The Pros and Cons of Electric Boilers

AUTHOR
SGS
PUBLISHED ON:
August 27, 2019
CATEGORY:
At SGS we come across a whole raft of heating installation situations. Over the last 5 years, we are dealing with properties that need or are best suited to an electric boiler to provide its heating and hot water.

SGS Electric Boilers

There are various advantages to having an electric boiler installed:

  • It’s almost entirely silent.
  • Amazing 99.9% efficiency.
    Current gas and oil boilers are 90-94% efficient while electric boilers are 99.9% efficient. This means that for every 1kW of electricity you put into your boiler, you are getting 1kW of heating out of it.
  • Perfect for off-grid properties.
    An oil or LPG tank is not required which means no more fuel levels to worry about and you can rest assured that you’ll never go without heating or hot water again!
  • Cheaper installation costs
    The installation costs associated with boilers are often less than their oil or LPG off-grid alternatives as electric boilers don’t require fuel tanks or flues.
  • Economy 10 tariff
    Households that have electric heating can also utilise an Economy 10 tariff giving them cheaper rate electricity at certain hours during the day.
  • They’re green!
    As the country moves away from fossil fuels to produce electricity, an electric boiler is the ideal piece of household equipment to help you reduce your carbon footprint.
  • Easy to use
    Electric boiler heating and hot water systems can be operated in the same way as any other boiler using a programmer and thermostat.
  • Updated flue regulations
    This means that there are situations where replacement gas boilers can no longer be installed. In order to utilise the existing radiator network an electric boiler is often the best way forward.
  • No mandatory servicing of the electric boiler.

As with every heating and hot water setup, electric boilers do have their disadvantages and limitations:

  • Cost per unit of electricity is higher than natural gas, LPG or oil.
  • Not efficient for high heating output
    Typically, electric boilers are only suitable for small properties that do not require a high heating output. Larger properties may be better suited to a gas, LPG or oil heating setup.

 

SGS have installed many electric boilers over the years. We typically install boilers manufactured by The Electric Heating Company, Potterton and Heatrae Sadia.

Need some advice on electric boilers or want us to carry out a survey for the installation of an electric boiler at your property?
Then please give us a call on 01722 331066 or contact us online.