County Laois · Census 2022 and gas meter data
Combi boiler installation in Laois
Oil is the main fuel in Laois: 43% of homes. What that means for a new combi, what installers publish, and one installer who covers Laois.
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Last checked 1 November 2026: SEAI grant position and fuel prices, CSO gas data. Installers' published prices read 22 and 23 October 2026.
In Laois, 25% of homes heat with gas and 43% with oil (Census 2022), and 8,067 homes had a gas meter in 2024 (CSO). Check which you have before you price a combi. A like-for-like gas combi swap has a median published price of €2,600 across 12 Irish installers; an oil boiler €3,000.
Tell us about the job and one installer who covers your county rings you with a price. Nothing is booked until you say yes.
What's different about a combi in Laois?
Laois built more in the boom than any other county. 36% of its homes were built between 2001 and 2010, the highest share in the State in the 2022 Census, and another 9% since 2011. The boilers that went into those Portlaoise and Portarlington estates are now 15 to 25 years old.
The towns on the network use it. 58% of households in Portlaoise heated with gas in the 2022 Census, 51% in Portarlington and 79% in Killenard. Mountmellick, Abbeyleix and Rathdowney are 55%, 63% and 59% oil (CSO, built-up areas file). 8,067 Laois homes had a gas meter in 2024, and the median one used 7,647 kWh (CSO, Networked Gas Consumption 2024).
Laois in figures
Every figure for Laois, against Ireland
| Laois | Ireland | |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 25% | 33% |
| Oil | 43% | 39% |
| Electricity | 7% | 12% |
| Coal, peat or wood | 19% | 9% |
| Homes with a gas meter, 2024 | 8,067 | 695,199 |
| Median gas use per metered home, 2024 | 7,647 kWh | 7,771 kWh |
| Detached houses | 55% | 41% |
| Built before 1980 | 33% | 42% |
| Built 2001 to 2010 | 36% | 25% |
| Built since 2011 | 9% | 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.
Is it gas or oil in your Laois town?
The county figures hide a split that matters for a combi: towns on the gas network and the countryside on oil. These are the 8 biggest towns in Laois, with the share of households on each fuel in the 2022 Census.
| Town | Homes | Gas | Oil |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portlaoise | 7,785 | 58% | 23% |
| Portarlington | 3,297 | 51% | 20% |
| Mountmellick | 1,760 | 1% | 55% |
| Mountrath | 764 | 2% | 52% |
| Abbeyleix | 754 | 6% | 63% |
| Stradbally | 551 | 34% | 30% |
| Rathdowney | 537 | 1% | 59% |
| Ballylinan | 397 | 18% | 61% |
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 Laois?
- Gas combi swap. Where there's a gas meter, a like-for-like swap is the usual job, fitted by an RGI. Median published price €2,600, middle half €2,199–€2,800. See every published price.
- Oil combi. 43% of Laois 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. 36% of Laois 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. 55% of Laois 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.
What does a combi cost to run in Laois?
The median Laois home with a gas meter used 7,647 kWh of gas in 2024, against 7,771 kWh for the State (CSO, Networked Gas Consumption 2024, table 5B). At SEAI's unit price of 13.00c a kWh for gas in band D2, including VAT and before standing charges (SEAI, 1 July 2026), that's about €990 a year. That sum is ours.
Met Éireann's 1991 to 2020 averages give Portlaoise about 2,080 heating degree days a year, about the same as 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). Size the boiler for the house and the bathrooms, not the county.
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.
How much does a new combi cost in Laois?
We found no Laois 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.
We found no installer based in Laois 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.
Which parts of Laois do we cover?
All of County Laois, including Portlaoise, Portarlington, Mountmellick, Mountrath, Abbeyleix and Stradbally. The six biggest towns had 43,058 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 Offaly · combi boilers in Kildare · combi boilers in Kilkenny · combi boilers in Tipperary · every county.
The law
Only an RGI fits a gas combi
By law, only a Registered Gas Installer (RGI) can do gas work in your home (CRU). The register is run by Safe Energy Ireland for the CRU. Check any installer on rgi.ie. After a boiler replacement, ask for the completion certificate.
- Gas combi: an RGI, by law
- Oil boiler: ask for OFTEC
- A CERT 2 after the job
- VAT stated on the quote
FAQ
Questions people ask
How much is a combi boiler installed in Laois?
We found no Laois 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 Portlaoise on gas?
Mostly. 58% of Portlaoise households heated with gas in the 2022 Census, and 51% in Portarlington. Mountmellick, Abbeyleix and Rathdowney are mostly oil. 8,067 Laois homes had a gas meter in 2024 (CSO).
Do most homes in Laois need an oil or a gas combi?
Oil, on the 2022 Census: 43% of Laois homes heat with oil and 25% 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 1 November 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.
Guides
Near Laois
- Combi boilers in Offaly7% of homes on gas, 42% on oil.
- Combi boilers in Kildare38% of homes on gas, 37% on oil.
- Combi boilers in Kilkenny21% of homes on gas, 54% on oil.
- Combi boilers in Tipperary12% of homes on gas, 60% on oil.
- Oil combi boilersMedian oil boiler €3,000.
- Combi boiler pricesMedian combi swap €2,600.
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Where these numbers come from (11 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
- SEAI, 1 July 2026: seai.ie/publications/Domestic-Fuel-Cost-Comparison.pdf
- Met Éireann 30-year averages: met.ie/climate/30-year-averages
- CRU: cru.ie/consumer-information/home-safety/gas-works
- rgi.ie/registered-installers
- SEAI: seai.ie/grants/home-energy-grants/individual-grants/s…
- SEAI: seai.ie/grants/home-energy-grants/individual-grants/h…