the Hamptons
Boilers, radiant heat and the heating plumbing of a Hamptons house: costs on oil, propane and gas
Replacing a boiler costs $3,604–8,445 nationally, about $5,912: a standard boiler $2,200–7,000, a combi unit $2,600–7,000 by one guide or $8,000–12,000 by another, a high-efficiency unit $6,000–11,000; by fuel, oil $4,800–9,000, propane $2,800–7,500, gas $4,000–9,000. Labor runs $100–250 an hour; a boiler lasts about 15 years, cast iron past 20; repairs $200–600, occasionally $1,700. Radiant floor heat is $6–20 a square foot. PSEG Long Island rebates heat pumps, not boilers; oil was $5.42 a gallon on Long Island in July 2026.
Last updated · Reviewed by Wainscott Plumbing Co.
The fork burns oil
Outside the village centers, the South Fork heats with oil and propane, not gas: the place-level split for East Hampton is roughly half oil and a quarter propane, with natural gas a sixth, by figures our sheet rates low and prints anyway because the direction is not in doubt. Heating oil on Long Island was $5.42 a gallon on July 27, 2026 by NYSERDA’s weekly survey, propane $3.086 statewide, and the boiler in the basement is a plumber’s appliance as much as a heating contractor’s: the near-boiler piping, the indirect water heater it feeds, the radiant loops, the expansion tank and the relief valve are plumbing code.
What it costs (2026, national)
| Job | Range |
|---|---|
| Boiler replacement, overall | $3,604–8,445; about $5,912 |
| Standard / system / high-efficiency | $2,200–7,000 / $3,000–6,000 / $6,000–11,000 |
| Combination (combi) | $2,600–7,000 by one national guide; $8,000–12,000 by another — the sheet records both |
| By fuel: oil / propane / gas / electric | $4,800–9,000 / $2,800–7,500 / $4,000–9,000 / $1,800–8,000 |
| By house: 1,500 sq ft / 2,500 / 3,000 | $4,500–6,800 / $5,600–8,600 / $6,100–10,000 |
| Labor / first visit | $100–250 an hour / $150–250 |
| Repair | $200–600; up to $1,700 |
| Radiant floor heat | $6–20 a sq ft; about $4,128 (a room); whole-house $13,800–48,000; hydronic system $19,000–48,000 |
| Oil-to-gas conversion / tank removal | $3,800–13,000 / $400–3,400 (from the HVAC sheet) |
The indirect water heater
Most Hamptons boilers feed an indirect water heater, a tank the boiler’s water heats through a coil, which is why a boiler failure is also a hot-water failure. No national guide prices the indirect alone; a combi boiler, which does both jobs in one appliance, is the nearest priced analog, and the two guides disagree on it by a factor of three, so ask for both quotes.
Rebates, honestly
PSEG Long Island’s residential rebates are built around electric heat pumps — up to $1,200 on a heat-pump water heater and a flat-tiered $4,000, $5,000 or $7,500 on a heat-pump heating system — and there is no boiler rebate; the federal 25C credit ended for equipment placed in service after 2025. New York’s All-Electric Buildings Act restricts fossil-fuel hookups in new construction only and does not touch a replacement boiler in an existing house, whatever its unsettled 2026 status.
Lifespan and the winter
A boiler lasts about 15 years, cast iron past 20; the one on its last winter is the one to replace in September, not in the week the design temperature arrives (15.7°F at Islip, 11.9°F at Westhampton). A house left at 55°F with a fifteen-year-old boiler and no remote alarm is the emergency page on this site.
FAQ
Common questions
How do I winterize my Hamptons house?
Heat it or drain it, and tell someone. Heated: leave the thermostat at 55°F or more — the insurance industry’s “reasonable care” standard for an unoccupied house, and the fact pattern a 2024 New York court case turned on — open the cabinet doors under the sinks, insulate the exposed runs, shut and drain the outdoor lines, and put a Wi-Fi freeze alarm (from about $25) on the boiler and a smart shutoff ($579.99 for the one we could price) on the main. Drained: a plumber shuts the main, drains the supply lines, water heater, traps and outdoor lines and adds antifreeze; no Long Island company publishes the price, so ask. The pipes will see 15.7°F at Islip’s design temperature, and a burst costs $200–3,000 to fix and $1,000–4,000 in damage.
Read the full answer →How much does a plumber cost in the Hamptons?
Nobody local publishes a rate, so the honest answer is the national one plus the drive. Plumbers charge $45–200 an hour by experience — an apprentice $45–90, a journeyperson $60–110, a master $80–200, a residential average of $80 — with a service call of $100–250 that usually includes the first hour, a trip fee of $50–300 on its own, flat-rate simple calls of $100–400 and an average job of $340 ($182–500), per one national guide’s 2026 figures. After hours runs time-and-a-half to triple, or $300–400-plus flat. The three Hamptons companies we checked say call for a quote; one offers 18-month 0% financing and one ran a $0 diagnostic promotion in late summer 2026. Plumbers who work the far ends of the fork charge for the drive whether the line says so or not.
Read the full answer →How does Wainscott Plumbing Co. work?
You tell us about the house once: where it is, what is wrong or what you want done, and when. We put you in touch with one licensed, insured plumber who works your town and does that kind of work, and they call you within one business day, sooner for an emergency. From there it is their quote, their schedule, their warranty. It is free for homeowners; participating plumbers pay us a referral fee for the introduction. We are not a plumbing company, and we do not sell your details; the one company we send you to is the only one that gets your number. If the job is really a septic installer’s, a well driller’s or a heating contractor’s, we say so first. We cover 9 South Fork towns and 6 kinds of plumbing work.
Related
Other services
Emergency Plumbing & Burst Pipes
What a burst pipe costs to fix ($200–3,000, about $500 typical), what the emergency call adds, the first ten minutes before the plumber arrives, and why one home in sixty files a water-damage claim every year.
Water Heaters
A tank at $800–2,500 installed, a tankless at $1,400–3,900, a heat-pump heater at $1,200–3,500 with PSEG’s $1,200 rebate, what a propane or oil house should choose, and what the code requires.
Winterization & House Reopening
Drain it or heat it: the 55°F rule insurers apply, what a winterization includes, the $580 shutoff and the $25 alarm, the temperatures the pipes will see, and the spring reopening.
Well Pumps & Water Treatment
A well pump at $975–2,821, a pressure tank at $800–3,800, the iron and manganese in South Fork well water, what SCWA charges and is doing about lead and PFAS, and the softener price nobody publishes.
Remodel Plumbing & Gas Lines
Repiping at $8,000–13,500, fixtures from $150 to $5,500 installed, drains and sewers, a gas line at $15–30 a foot for the range, grill and pool heater, the permits, and the outdoor shower nobody prices.
Book a plumber for boilers
Sixty seconds. One licensed, insured plumber who works your town calls you within one business day — sooner for an emergency. Free for homeowners; nobody else gets your number.
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