• Installed heating Homepage
• Help me choose
• Benefits of electric installed heating
  • Benefits to the developer
  • Benefits to the homeowner
  • Benefits to the social housing provider
  • Benefits to the tenant
• Electric Installed heating quick overview
  • DuoHeat radiator
  • Panel heater
  • Storage heater
  • Installed heating controls
  • Under-tile
• Energy saving features
• Safety
• Commercial applications
• Heat design service
  • On line Guide
  • Single Property
  • Multiple Property
  • Part L Compliance
• RouteOne
  • Building Regulations Part L
  • Compliance Calculator
  • Code For Sustainable Homes
• CPD professional training
• Literature PDFs - Installed
• Links
• Case studies
• News and Events
• My PDF Brochure

Low capital & installation costs

Compared with other fuels, electric heating offers extremely low capital costs and installation costs. At Dimplex we estimate that for a two bed flat the average cost of a Dimplex electric heating system is £1500 compared with £3000 for a gas heating system, and for a typical terrace house the figures are £2000 and £3500 respectively*.

In addition to this, with gas central heating the cost of installing a gas supply also needs to be considered. Whilst this will vary from site to site, it can add a significant cost to the development.

As an example of comparative costs for a complete development, one recent site of 121 properties quoted a cost of £500,000 for installing gas heating, compared to £290,000 for electric heating – a difference of £210,000.

And because electric heating doesn’t require any pipe-work, simply a connection to the circuit, it can be installed in a matter of minutes at the second fix wiring stage. This is a real bonus for builders as it can result in the additional benefits of faster build times and improve cash flow as products / labour are not required until later in the schedule. A knock on effect is that there is less concern over ‘shrinkage’ issues as products do not need to be on site for long before being installed.

*Typical electric storage / panel heater installation vs Condensing gas boiler complete with 6 radiators and controls. Excludes hot water cylinder.

Design flexibility

Electric heating doesn’t require a flue or pipe-work, so there are no restrictions on building layout or design and no regulatory or planning issues associated with positioning of flues to restrict you.

For the property developer, this has two key benefits: complete freedom of design – an important aspect particularly in multi-occupancy buildings – and secondly, major cost savings in both capital cost and installation time. Electric heaters can also be installed virtually anywhere in the room, again aiding freedom of design. Replacement and refurbishment work also benefits and disruption for the household is minimal.

The versatility of electric heating can also be a major advantage for home extensions where the existing system may have insufficient capacity to heat extra radiators.

As a fuel source electricity is available right across the country and is also ideal in sensitive areas or in listed buildings where structural alterations are difficult. Only electric heating gives such freedom of design.

Safe, Reliable Systems

Whatever type of heating you specify; safety is always an important consideration.

Because electric heaters do not burn fuel internally to generate heat, there are none of the associated safety risks, such as carbon monoxide poisoning or explosions.

And as there are no radiators to leak or burst, there is less risk of damage to completed properties which can be a major concern if properties are empty for a period of time, especially over the winter months. Also with no moving parts to break down or wear out, electric heating is extremely reliable and will normally run satisfactorily for much longer than a conventional wet system, avoiding the need for unwanted call backs once a property has been sold.