You may have seen or heard news that gas, Lpg and oil boilers are being phased out, and will be banned in the UK from 2025. Understandably, you might be wondering what this means for you, your home, office, or shop and what your options are.
Electric central heating can be a greener alternative to boilers.
As gas, oil, and LPG boilers aren’t the best for the environment, and with a focus on achieving net zero emissions, it is expected that no new homes will be able to connect to the gas network from 2025. As part of the Future Homes Standard scheme we are encouraged to be greener. The Government’s strategy for net zero is to end our contribution to climate change. The strategy includes replacing fossil fuel, gas and oil central heating systems with greener, cleaner, alternative solutions such as heat pumps and solar heating systems.
We expect that 10 – 15 % of UK households will need to find a replacement heating solution. Many people in rural areas will either have to spend thousands of pounds finding an alternative, or replace an existing LPG, oil boiler with eco-friendly variant bio LPG.
Greener Alternatives to Gas, Oil, LPG Boilers
Heat Pumps, although a good solution for modern housing, built to today’s energy conservation standards, are not suitable for up to 13 million homes in the UK. Recent reports suggest that, for the existing UK housing stock, the levels of disruption, cost, lack of space and the fabric of buildings, mean that heat pumps offer a greener solution for only a minority of properties. There are also issues with listed buildings. The rules and regulations (what can and cannot be changed about their appearance) may mean heat pumps are not suitable to meet aesthetic standards.
What are the best alternatives to an oil boiler?
If you are not ready for the heat pump revolution, replacing dated gas boilers with low carbon IntelliHeat electric radiators can still help reduce your carbon footprint at home.
Electric heating systems by Intelli Heat are manufactured to a superior quality and are packed with energy efficient features. Our innovative technologies create an ideal balance between comfort and efficiency, while offering cost-effective alternatives to Oil, LPG and Solid Fuel. With overall costs of under £3000 (for an average property) our electric central heating systems offer a significant saving when compared to heat pumps.
Best heating alternative to boilers – with the help of Solar Energy
So, which system is best for your property to help meet climate change targets? There are alternatives to fossil fuels using energy efficient systems that can also be powered by renewable energy.
Customer testimonial: Derek and his wife have heard the news that gas boilers are being phased out and will soon be banned; coincidently their gas boiler reached the end of its working life, therefore they had to decide if to replace it with a new one, or to make the change to a greener, low-carbon heating system. Not so simple when you are OFF GRID.
As boilers aren’t the best for the environment, and with oil central heating costing over £3000 a year for our 5-bedroom house, we looked for low-carbon heating alternatives. We realised that Intelli Heat iSense Radiators could be powered by Solar panels, reducing our heating bills by generating power our own energy!
Once installed, Derek discovered that having a Smart Heating Management System looking after the Electric central heating was a world away from pumping hot water from a 35KW boiler to every room to the house. With the new system they had total control over every radiator, floor or zone. They can select the temperature required, choose which individual rooms they wish to heat, at what temperature and at what times.
Can I use Solar PV with my existing oil central heating ?
The short answer is NO. Solar panels generate electricity not GAS, OIL, or LPG. Solar Panel electricity systems, Solar Photovoltaics (PV), capture the sun’s energy using photovoltaic cells, generating electricity to power all your electrical appliances, including our iSense wi-fi controlled electric radiators. Solar is a 100% renewable source of energy, offering low-cost heating. So, electric radiators are perfect for pairing with solar panels. You need roughly 5 square metres of roof space (preferably facing South) for it to work effectively. We have teamed up with Solar & Renewable fully accredited MCS-appointed installers. If you would like to find out how Solar PV and Electric Heating could work for you give us a call on 0203 916 0000
Can you have central heating without a boiler ?
YES, Intelli Heat provides a central heating system without pipes
Intelli Heat is an ultra-efficient, electric central heating system, complying with Eco-Design Lot 20 Energy Efficiency Directives. The radiators can be installed wherever is most suitable for heat convection, rather than the most suitable place for pipework. If required, a radiator can be easily re-located, during redecoration for example.
