Gas Cooker Installation Cost

Are you thinking of having a gas cooker installed in your home?

Whether you plan to purchase one and have a professional fit it for you or you'd like to have someone supply and fit the gas cooker, we'll lay out a range of costs in the following guide.

Ready for a quote?

We have a range of gas heating engineers ready to offer you a free quote!

This guide also looks at relevant topics such as the steps involved in fitting a gas cooker and the types of gas cookers, including a list of their pros and cons.

How Much To Connect A Gas Cooker?

The cost of installing a gas cooker typically ranges from £75 to £150 for a basic/standard installation (labour only), but can potentially rise to over £1,000 if any significant work or the purchase of a new appliance is required.

Prices may vary depending on the size and type of gas cooker being installed, as well as labour fees, which are often higher in certain areas of the UK (such as London and the South East).

As well as installing a gas cooker, costs can also include connecting to the gas supply and potentially redirecting pipework if needed, which can significantly increase the price. This is along with health and safety checks, any necessary electrical work, and potentially disposing of your previous cooker.

The gas cooker installation cost will also vary depending on the existing gas supply (or if a new connection needs to be set up), the installation area, and ease of access.

Where you live is another notable cost factor as gas installers charge different rates across the UK. The price will also vary whether it is a freestanding gas cooker or an inset gas cooker.

Gas Cooker Prices

Below we take a look at the total cost in order to install a gas cooker, figures includes a labour fee for each scenario of between £75 and £150 (although this may vary on location) and cost of purchasing the actual cooker itself. Costs may also vary depending on the size and type of oven, as outlined below, but also depending on other factors such as the brand and supplier:

Supply Only Costs

We will now take a closer look at the price of buying a gas cooker. This is the cost of purchasing the actual cooker unit, excluding any labour/installation costs. A 60cm gas cooker generally costs about £230 to £650.

To buy a 90cm gas cooker would cost you approximately £500 to £1200. Expect the price of a 100cm gas cooker to be around £700 to £1600 and a 110cm gas cooker costs about £1300 to £2200.

LPG gas cookers usually cost between £400 and £2000 although it will depend on the width. A similarly wide price range applies to natural gas cookers, with the cost varying between £300 and £2400.

Find Tradespeople, compare up to 3 quotes!

It's FREE and there are no obligations

Get started

Labour Costs and Timescales

Most labourers will charge approximately £75 to £150 to install a gas cooker. This is usually a small part of the overall cost. On average, the labour cost will make up somewhere in the range of 6-25% of the total bill.

On average, gas engineers charge about £42 per hour although the rates can vary substantially depending on where you live. The national range is approximately £30 to £100 an hour.

As for the timescales, preparing the work area should only take a few minutes. It should take less than half an hour to remove the existing cooker, and the actual installation will likely last for half an hour to 90 minutes.

The labour cost and timescale will depend on the state of the installation area and ease of access as well as what the current heating supply is. Certain gas cookers may also be more complex to fit than others. If you're planning to remodel a kitchen, the cost may be included in the overall price.

Ask a Trade

Got a question that only a tradesperson can answer? We have thousands of trades ready to answer any question you may have.

Ask your question

Additional Costs

When having a gas cooker fitted, there are several extra jobs that you might like to have undertaken at the same time. In this section, we'll break down some common examples.

Cost of Running Gas to a Property

The average cost of running gas to a property is £650. In total, this work generally takes somewhere in the range of 8-12 weeks. A simple connection will fall in the lower end of this timescale, but a complex connection that is over 23 metres from the supply could take over two and a half months.

Usually, this type of work is needed if you are switching to gas heating from another energy supply. On the other hand, it may be required for homeowners moving into a new property which lacks a mains connection or in the case of a new property build.

Regardless of the reason, this can be time-consuming and costly work that requires an experienced specialist. However, gas heating and a gas cooker is often more cost-effective than using electricity. In essence, installing gas can be seen as a positive long-term investment.

Moving Gas Meter

On average, it will cost you around £1000 to have gas and electric meters re-positioned.

The job itself may only take a couple hours, assuming the work is relatively straightforward - for example if you need your gas supplier to only move your meter a short distance. However, for approval on anything more complicated the whole process (including having your request signed-off and booking a tradesman) can potentially take several weeks - and may require contacting your gas transporter to arrange fresh pipework.

Kitchen Fitting Cost

If installing a gas cooker is part of a larger refurbishment, then the average kitchen fitting cost in the UK is around £1,000 for labour and installation (not including materials or appliances) depending on the size of the job.

