most small to medium homes with one bathroom — no tanks, hot water on demand, less space taken up. System boilers suit larger homes or households with two or more bathrooms where you need strong hot water flow to more than one outlet. Regular boilers are usually kept for older properties with existing tanks and low mains pressure.
Read the answerMost domestic boilers last 10-15 years. If yours is over 10 years old, struggling to hold pressure, noisy, needing repeated repairs, or costing more in gas each year, it's usually cheaper in the long run to replace it than keep fixing it. A new A-rated boiler can cut your heating bills by 20-30% compared with an old G-rated one.
Read the answerWe don't currently offer a structured finance product, but we keep pricing simple and upfront. On larger installs and heat pump projects we can discuss staged payments tied to the project milestones — just ask at the survey and we'll be straight about what's possible.
Read the answerWe're based in Danderhall and cover Edinburgh, Midlothian, East Lothian, and West Lothian as our core service area — including Dalkeith, Bonnyrigg, Loanhead, Musselburgh, Tranent, Livingston, Penicuik, and everywhere in between. For larger jobs like full boiler installs or heat pumps we'll happily travel further across central Scotland. Just give us a call and we'll confirm.
Read the answerYes. Every engineer who works on gas at Macara Heating is Gas Safe registered — this is a legal requirement for anyone installing, servicing, or repairing gas appliances in the UK. Our Gas Safe Register number is 953527. We're also LPG certified, so we can work on rural properties running on LPG as well as mains gas.
Read the answerYes. We're LPG certified and regularly install, service, and repair LPG boilers across rural parts of the Lothians and Scotland's central belt (Fife, Falkirk, Stirling and the wider area). LPG is a common fuel for properties off the mains gas grid, and we have all the qualifications needed to work on them safely.
Read the answerQuestions homeowners ask before upgrading radiators, controls, pipework, or the wider heating system in an Edinburgh or Lothians home.
Often the bigger gain comes from the rest of the system, not the boiler itself. Dirty water, undersized radiators, poor circulation, and old controls are usually what make a house feel cold — not a failing boiler. We'll tell you honestly at the survey whether an upgrade, a boiler swap, or both will actually improve how your home feels.
Read the answerPower flushing clears sludge, rust, and debris from your central heating system. If your radiators are cold at the bottom, your boiler is noisy, or the house takes ages to warm up, a flush is often the fix. We only recommend it where the condition of the system actually justifies it.
Read the answerUsually yes, if your existing system is more than a few years old and hasn't been flushed before. Black sludge, cold radiators, and noisy pipes are all signs the water needs cleaning properly. A power flush protects the new boiler and keeps the manufacturer warranty valid.
Read the answerMost Edinburgh homes land somewhere between £400 and £800 for a full power flush, depending mainly on how many radiators you have and how badly silted the system is. A small flat with six radiators sits at the lower end; a large house with a dozen radiators and heavy sludge sits at the top. We price it after seeing the system, not over the phone.
Read the answerA typical domestic power flush takes four to eight hours, so most jobs are done inside a single day. Smaller flats can be finished in a morning; large or badly silted systems occasionally need a second visit. Your heating is normally back on the same evening.
Read the answerA chemical flush circulates cleaner through the system using your own boiler pump; a power flush uses a separate high-flow pump that can reverse the direction of flow and physically drag the sludge out. A chemical flush suits a lightly dirty system. Anything with real sludge in it needs the power flush.
Read the answerIt can expose leaks that were already there, on systems where corrosion has thinned the metal and sludge was effectively plugging the pinholes. It does not create damage in sound pipework — modern flushing pumps run at high flow but low pressure. We check the age and condition of the system first and tell you honestly if we think it is a risk.
Read the answerMost systems need a power flush roughly every five to eight years, but condition matters more than the calendar. A system with a magnetic filter that gets cleaned at every service can go much longer; one without a filter, or with an older open-vented tank, silts up faster. The symptoms tell you before the diary does.
Read the answerCold at the bottom is almost always sludge in the radiator. Cold at the top is usually trapped air. Radiators that stay cold entirely can be a circulation issue, a stuck valve, or an unbalanced system. All of it is fixable without ripping the heating out.
