Electrical heating has traditionally been seen as the option of last resort for people without access to gas or oil to run their central heating. Old-fashioned systems were often much more expensive than the alternatives, but with the introduction of modern technology electrical heating is now a lot more cost-effective than you might think.
If you live in the Bristol area and are looking to save money by upgrading your electrical heating, call DHS today on 0117 924 7200 or request a call back.
Electric Storage Heaters
Also known as night storage heaters, these charge up at night, storing heat in special heat-retaining bricks. This heat is then released slowly throughout the day, providing a constant temperature. Storage heaters are only cost-effective if you are on a special off-peak electricity tariffs which offers cheaper night time electricity rates and still tend to be more expensive than gas and oil central heating.
One issue with storage heaters is controlling how much heat they store and release. If your heater fails to store enough heat, then you can run out of heat partway through the day and end up with a cold house. Alternatively, if you store more heat than you need you are wasting money on electricity you aren’t using. Traditionally you would have had to adjust the amount your heater stored and released manually, however modern storage heaters have a better solution.
Newer, slim-line storage heaters usually have an automatic charge control which measures the temperature in a room and adjusts the amount of heat stored overnight accordingly. If it is milder, less heat is stored, if colder, more heat is stored. This can save you money, by preventing your heaters from storing energy unnecessarily and help keep your house at a comfortable temperature by making sure you don’t run out of heat on colder days.
Many people use storage heaters for background heat, but find that in the middle of winter they need to supplement this with direct electric heating, such as electric fires and electric underfloor heating. This can, however, increase the overall cost of electric heating significantly. Fortunately, there is a more cost-effective alternative.
Electric Boilers
Thanks to recent advancements in energy efficient technology, electric boilers now offer a cost-effective, highly efficient alternative to gas and oil fuelled systems. With over 2 million homes in the UK that do not have access to gas or oil to run their central heating, we believe electric boilers are the best option available.
An electric boiler can provide both heating and hot water and can be connected to traditional radiators or underfloor heating, providing all the advantages of an oil or gas fuelled system. Electric boilers also have a number of advantages over oil or gas, including:
- Increased efficiency (up to 99.7%)
- Can last up to twice as long
- No flue is required
- Can take advantage of off-peak electricity tariffs to reduce your bills
DHS offer a wide variety of electric boilers and central heating systems to suit your needs.
Call DHS today on 0117 924 7200, email us, or request a call back.