Electric boiler installation in Birmingham
We fit electric boilers in Birmingham, and we do the electrical side ourselves. We're NICEIC approved electricians and Gas Safe registered engineers. So one firm fits the boiler, wires the new circuit and checks your supply. You get a free survey, then a fixed price.
Electric boiler jobs we do
These are the electric boiler jobs we do in Birmingham. We fit combi, system and heat-only electric boilers. Every job starts with a free survey. Then you get a fixed price before any work starts.
- Electric combi boiler installation: A combi heats water as you use it, so you need no hot water cylinder.
- Electric system boiler installation: A system boiler works with a hot water cylinder, which stores hot water ready to use.
- Heat-only electric boiler installation: A boiler that heats your radiators, often used with a separate hot water cylinder.
- Gas to electric boiler switch: We take out the old gas boiler and cap off the gas. Then we fit the electric boiler.
- Storage heaters replaced with radiators: We swap old storage heaters for radiators, with new pipes run to the boiler.
- Radiators and pipework: New radiators and pipes fitted, or old ones changed, as part of the job.
- Dedicated boiler circuit: A new circuit from your fuse board, just for the boiler.
- Consumer unit upgrade: A new fuse board, if yours has no room or the wrong protection for the boiler circuit.
- Supply check: We check your main fuse and supply can take the boiler, and tell you if they need an upgrade.
We install new electric boilers. Brands vary, so we suggest a model once we've seen your home. Looking for a gas boiler instead? See our boiler installation page.
Who should fit an electric boiler: an electrician or a heating engineer?
An electric boiler needs both trades. The heating side covers the boiler, pipes and radiators. The electrical side covers a new circuit and a check of your supply.
Some firms only do one half, so you end up booking two. We're NICEIC approved electricians and Gas Safe registered engineers, with over 20 years in the trade. So we do the whole job ourselves.
The new circuit is notifiable work under Part P of the Building Regulations. That means building control must be told about it. We do that for you. You also get an Electrical Installation Certificate, which shows the new wiring was tested and is safe.
Is an electric boiler right for your home?
An electric boiler suits smaller homes, flats and homes with no gas. It costs more to run than gas, so it's a poorer fit for big homes that use lots of heat and hot water.
It can be a good choice if:
- your flat or house has no gas supply
- you want to stop burning gas at home
- there's no good spot for a flue (the pipe that takes a gas boiler's fumes outside)
- your home is small, with one bathroom
- you're replacing old storage heaters and want radiators you can control
It may be a poorer fit if:
- your home is large, with lots of radiators
- several people often use hot water at the same time
- your supply is small and already busy with an electric shower, cooker or car charger
We'll tell you honestly if gas or another option suits your home better. If a new gas boiler makes more sense, we fit those too.
Can your electricity supply take an electric boiler?
Usually, but it has to be checked first. An electric boiler draws a lot of power at once. Your main fuse and the other things you run decide whether there's room for it.
Your home's main fuse sits in a sealed box near the meter. It's often rated at 60, 80 or 100 amps. Amps measure how much current flows. A rough guide is the boiler's power in kilowatts (kW) times 1,000, divided by 230. That gives the amps it draws at full power.
| Boiler size | Rough current at full power |
|---|---|
| 6kW | About 26 amps |
| 9kW | About 39 amps |
| 12kW | About 52 amps |
| 15kW | About 65 amps |
Now add an electric shower, an oven and a kettle all running at once. You can see how a 60 amp fuse fills up fast. On the survey, we look at what you use and work out the total. Electricians call this maximum demand.
Most homes have a single-phase supply, which is one live feed from the street. Very large electric boilers may need a three-phase supply, which is more common in businesses. Most homes use a size that runs on single phase.
If your main fuse or supply needs an upgrade, the network operator does that part. In Birmingham, that's National Grid Electricity Distribution. We check your supply and tell you if it's needed. The new circuit and any consumer unit upgrade we do ourselves.
What size electric boiler do you need?
The right size depends on your home's heat loss, your radiators and your hot water use.Electric boilers for homes usually go up to about 15kW. Gas combis are often 24kW to 40kW.
So an electric boiler suits homes that need less heat. Good insulation helps a lot. We work out the size on the survey, and we match it to what your supply can take.
An electric combi heats water as you use it, a bit like an electric shower. Its power limits how much hot water comes out at once. A home that runs lots of hot water at the same time often does better with a system boiler and a cylinder.