Central heating without pipes:
Heating Zoning is the crucial part of an efficient electric central heating system, allowing you to set temperatures. and programme individual rooms. The accuracy of our thermostats is 0.1 degree, which means the temperature set is the temperature you get. Our radiators come with open window and presence detection. These features, paired with an ultra-fast heating response, make Intelli Heat systems the most technologically advanced available. This means that, if you decide to heat only one room for the evening, the energy used is limited to that particular room and time period. In contrast, a 30-40 KW fossil fuel (Gas, LPG, or Oil) system will NOT save energy or money by turning off one or two radiators.
What is a smart electric heating control?
Intelli Heat smart thermostats, with a user-friendly interface, are easy to programme. You can remotely control, program, check, and adjust your system settings from your mobile device, anytime, anywhere.
Lately, there has been a growing demand for Heating Management controls. Smart connected devices are now part of our everyday life. By constant monitoring and optimising, intelligent heating controls reduce energy consumption giving users full control over energy consumption, CO2 emissions, and cost. Linking design and efficiency with the implementation of smart controls, Intelli Heat connected systems enable users to:
- Control their electric central heating system in the most efficient and effective way
- Monitor multiple buildings via one single account
- Understand their carbon reporting requirements
- Save energy and reduce their carbon footprint
- Manage the heating system through mobile App and web based dashboard
- Achieve heating system optimisation via data monitoring
- Reduce costs through improving performance
The sun has got his hat on, Oil central heating v electric radiators
Given the current cost of living crisis, it’s important to understand how much it actually costs to run a home heating system, 1000 litres of heating oil at a price of £950 inclusive of VAT, which represents a price of 95 p per litre. One litre of kerosene generates a maximum energy output of 10 kWh, of course running an old, inefficient boiler means that the cost per kWh is much higher than an ultra-efficient new model. LPG fuel is sold in litres and prices vary from 45-55p per litre of LPG depending on your location, A small 25 kW boiler will use 25 kW of energy per hour, if your boiler is on for a total of six hours per day, your daily usage should be around 150 kWh, Off-grid heating systems are always more expensive to run per kiloWatt hour (kWh) compared to mains gas as the fuel must be delivered and stored on site. Currently, the price for electricity is about 33p per kWh, which means that the running costs for Intelli Heat electric heating is currently 33p per kWh, a 8 kW system (5 x iSense Radiators and dedicated heating management control) will use an average of 5 to 6 kW of electricity per hour*, for a total of six hours per day, daily usage is around 36 kWh minus the 20 Kw from solar panel generated energy = daily usage 16 Kw. * See Energy saving feature of modern electric radiators page.
Replacing an old boiler will add value of your home and cut your heating bills
Home improvements can be a fantastic way to increase your property value, but only if you invest in the right heating system. Measures that help to reduce heating bills are, not surprisingly, one of the most valued by prospective purchasers. According to estate agents in UK the heating is one of the most important parts of any property and upgrading the heating system, and advanced controls, can ensure to keep rooms warm, as well as improving appearance.
Running any ageing fossil fuel central heating system has some major disadvantages:
- Old steel radiators experience rusting and sludge, substantially reducing energy efficiency as they age.
- The energy efficiency of old steel radiators is much lower than modern aluminium designs.
- Inefficient radiators cannot match the aesthetics, sleekness and energy performance of new designs that provide substantial reductions to heating bills.
We hope this post helps on understanding the benefits of electric heating alternatives to boilers. If you are looking to improve the efficiency of your home, to understand your carbon reporting requirements, or to reduce your energy bills, it may be time to consider a modern heating system. A solar powered electric central heating system that is best suited to your property and your budget.
If you would like to find out how Solar PV and Electric Heating could work for you give us a call on 0203 916 0000
