County Donegal · Census 2022 and gas meter data
Combi boiler installation in Donegal
Oil is the main fuel in Donegal: 67% of homes. What that means for a new combi, what installers publish, and one installer who covers Donegal.
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In Donegal a new combi is almost always an oil combi: 67% of homes heat with oil and the county isn't connected to the gas network (CSO). Published oil boiler prices in Ireland run €2,500 to €3,600 supplied and fitted, median €3,000 across 6 installers, with oil combis at the top of that range.
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What's different about a combi in Donegal
Donegal is not connected to the gas network. The CSO says so in its 2024 gas consumption release: Donegal, Leitrim and Sligo have no meter connections (CSO, Networked Gas Consumption 2024). Two homes in three, 67%, heat with oil, and 20% with coal, peat or wood (Census 2022). Letterkenny is 73% oil and Ballybofey-Stranorlar 76% (CSO, built-up areas file).
It's also cold. On Met Éireann's 1991 to 2020 averages, Letterkenny gets about 2,211 heating degree days a year, the most of any county's largest town and 6% more than the Irish average (our calculation from the 1 km grid). 70% of homes are detached houses. A Donegal combi is an oil combi, and it has to be big enough for a long, cold heating season.
Donegal in figures
Every figure for Donegal, against Ireland
| Donegal | Ireland | |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 1% | 33% |
| Oil | 67% | 39% |
| Electricity | 5% | 12% |
| Coal, peat or wood | 20% | 9% |
| Homes with a gas meter, 2024 | None (no network) | 695,199 |
| Median gas use per metered home, 2024 | Not published | 7,771 kWh |
| Detached houses | 70% | 41% |
| Built before 1980 | 33% | 42% |
| Built 2001 to 2010 | 31% | 25% |
| Built since 2011 | 6% | 8% |
Sources: CSO Census 2022, Small Area Population Statistics, county file, tables 6.1, 6.2 and 6.5 (households; year built where stated), read 29 October 2026; CSO table F2007A for detached houses; CSO, Networked Gas Consumption 2024, tables 5B and 6B, from Gas Networks Ireland meter data, read 30 October 2026.
Gas or oil, town by town
In Donegal the towns are oil too, not just the countryside. These are the 8 biggest, with the share of households on each fuel in the 2022 Census.
| Town | Homes | Gas | Oil |
|---|---|---|---|
| Letterkenny | 8,431 | 3% | 73% |
| Buncrana | 2,602 | 1% | 72% |
| Ballybofey-Stranorlar | 2,084 | 2% | 76% |
| Carndonagh | 1,065 | 1% | 63% |
| Donegal | 1,093 | 4% | 69% |
| Bundoran | 945 | 2% | 66% |
| Ballyshannon | 980 | 2% | 64% |
| Convoy | 618 | 0% | 72% |
Source: CSO Census 2022, Small Area Population Statistics, built-up areas, table 6.5 (households by central heating), and CSO table F1015 (population of towns), read 30 October 2026. Shares are of all households, including those that didn't say.
What changes the job in Donegal
- Oil combi. 67% of Donegal homes heat with oil. An oil combi or a standard oil boiler is fitted by an OFTEC-registered technician, often outdoors in its own casing. Median published oil boiler price €3,000. See oil combi boilers.
- Boom-years boilers. 31% of Donegal homes were built between 2001 and 2010. Their first boilers are now 15 to 25 years old, and a like-for-like swap is the usual job.
- Big detached houses. 70% of Donegal homes are detached, against 41% nationally. With two or more bathrooms in use at once, a combi shares one flow of hot water; a system boiler with a cylinder may suit better. See combis for large houses.
Running costs in Donegal
Met Éireann's 1991 to 2020 averages give Letterkenny about 2,211 heating degree days a year, 6% more than the Irish average of 2,079 (Met Éireann 30-year averages; degree days are our calculation from the 1 km grid, base 15.5 °C). The same house needs more heat here over a winter, so size the boiler for the radiators, not just the showers.
Oil is priced the same everywhere: kerosene was 12.60c a kWh on SEAI's 1 July 2026 schedule prices, against 13.00c for gas. See combi running costs for the cost per shower and per year.
What a new combi costs in Donegal
We found no installer based in Donegal that publishes a supplied-and-fitted price on its own website (checked 22 and 23 October 2026). The national figures are the benchmark: 35 installers' published prices, every one linked on the price page.
| Job | Median published price | Middle half | Installers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Combi boiler swap | €2,600 | €2,199–€2,800 | 12 |
| Conversion to a combi | €3,400 | €3,100–€4,000 | 3 |
| System or regular boiler | €2,500 | €2,199–€2,650 | 32 |
| Oil boiler | €3,000 | €2,590–€3,500 | 6 |
Most prices don't say whether VAT is included. Ask for a written price with VAT, the flue, the flush, the filter and the certificate.
Where we cover in Donegal
All of County Donegal, including Letterkenny, Buncrana, Ballybofey-Stranorlar, Carndonagh, Donegal and Bundoran. The six biggest towns had 43,042 people between them in 2022 (CSO Census 2022, table F1015). Put your town or Eircode in the form and we pass it to one installer who covers your county.
Nearby: combi boilers in Mayo · every county.
FAQ
Questions people ask
How much is a combi boiler installed in Donegal?
We found no Donegal installer that publishes a price. Nationally, a like-for-like gas combi swap has a median published price of €2,600 across 12 installers, a conversion €3,400 and an oil boiler €3,000.
Is there mains gas in Donegal?
No. Donegal is one of three counties, with Leitrim and Sligo, that aren't connected to the gas network (CSO, Networked Gas Consumption 2024). 67% of Donegal homes heat with oil, so a combi here means an oil combi or LPG.
Do most homes in Donegal need an oil or a gas combi?
Oil, on the 2022 Census: 67% of Donegal homes heat with oil and 1% with gas. A meter box on an outside wall means gas; a tank in the garden means oil.
Is there a grant for a new combi boiler?
No. In SEAI's own words: "We do not give grants for new or replacement fossil fuel boilers, such as gas or oil" (SEAI, read 29 October 2026). You may get the €700 heating controls grant if your home was built and occupied before 2011 (SEAI), and with a combi SEAI requires an extra heating zone as part of that work. The €2,000 boiler scrappage grant only applies when a heat pump replaces the boiler.
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Where these numbers come from (8 public sources, checked 29 October 2026)
- CSO: cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/ep/p-ngc/networked…
- CSO, built-up areas file: cso.ie/en/media/csoie/census/census2022/SAPS_2022_BU…
- CSO Census 2022, Small Area Population Statistics: cso.ie/en/census/census2022/census2022smallareapopul…
- CSO table F2007A: data.cso.ie/table/F2007A
- CSO table F1015: data.cso.ie/table/F1015
- Met Éireann 30-year averages: met.ie/climate/30-year-averages
- SEAI: seai.ie/grants/home-energy-grants/individual-grants/s…
- SEAI: seai.ie/grants/home-energy-grants/individual-grants/h…