However, in order to estimate the total cost needed to remodel a kitchen there are a number of factors to consider. This can include everything from choosing the right taps to replacing the flooring, as well as buying any additional appliances.

Replacing Cupboards and Worktops

Alternatively, you may decide on replacing kitchen cupboards and renewing worktops to help give your kitchen a new lease of life.

As a general idea of cost, to replace five new cabinet doors, on average this can cost around £450 depending on the quality and materials used. In addition to updating the cupboards, you can spend around £600 to replace kitchen worktops, although again this can vary greatly depending on materials and size of your kitchen.

Fitting a Gas Cooker

In this section, we'll discuss the cost factors of this work in more detail.

Type of Gas Cooker

First and foremost, whether you choose a natural gas cooker or LPG gas cooker could prove a notable factor in the overall cost. However, the price range of both mostly overlaps.

To fit the former would cost about £370 to £2130, and the latter begins at a slightly higher price estimate of £470 but ends up at a higher-end price of £2530.

Size of Gas Cooker

The biggest factor would be the size of the gas cooker. For example, you may pay as little as £230 for a 60cm gas cooker but as much as £2200 to buy a 110cm gas cooker.

Quality/Brand of Gas Cooker

Some gas cookers are available for less than £100 while others can cost up to £5000 or more based on quality and brand. Most gas cookers, however, will cost less than £2000.

Current Heating Supply

If your current heating supply is electric, then additional time and work will be needed. As a result, the labour cost would end up higher than it would otherwise.

Additional Gas Work

Extra work may be required, such as if you need to have your gas meters moved or a gas supply needs to be hooked up to your property. Additional gas work could set you back several hundred pounds or even more than £1000 depending on the extent and complexity of the work required.

Location of Property

As mentioned, where you live is an important cost factor since heating engineers charge different amounts in different parts of the nation. On the one hand, you'll find relatively low rates in places like East Devon, with an average rate of £33 an hour.

The hourly rate in Sheffield is £35. Mid-range regions include Canterbury where hourly rates land about £43 or Norwich, where the same average labour cost applies. However, in London, contractors usually charge about £56 an hour, and in Gloucester, the average rate is £72 per hour.

Ease of Access

How accessible the work area is could also play a role in determining the cost. The easier it is for the contractor to install the gas cooker, the shorter the work will be, and the lower the labour cost may be.

What's Involved in a Gas Cooker Installation?

1. Purchasing the Gas Cooker

To begin with, you'll need to consider whether you want to buy a gas cooker and have a heating engineer fit it for you or if you want to hire a company to supply and fit the cooker. Either way, it's important that you get the right gas cooker for you.

If making a purchase, you'll need to consider what your budget is, whether you'd prefer an LPG or natural gas cooker and what width the gas cooker should have.

It's worth taking a look at some reviews online and scrolling through the various gas cookers that are provided by a range of suppliers/stores. As a starting point, you could Google 'buy gas cooker near me'.

2. Hiring a Heating Engineer

You'll then need to find an appropriate company to fix the gas cooker into place since this is not a DIY job.

It's important that the person performing the work is a gas safe heating engineer. You should acquire three quotes before deciding on one company in particular.

Alternatively, you could ask someone you know if they have any good recommendations. Look for a company that provides labourers with plenty of experience and ideally, some positive references too.

3. Installing the Gas Cooker

The first part of fitting the new gas cooker is to disconnect and remove the existing cooker. If you have a gas cooker, then the labourer will shut off the gas valve, unplug the lines and the cooker.

Teflon tape will then be used to wrap the pipe joint. The tape should be wrapped clockwise. This is in order to keep the risk of a gas leak to a minimum, specifically when the gas cooker is disconnected.

Next, they will take away the connector fitting and wrap the unbeveled end using teflon tape. This side of the connector can then be screwed onto the gas line. It's essential that the removable end fittings are used to avoid a gas leak. After this, the street elbow can be connected into the gas port.

The other end of the connector must be connected into the street elbow. Then the nuts may be tightened onto the end connector fittings.

The professional will then test for leaks before installing the new gas cooker. Assuming no leaks are found, they will fit it in the original nooks. The contractor will then test the settings, fittings, connectors and may perform another check for any leaks.

At this point, they can reconnect the gas valve and plug the lines in before plugging in the gas cooker. They will then check that it's working correctly and safely before cleaning up the area. The method of installation may vary depending on the size, type, and brand of gas cooker.

