November 8th, 2022 by Sarah Miles

10 reasons why electric heaters are a great alternative to gas central heating

Use electric heaters? Instead of gas central heating? Isn’t that expensive? The answers to these questions are yes, yes, and no! A few years ago, this would have been a preposterous suggestion but the escalating cost of gas and the advancement in technology of electric heaters means that not only are they a viable alternative solution for heating your home; they are a hugely attractive one.

Here are 10 reasons why:
       

1. More environmentally friendly
   
   Gas is a dirty fossil fuel whereas electricity is often produced by 100% renewable means from many providers. We should all be reducing our use of gas anyway so why not be proactive now and make the switch now?
    
2. Cheaper to run
   
   Electric heaters are no longer the power-heavy beasts they once were. Most are extremely energy efficient, and you can actively choose ones that have high energy efficiency ratings, such as Lot 20 Compliant models, which was legislation introduced to ensure electric heaters had adequate energy saving features.
    
3. Controllable
   
   Most electric heaters come with a range of features that make them very controllable. Timers, accurate thermostats, open window detection, and even smart WiFi controlled systems that all help you manage very accurately how much energy you use and how warm you like each room to be.
    
4. Just plug and heat!
   
   Unlike gas central heating and other forms of heating such as solar panels or ground source heat pumps, electric heaters require little or no installation. You can simply plug them into the mains and turn them on! You can choose to wire some models into the mains, which obviously requires the services of an electrician, but it’s quite a simple job for a tradesperson.
    
5. Recoup costs quickly
   
   Obviously, there is an upfront cost to buying electric heaters. However, these costs will soon be recovered as your energy bills go down and you will get many years use from them. Plus, if you ever move home, you can simply take them with you!
   
6. Flexible
   
   There are much fewer limitations regarding where you position an electric heater, compared to a central heating radiator. Obviously, you are only restricted by electricity supply so you can place them anywhere that has a socket. This could give you several options in a room. You can even place one in the middle of the room if you want! This can particularly be useful if you work from home as you can position one close to your desk to minimise heat wastage.
    
7. Heats quickly
   
   Unlike radiators, electric heaters get to work very quickly meaning you’re never more than a few minutes away from a warm room. This is very useful if you’re never quite sure what time you’ll be in the house each day due to busy schedules. You can simply just turn them on when you get home.
    
8. Set your own schedule
   
   For those who like a routine and don’t want to go into each room every day to turn heaters on and off, you can use the timers that most come equipped with. Just as you can set a schedule on your gas central heating can you do so on electric heaters. The difference is, with electric heaters you can set an individual schedule for each one according to usage of the room meaning waste is minimised. Looking for something even smarter that you can control from your phone? Choose smart-enabled models that work just like smart systems like Nest and Hive!
9. No ongoing costs
   
   Unlike gas central heating systems that require ongoing maintenance such as servicing, power flushing, inhibitor-adding, or bleeding, there is no ongoing maintenance required for electric heaters and they will still last for many years.
    
10. Less vulnerable to breakdowns
    
    Not only are electric heaters very reliable, if you do have a problem, it’s a much more manageable task than if your boiler breaks down. If one heater fails, you can move others around to minimise the disruption. If your boiler breaks down, that’s the heating scuppered for the whole house!