If you’re debating your choices for heating your home, the variety of options can be a bit confusing. Do you stick with affordable gas or go for a sustainable option? Can you still install an oil boiler and what is a heat pump? We’ll take you through each of them.
Fitting a new gas boiler
Gas boilers are still the cheapest option for most homes and remain the most widely used. The newer models of gas boiler are more efficient although most run at less than their stated efficiency. In comparison to electric heating, gas is more than three times cheaper.
Recently the UK government rolled back its decision to ban the sale of gas boilers by 2035 so this is still the best option as the majority of UK homes are connected to the gas grid.
Installing an oil boiler
For the more than 4 million UK homes that are not connected to the national gas grid, electric heating is prohibitively expensive. As a result, they are left with the choice of installing an oil boiler or using Liquid Petroleum Gas or LPG.
Just as with the reversal of the government decision to ban all new gas boilers by 2035, the inclusion of oil boilers in this policy review means that homes can still choose this option. A drawback is the need for a large tank in your garden which needs periodic refills. You’ll need a similar tank for an LPG system.
Choosing a heat pump
You’ll have heard talk of heat pumps for the last few years but may not be totally clear on what they are or how they work. There are two types, air source and ground source, both absorb heat from the environment and pass it to a fluid which is further heated by compression.
Air source heat pump
An air source heat pump sits beside an external wall in your house and looks like a giant fan. The fan draws air in from outside, transfers it to a liquid and this is then sent around the heating system. These work best with underfloor heating as the temperature doesn’t really get hot enough for standard radiators.
Ground source heat pump
The basic principle of a ground source heat pump is much the same as an air source version. However, the heat it extracts comes from the ground. These are more expensive than air source heat pumps as the majority of the system has to be buried in the ground.
However, the ground temperature is much more consistent than the air which can fluctuate with the seasons. This sustainable option therefore provides a more reliable source of heat but you will need outside space for this system.
Buying a biomass boiler
A biomass boiler is another sustainable option and simply refers to a boiler that burns natural materials which are non-fossil fuels such as wood pellets, wood chips or logs. Because wood is a sustainable fuel source, i.e. you can always plant more trees, a biomass boiler is a green choice.
These are very efficient systems but you do need quite a bit of space to fit them into your home. They can also be used alongside other heating options to create a hybrid system.