Can I Install a Gas Cooker?

In the UK it is legally required that only a Gas Safe certified engineer can be installing a gas cooker. As such, unless you hold the relevant certification and are a registered gas engineer, it's not only not advisable to do it yourself but is also against the law.

Also, if you do not have a gas safe engineers safety certificate, then it's very unlikely that your home insurance would cover this work.

Even in the rare event where you are allowed to perform this work, you'll need permission to do so, and a building control officer must sign it off. Furthermore, a professional heating engineer would also need to test your gas cooker after it is installed for safety reasons.

All in all, it's much safer, more straightforward and a legal requirement in the UK that you hire a Gas Safe certified engineer when installing a gas cooker.

There are many risks when dealing with gas. For one, carbon monoxide and other gases could be released during the work or after as a result of a gas leak. Gas leaks, in general, can be very serious and even lethal.

In some cases, they can lead to explosions. Of course, at best, an improperly installed gas cooker may just fail to work, and that will mean time and energy wasted on a DIY job that a professional would perform in two hours or less. Though, it is the safety risks and legal requirement that are most important to be aware of.

How Do You Disconnect a Gas Cooker?

This should only be done by a competent person. To disconnect a gas cooker, the oven must be moved away from the wall gradually. This will unveil the brass.

The hose connector should be pushed down and twisted to the left using an unscrewing motion. This is in order to disconnect it from the bayonet fitting.

The safety chain will be present to avoid the oven moving too far from the wall. Anyone removing a gas cooker should be conscious of this. Extra caution must be taken to ensure that there are no leaks.

Building Regulations & Planning Permission for a Gas Cooker Installation

The building regulations for combustion appliances and fuel storage are covered by Approved Document J. Some of the regulations that apply specifically to gas cookers are related to ventilation and minimum performance designations. You also need to consider the gas cooker installation clearance regulations.

It may well be that you're having a gas cooker installation carried out as part of a larger project, such as having new gas supply lines installed or a kitchen renovation that impacts the structural elements of your property. In these instances you may be subject to building regulation fees, costing anywhere between £100 and £500.

The work may be signed off by an appropriate heating engineer. More information is available on the Planning Portal.

As for planning permission, a gas cooker will generally not require special approval. However, if additional work is taking place, such as the installation of a gas fuel tank, then planning approval may be required. A planning permission application may cost between £100 and £450.

Applications are usually processed, and a response is given after eight weeks. The rules of Planning Portal cover England Wales, therefore regulations may vary in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Benefits of Fitting a Gas Cooker

We'll now take a closer look at the various advantages of installing a gas cooker.

Cheaper to Run

A gas cooker's main benefit is that the fuel cost is significantly lower than an electric cooker. Electricity costs roughly 16.3p per kWh, which is almost treble the cost of LPG and more than four times dearer than natural gas.

The only viable competition for gas as a cheap fuel is oil with a slightly cheaper average cost of 3.2p per kWh. Of course, oil cookers are not particularly common this day in age and may not be well suited to most modern homes.

Easy to Control

Many homeowners prefer the simplicity and manual nature of gas cookers. Though electric digital cookers have their own advantages, some prefer the ease of control and arguably more intuitive design of gas cookers.

Hiring Contractors to Fit a Gas Cooker Checklist

These are the points you'll have to tick off when sourcing the right person for the job:

1. Experience - Of course, you'll want to hire a company with a decent history behind them and a good background. That way, you can have confidence that the contractor you hire will be an experienced professional.
2. References - As well as asking for a quote, you should obtain some positive references when choosing the right company for you.
3. Accreditation and Qualifications - A competent (by the legal definition) and appropriate professional should be hired. You could also inquire about accreditations and qualifications if you'd like. It's important they are certified as a gas safe heating engineer.

FAQs

Sources

https://www.gassaferegister.co.uk/help-and-advice/gas-safety-certificates-records/building-regulations-certificate/
https://www.planningportal.co.uk/info/200135/approved_documents/72/part_j_-_combustion_appliances_and_fuel_storage_systems
https://www.logic4training.co.uk/blog/gas-courses/notifications-for-gas-installers/
https://www.maggiesovenservices.co.uk/blog/how-do-you-disconnect-a-gas-cooker-single-handedly/
https://www.yourspares.co.uk/advice/how-to-change-a-gas-burner-cup-on-a-cooker-indesit-k341g.aspx