How much does an electric boiler cost to run compared with gas?
An electric boiler usually costs more to run than a gas boiler. On a standard tariff, electricity costs about three to four times as much as gas for each kWh.
A kWh (kilowatt hour) is the unit your energy bill counts. It's the energy a 1kW heater uses in one hour. An electric boiler turns almost all its electricity into heat. A modern gas boiler is around 90% efficient, so the gap stays wide.
So why pick one? You burn no gas at home. There's no flue to fit, and the boiler needs no gas safety check. For a small, well-insulated flat, the higher price per unit may matter less. A heat pump can be cheaper to run than either, because it moves heat in from outside. But it costs more to fit and needs more space.
How much does it cost to fit an electric boiler?
We give a fixed price after a free survey, because every home is different. These are the things that change the price:
- the type of boiler: combi, system or heat-only
- if you need a hot water cylinder
- how far the new circuit has to run from your fuse board
- whether your consumer unit needs an upgrade
- taking out an old gas boiler, or old storage heaters
- new radiators or pipework
Any supply upgrade by the network operator is separate from our price. We'll tell you on the survey if it's likely.
Switching from a gas boiler to electric
We take out the old gas boiler, cap off the gas and fit the electric boiler. Because we're Gas Safe registered, the gas side is done safely by us, on the same job.
Your radiators and pipes can often stay, as an electric boiler heats the same kind of system. If you still have a gas cooker or hob, it keeps its own gas supply. We check the old system on the survey and tell you what needs changing.
Replacing storage heaters with an electric boiler
We can take out storage heaters and fit a radiator system run by an electric boiler. Storage heaters warm up overnight and give out heat during the day. That can leave rooms cold by the evening.
With a boiler and radiators, you heat the rooms when you need them, with a thermostat and timer. It does mean new pipes and radiators, so it's a bigger job. Electric radiators or a heat pump are the other common options. We'll talk you through the choice honestly.
How an electric boiler installation works
- We visit for a free survey. We look at your home, your heating and your electrics.
- We check your main fuse, supply and consumer unit.
- You get a fixed price before any work starts.
- On the day, we take out the old boiler or heaters, then fit the new boiler and any pipes or radiators.
- We wire in the new circuit, and upgrade the consumer unit if needed.
- We fill and test the heating, then test the new circuit.
- You get an Electrical Installation Certificate, and we notify building control.
We're open 24/7, so you can call us any time to book a survey. Not sure if electric is right for you? Call and ask. You can also see our other electrical work or our plumbing and radiator work, or send us a message.
Common questions
Are electric boilers cheaper to run than gas?
No, not on a standard tariff. Electricity costs about three to four times as much as gas for each unit of energy. An electric boiler wastes almost none of it, but that does not close the gap. They suit homes with no gas, or people who want to stop burning gas at home.
Can you have an electric boiler in a flat?
Yes. Flats are often a good fit, especially ones with no gas supply. An electric boiler needs no flue (the pipe that takes fumes outside), so it can go on an inside wall. We check that the supply can take it on the survey.
Do I need an electrician to fit an electric boiler?
You need an electrician for the electrics, and someone who knows heating for the pipes and radiators. A new boiler circuit is notifiable work under Part P of the Building Regulations in England. We are NICEIC approved electricians and heating engineers, so we do both parts. See our electrician services.
Will I need a bigger main fuse?
Sometimes. It depends on the boiler size, your main fuse and what else you run, such as an electric shower. We check all of this on the survey. If the supply needs an upgrade, the network operator does that part, and we explain what happens next.
Is there a grant for an electric boiler?
Not usually. The government's Boiler Upgrade Scheme in England pays towards heat pumps and biomass boilers, not electric boilers. Check gov.uk for the latest rules, as schemes change.
Does an electric boiler need a gas safety check?
No. An electric boiler burns no gas, so it needs no gas safety certificate. In a rented home, other gas appliances, such as a gas cooker, still need a yearly gas safety check (CP12). The electrics still need an EICR (electrical safety report) at least every five years. Read about landlord safety checks.
Can I keep my radiators when I switch to electric?
Often, yes. An electric boiler can heat the same water-filled radiators and pipes as a gas boiler. We check their condition and size on the survey. If some need changing, we include them in the fixed price.
How much does an electric boiler installation cost?
It depends on the boiler type, if you need a cylinder, and how much electrical and pipe work is needed. We give you a fixed price after a free survey, before any work starts.