Home Heating - Gas vs Electric
If you are moving into a new home and need to install heating or are replacing your existing system, you are met with two options: gas or electric. Traditionally, there has been only one winner, gas. However, given the advancements of electric combi boilers and panel heaters in recent years, electric has become a viable alternative; but is it enough of one to topple good old gas central heating.
Running Costs : Running costs are single biggest factor in choosing a new heating solution. When heating your home you want to do it as cheaply as possible, making gas the obvious choice. With gas, you are going to spend less pence/hour than you would for electric, but this does not necessarily make it cheaper.
You see if your home is properly insulated, electric panel heaters could be the better solution. Electric radiators heat up much quicker than gas, meaning a home can be heated in fraction of the time and switched off again. Electric heaters warming in your home in 45-60-minutes is going to be much more cost effective than gas radiators warming your home up in 90-120-minutes. If your home is under-insulated, then you have a problem with whichever heating solution you opt for.
Installation and Maintenance : When it comes to installing boilers and radiators, gas simply cannot compete with electric. Panel heaters are simply plugged into any standard three-pin wall socket or spur wired in existing storage heater sockets, while electric combi boilers have no tank or flue to contend with. No pipework is required, which means no disruption to your home, and no annual safety checks need to be performed.
Energy Efficiency : If your home has cavity wall and loft insulation and is fitted with double-glazing, both gas and electric should be relatively efficient. However, in the long-term, as homeowners are encouraged to reduce their reliance on fossil fuels, electric is the best bet. With panel heaters powered by renewable energy, electric heating will be 100% carbon free.
Versatility : Gas radiators are installed in a fixed position and cannot be moved without altering pipework, because of this they score low in versatility. Panel heaters, on the other hand, can be wall mounted on brackets or freestanding, enabling them to be moved wherever the homeowner requires.
Conclusion : Gas maybe the most widely used heating system for homes, but this might not be the case for much longer. Electric panel heaters and boilers have surpassed their gas counterparts in every way and eventually become the heating solution of choice for homeowners everywhere.