Read the answerFor most homes, yes — a properly fitted smart thermostat pays for itself in comfort and wasted heating. The bigger gain is usually the weather compensation and accurate room sensing, not the phone app. We fit controls that actually talk to the boiler properly, not ones that just switch it on and off.
Read the answerMost upgrades are less disruptive than people expect. A power flush and radiator changes are typically a day. A controls upgrade is usually a half-day. A full system refresh with new pipework runs two to four days depending on the house — we work to a clear schedule and tidy up properly each evening.
Read the answerYes. New boilers carry the manufacturer's warranty (up to 10 years on some models, provided the system is properly cleaned and annually serviced). New radiators and valves carry their own manufacturer warranties, and the workmanship on our installs is covered for 12 months as standard.
Read the answerUseful answers on leaks, no hot water, bathroom plumbing, kitchen plumbing, and what to check before booking a visit.
We try to prioritise genuine emergencies — no hot water, a leak, a burst pipe — for existing customers and nearby properties across Edinburgh and the Lothians. Call us on 0131 644 0045 and we'll tell you honestly how quickly we can get to you.
Read the answerFirst, check the boiler is on and the pressure is between roughly 1 and 1.5 bar. Check the programmer is set to a heating or hot water schedule. If you've got a cylinder, check the thermostat and the immersion. If none of that fixes it, phone us — we'll talk it through on the call before sending anyone out.
Read the answerYes — we handle the plumbing side of bathroom fit-outs (pipework, showers, taps, basins, heated towel rails, waste runs, hot water upgrades where needed). For tiling and full renovation we can point you at trades we work with locally.
Read the answerMost domestic leaks are a fixed call-out plus parts — usually an hour or two on site once we've traced the source. We'll give you a clear price before doing anything beyond making the leak safe.
Read the answerYes. Every engineer on the van is Gas Safe registered (register number 953527) and LPG qualified. That matters if your plumbing job touches a boiler, an unvented cylinder, or a gas appliance — we won't hand it off to someone else.
Read the answerBased in Danderhall, Dalkeith. Day-to-day heating and plumbing work covers Edinburgh and the Lothians. For larger heat pump and boiler installations, we travel across Scotland's central belt — Fife, Falkirk, Stirling and the wider area. Not sure? Just call and ask. Takes ten seconds.
Read the answerYes. All our engineers are Gas Safe registered, which means they are legally qualified to work on gas boilers, cookers, fires, and other gas appliances. Our Gas Safe Register number is 953527. We are also LPG certified for properties not connected to the mains gas network.
Read the answerWe cover boiler installations, boiler repairs and servicing, central heating installation and upgrades, power flushing, general plumbing repairs, bathroom and kitchen plumbing, gas appliance installation, and LPG boiler work. If you are not sure whether we can help, just call and ask.
Read the answerMacara Heating is a domestic plumbing and heating business based in Danderhall, Dalkeith. Day-to-day heating and plumbing work covers Edinburgh and the Lothians; larger boiler and heat pump installations reach across Scotland's central belt. Our engineers are Gas Safe registered and LPG certified, with over 20 years of experience in the trade.
Read the answerQuestions pulled straight from our blog guides — tap through to read the full article.
From the blog · Home Energy Scotland Grants for Heat Pumps in Edinburgh
Up to £7,500 as a grant towards the heat pump, with up to another £7,500 available on top as an interest-free loan. Remote rural and island homes can claim an extra £1,500 on the grant, so up to £9,000, but most of Edinburgh is on the standard rate. It's a ceiling rather than a set amount, and it's a Scottish scheme — the Boiler Upgrade Scheme you'll see quoted is England and Wales only, so don't pencil in a number from an English article. Get your own eligibility checked.
Read the answerFrom the blog · Home Energy Scotland Grants for Heat Pumps in Edinburgh
Probably some, often most of them. Your radiators went in to suit a hot boiler, and because a heat pump runs cooler you usually need bigger ones to push the same heat into the room at a lower temperature. It's money people never see coming, so it's worth knowing up front.
Read the answerFrom the blog · Home Energy Scotland Grants for Heat Pumps in Edinburgh
No, and this one catches people out. The money has to be signed off before any work starts. Let a keen installer make an early start and the grant for that house is gone — folk genuinely lose thousands to save themselves a fortnight. Survey and rough price first, then heat loss and design, then Home Energy Scotland, then the offer comes back, and only after that does a radiator get touched.
