The Benefits of Electric Heating at Home

Looking at the cost of running any item is only ever going to provide a partial picture; this is especially true when you are comparing items or systems. Locating the right product for you and your lifestyle involves looking at the purchase price, the regular maintenance charges; potential repairs and the cost of running the product.

Many people simply assume that heating your home with an electric heater is more expensive than gas or an alternative heat source. The Source of this Misinformation Research suggests that the average price of gas is as low as 4p per kilowatt; whilst electricity can be as high as 15p. On the face of it gas is a much cheaper option. However, consider these facts:

• The energy generated by gas combustion can be lost by as much as 50%. This is because the process of burning takes some of the energy and the heat is lost as the water is pumped to the radiator. 1kwh of heat from a gas boiler may only produce 0.5 kWh of heat at a radiator. In contrast an electric radiator is 100% efficient; all the heat generated is put into your room.
• An electric heater has very few moving parts. There is little which can go wrong and no maintenance is required. In contrast, a gas powered boiler will need to be regularly serviced and maintained. Even if it is maintained it can break and the cost of repairs, including call-out, can be expensive.
• Safety Checks are essential if you have a gas boiler and let your home out to others; even if it is just a room in your home. This is another cost.
• Replacement is likely for a gas boiler when it reaches 10 years old. However, the majority of electric heating systems should last approximately 15 years!

What does this mean? Put simply the cost of buying your gas powered boiler is more than an electric heating system. So is the cost of servicing, maintenance and potential repairs. In addition, the electric heater should last 50% longer than the gas boiler! Put together, this figure will almost always cancel out the fact that gas is cheaper than electricity; electric heating is a better solution over the long term for your wallet!

The electric heater has evolved over the last few years. They now have sophisticated and ultra reliable thermostatic controls. These can ensure that your room temperature is kept constant whilst activating the heater only when needed. It is much easier and cheaper to keep a room warm then to let it cool and reheat it!

The array of options can be decided by you at the time of purchase. Heaters can have a plug-in control module, or they can be supplied with every imaginable feature built in. You can even control all your heaters from one programmer and link them to a smart system; enabling heating control away from home!

It is also important to consider then fact that electric heaters are generally safer. A gas or other fuel burning system will produce carbon monoxide; which is deadly and must be removed from the home. This is not an issue for the electric heater.

Indeed, if a radiator bursts or the boiler breaks it is highly likely that your heating system will be shut off. But, if one electric heater breaks; the rest will still function perfectly. There really is much more to electric heating than meets the eye!

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