Heating the Home

The way we heat our homes in the UK is changing. With the rising costs of energy, three things come into question:

• Which fuel do we use?
• How do we best use this fuel?
• How do we maximise our use of the heat produced?

The future of domestic space heating is electric, a fact which is fast becoming apparent from government publications outlining the future plans of the building and environmental legislation that governs the direction in which domestic heating will develop.

Electricity is the obvious choice for our future heating needs, because:

• It can be produced in the UK, allowing continuity of supply at a steady price.
• It is increasingly being produced from renewable sources, neutralising its carbon intensity.

And electric heating also has a number of benefits as it:

• Is 100% efficient at the point of use – every unit that you pay for becomes heat.
• Can be controlled with a degree of accuracy not achievable with other systems.
• Is quick and easy to install as there is no pipework to consider, making it ideal for refurbishment and new build.
• Can operate as independent heaters or as a complete system subject to requirement and budget, but with the added benefit of being able to add to the system at any time – making it perfect for extensions.
• Has low lifetime costs as it requires very little maintenance and on average an electric heating system will last 50% longer than a gas system.
• Is not limited by planning issues associated with flue requirements in new build.
• Offers very low safety risk as heaters do not burn fossil fuel.