Read the answerFrom the blog · Home Energy Scotland Grants for Heat Pumps in Edinburgh
Often these are the awkward ones. Where does the unit go — a back wall four neighbours share, a shared drying green, the front of sandstone the council won't let you bolt anything to? And a combi makes hot water on demand, but a heat pump needs a cylinder, so you've to find somewhere for a tank. Nowhere to put either is a flat no, and the centre of town is full of that.
Read the answerFrom the blog · Heat Pump or New Boiler? 7 Checks Before You Decide in Edinburgh
No. Existing Scottish homes are not currently being forced to remove working gas boilers. Scotland's long-term direction is toward clean heating, but for existing homes, homeowners can still replace a gas boiler where that is the most practical option.
Read the answerFrom the blog · Heat Pump or New Boiler? 7 Checks Before You Decide in Edinburgh
Not always. A heat pump is much more efficient than a boiler, but electricity is more expensive per unit than gas. The running cost depends on the property, system design, tariff, heating habits, and what type of heating system is being replaced.
Read the answerFrom the blog · Heat Pump or New Boiler? 7 Checks Before You Decide in Edinburgh
Possibly, but not always. Some homes only need a few radiator upgrades. Some need more work. The proper way to check is through a room-by-room heat loss calculation and radiator assessment.
Read the answerFrom the blog · Heat Pump or New Boiler? 7 Checks Before You Decide in Edinburgh
Eligible homeowners in Scotland may be able to access Home Energy Scotland grant and loan funding for clean heating systems such as heat pumps. The system and installer must meet the scheme requirements, and work should not start before the written funding offer is in place.
Read the answerFrom the blog · Heat Pump or New Boiler? 7 Checks Before You Decide in Edinburgh
Sometimes. Older homes can work well with heat pumps if the system is designed properly, but insulation, radiator sizing, cylinder space, and outdoor unit placement all need checked first.
Read the answerFrom the blog · Heat Pump or New Boiler? 7 Checks Before You Decide in Edinburgh
For some homes, yes. If the boiler has failed, the budget is tight, the property is not suitable for a heat pump yet, or there is no practical space for the extra equipment, a new boiler can still be the sensible option.
Read the answerFrom the blog · Do You Need Planning Permission for a Heat Pump in Edinburgh?
Potentially, yes. Conservation-area status does not ban heat pumps. The permitted-development rules are tighter: a heat pump attached to the building must be at ground-floor level and on the rear elevation, with all the other Class 6H conditions met. If that is not possible, the installation may need planning permission instead.
Read the answerFrom the blog · Do You Need Planning Permission for a Heat Pump in Edinburgh?
Possibly, but not under permitted development. Class 6H does not apply within the curtilage of a listed building, so planning permission would be needed, and listed building consent may also be required depending on the work involved.
Read the answerFrom the blog · Do You Need Planning Permission for a Heat Pump in Edinburgh?
Possibly, but not under permitted development. Class 6H does not apply within a World Heritage Site, so a planning application would be needed. If the building is also listed, listed building consent may be required on top of that.
Read the answerFrom the blog · Do You Need Planning Permission for a Heat Pump in Edinburgh?
Not under Class 6H. It does not allow development that would result in more than one air source heat pump on the same building or within its curtilage. A second heat pump is not banned outright, but it cannot rely on that permitted-development right and would normally need a planning application or another express planning permission.
Read the answerFrom the blog · Do You Need Planning Permission for a Heat Pump in Edinburgh?
No. There is no general one-metre-from-the-boundary rule in the Scottish Class 6H rules. The one-metre figure is a projection limit: no part of a heat pump fixed to the building may protrude more than one metre from the outer surface of an external wall, roof plane, roof ridge or chimney. A lot of online advice quotes English rules instead.
Read the answerFrom the blog · Do You Need Planning Permission for a Heat Pump in Edinburgh?
Under Class 6H, a heat pump and its housing within the curtilage of a dwelling must not exceed three metres in height, and it cannot sit forward of the principal elevation or a side elevation that fronts a road. The other conditions, including the MCS planning standards, still apply.
Read the answerFrom the blog · Do You Need Planning Permission for a Heat Pump in Edinburgh?
No. Planning permission and property rights are separate. If the heat pump would use a shared wall, roof, back green or other common property, the title deeds decide whether you have the right to do it. The council granting planning permission does not give you that right.
