Planning a Complete Central Heating Installation

Advice & Guides · Heating installation

Plan a complete central heating installation around the home, the rooms and your hot-water needs. Agree the heat source, radiator schedule, pipe routes, controls, disruption and finishing work before comparing quotations.

A full heating project involves more than multiplying a radiator price by the number of rooms. Whether you are renovating a property or replacing an existing system, a clear brief helps the installer quote the work you actually need.

Start by describing the project

Tell the installer what heating is already present and what you want to change. Are you adding radiators, replacing pipework, moving a boiler or installing a system in a home without one? Explain any rooms that currently feel cold and any extension or layout changes planned. Share a floor plan if you have one.

State whether the property will be occupied during the work. That affects the practical discussion about access, work sequencing and periods without heating or hot water.

Agree a room-by-room radiator schedule

Ask for a schedule identifying each radiator’s room, type, dimensions, output and valve arrangement. Radiator choice needs to suit the room’s heat loss and the proposed system temperatures. Stelrad’s guidance highlights sizing for the required output, including when operating at lower temperatures.

Discuss the appearance after the heating requirement is understood. A radiator that fits a wall neatly still needs to provide appropriate output. Tell the installer where furniture, doors and fitted units will be placed, and whether you prefer visible or concealed pipework.

Include your household’s hot-water needs

Tell the installer how many bathrooms you have, what showers you use and whether more than one outlet is used together. Explain any plans for another bathroom. Ask what hot-water arrangement is proposed and why it suits your home; do not choose solely from the number of radiators.

If a boiler move forms part of the project, read our boiler relocation planning guide and confirm the new position before finalising the building layout.

Choose controls you will actually use

Energy Saving Trust explains that timers, room thermostats and radiator controls help manage when and where heating is needed. Ask what controls the installer proposes and how they work together. If you want app control or separate heating areas, put that into your brief and ask about compatibility.

Arrange a demonstration at handover. A useful control system is one that the household understands, including how to change the schedule and deal with an internet interruption if applicable.

Clarify pipe routes and finishing work

• Which floors or walls need opening, and who restores them?
• Which pipes will be visible and which will be concealed?
• Are existing radiators or pipe sections being retained?
• Who moves furniture and provides access?
• What decoration, flooring or boxing-in is excluded?

Coordinate with your builder before new floors, plaster or kitchen units are finished. Ask the installer to explain the intended sequence rather than assuming everything can happen after decoration.

What should the quotation describe?

Look for a written scope covering the boiler or other heat source, hot-water equipment where relevant, radiator schedule, pipework, controls, cleaning, commissioning and handover. Confirm waste removal, applicable documents, cover arrangements and exclusions. Agree how changes to the brief will be priced and approved.

Our boiler quotation checklist covers the appliance part of the project. A complete heating installation should also describe the work throughout the property.

Prepare the information for your survey

Send your postcode, property type, room count, bathroom count, photographs of the current heating and a short list of changes. Include plans where available. The installer can then explain which measurements and checks are needed for the proposal.

Published by Infiniti Heating & Plumbing · 30 September 2026. Further reading: Energy Saving Trust: heating controls and Stelrad: radiator sizing and output guidance.