Read the answerFrom the blog · Do You Need Planning Permission for a Heat Pump in Edinburgh?
It is a formal council decision on whether proposed or existing work is lawful in planning terms. For a proposed heat pump, it can confirm in writing that Class 6H applies. It does not settle listed building consent, building-warrant or shared-property questions.
Read the answerFrom the blog · Can You Install a Heat Pump in an Edinburgh Tenement?
Yes, potentially. Tenements are not automatically unsuitable for heat pumps. The outdoor-unit location, planning, shared property, heat loss, radiators and hot-water storage all need checked first.
Read the answerFrom the blog · Can You Install a Heat Pump in an Edinburgh Tenement?
Not always. Some installations can qualify as permitted development in Scotland. Extra restrictions apply in conservation areas, listed buildings, World Heritage Sites and where another heat pump is already installed on the building.
Read the answerFrom the blog · Can You Install a Heat Pump in an Edinburgh Tenement?
Class 6H cannot be used if the work would leave more than one air source heat pump on the same building or within its curtilage. A second heat pump is not automatically banned, but it would normally need a planning application or another express planning permission.
Read the answerFrom the blog · Can You Install a Heat Pump in an Edinburgh Tenement?
Possibly. It depends on the title deeds and whether the proposed heat pump would use shared or common property such as an external wall, roof or garden.
Read the answerFrom the blog · Can You Install a Heat Pump in an Edinburgh Tenement?
Potentially. Traditional stone construction does not automatically make a property unsuitable. The building condition, heat loss, emitters and proposed system still need assessed properly.
Read the answerFrom the blog · Can You Install a Heat Pump in an Edinburgh Tenement?
Not necessarily. Each radiator should be checked against the heat loss of the room and the proposed heat-pump flow temperature. Some may need upgraded while others may already be suitable.
Read the answerFrom the blog · Can You Install a Heat Pump in an Edinburgh Tenement?
That can make a normal air-to-water heat-pump installation more difficult. Other hot-water designs may sometimes be possible, but lack of space can be one of the reasons another heating option makes more sense.
Read the answerFrom the blog · Can You Install a Heat Pump in an Edinburgh Tenement?
There may still be good options. Depending on the property, that could mean a boiler replacement, heating-system upgrades, getting the property ready for a future heat pump or looking at another type of heating system.
Read the answerFrom the blog · What Heating Options Are Best for Edinburgh Flats and Tenements?
It depends on the property. Heat pumps, boilers, storage heaters and other electric systems can all be suitable in different situations. The building type, current heating, outdoor space and heat loss all need considered.
Read the answerFrom the blog · What Heating Options Are Best for Edinburgh Flats and Tenements?
Not automatically. A heat pump can be a very good option in a suitable property, but some tenements have planning, outdoor-space, shared-property or hot-water-storage problems that make a boiler more practical.
Read the answerFrom the blog · What Heating Options Are Best for Edinburgh Flats and Tenements?
Usually, yes, for a routine replacement in an ordinary pre-2024 existing home. The New Build Heat Standard applies to new buildings and certain conversions; it does not ban a normal boiler replacement in a pre-2024 flat. Different rules can apply to post-2024 buildings and qualifying conversions.
Read the answerFrom the blog · What Heating Options Are Best for Edinburgh Flats and Tenements?
Possible options include air source heat pumps, air-to-air heat pumps, high-heat-retention storage heaters and direct electric heating. The best choice depends on the size of the flat, heat loss, outdoor space and whether there is an existing wet heating system.
Read the answerFrom the blog · What Heating Options Are Best for Edinburgh Flats and Tenements?
They can be. Modern high-heat-retention storage heaters have better heat retention and controls than older models. Home Energy Scotland currently lists up to £2,500 as a grant plus an optional interest-free loan of up to £5,500. The EPC must recommend the heaters, and the applicant must evidence why a heat pump is unsuitable.
Read the answerFrom the blog · What Heating Options Are Best for Edinburgh Flats and Tenements?
No. The current Home Energy Scotland Grant and Loan terms expressly exclude air-to-air heat pumps. They are not brought into the scheme by adding a separate hot-water system.
Read the answerFrom the blog · What Heating Options Are Best for Edinburgh Flats and Tenements?
Potentially, yes. Communal heat-pump systems can serve several flats from shared plant, but the project normally needs agreement between owners and proper arrangements for costs, maintenance and billing.
Read the answerFrom the blog · What Heating Options Are Best for Edinburgh Flats and Tenements?
It may still be worth improving the property first. Radiator upgrades, better controls, pipework improvements or reducing heat loss can sometimes make a future heat-pump installation more practical.
Read the answerFrom the blog · How Much Does a New Boiler Cost in Edinburgh? (2026 Prices)
Because they are usually not the same job. One quote has the magnetic filter in it, the system clean, the new controls and the warranty registration. The next one has none of those and comes in £600 cheaper. Brand accounts for a couple of hundred pounds of the gap, scope accounts for the rest. So before you put two numbers side by side, check both of them tell you what happens to the old system water, whether there is a filter, which controls are going in and how long the warranty runs. That is where the difference nearly always hides.
Read the answerFrom the blog · How Much Does a New Boiler Cost in Edinburgh? (2026 Prices)
Yes, and by a fair bit. Usually £800 to £1,500 on top of a like-for-like price. A conversion means new pipework, the hot water cylinder out, the loft tanks out in most cases, a new gas run more often than not, and making good where the old fire surround was. It is closer to two days than one. There is plenty of that stock across Edinburgh and the old Midlothian mining villages, so budget for it properly rather than letting it land on you halfway through the job.
Read the answerFrom the blog · How Much Does a New Boiler Cost in Edinburgh? (2026 Prices)
Sometimes, and it hangs on the warranty more than the metal. The appliance difference is usually £300 to £600 on a domestic install, and both are boilers we fit regularly and stand behind. What the extra buys you is a longer manufacturer warranty and easier parts availability years down the line. Staying in the house fifteen years, that tends to pay for itself. Selling in three, a well fitted mid-range boiler is the sensible spend.
Read the answerFrom the blog · How Much Does a New Boiler Cost in Edinburgh? (2026 Prices)
You can, and it usually adds £400 to £900 depending on how far the gas, water and condensate have to travel. Bedroom cupboard into the kitchen is a common one and normally straightforward. The expensive version is moving it onto an outside wall in a tenement or a conservation area, because the flue position then has to keep the regulations and the council happy at the same time. We work that out at the survey instead of guessing at it.
Read the answerFrom the blog · Oil Boiler or Heat Pump for Off-Gas Homes in Scotland?
Yes, existing homes in Edinburgh and the Lothians can still look at replacing an oil boiler where that is the practical answer. New-build rules are stricter, but existing homes need a property-specific decision based on the heating system, oil tank, insulation, hot water setup and whether a clean heating option is realistic.
Read the answerFrom the blog · Oil Boiler or Heat Pump for Off-Gas Homes in Scotland?
A heat pump can suit an off-gas home in the Lothians, but only if the survey stacks up. The installer needs to check heat loss, radiator output, pipework, hot water cylinder space, outdoor unit position, electrical supply and how the house is actually used.
Read the answerFrom the blog · Oil Boiler or Heat Pump for Off-Gas Homes in Scotland?
LPG is not automatically cheaper than oil for off-gas homes around Edinburgh. You need to compare the actual price per litre, supplier contract, tank arrangement, standing costs, boiler condition and the work needed at that specific property.
Read the answerFrom the blog · Oil Boiler or Heat Pump for Off-Gas Homes in Scotland?
Home Energy Scotland funding may help eligible Scottish homeowners in Edinburgh and the Lothians install clean heating such as a heat pump, but the system, property and installer route need to meet the scheme rules. Funding should be sorted before work starts, not after a deposit has been paid.
Read the answerFrom the blog · Oil Boiler or Heat Pump for Off-Gas Homes in Scotland?
You might need bigger radiators when switching from an oil boiler to a heat pump, but it is not automatic in every room. Oil boilers can run the system hotter, while heat pumps work lower and steadier, so each room needs checked against its heat loss.
Read the answerFrom the blog · Oil Boiler or Heat Pump for Off-Gas Homes in Scotland?
For most homeowners, HVO is something to keep an eye on rather than a reason to delay an urgent heating decision. Availability, cost, appliance suitability and the wider system still need checked before HVO should drive the choice.
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