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Electric central heating
Nearly every household in the UK has access to the electricity grid making electric heating possible.
Electric heating can be relatively cheap to install and low maintenance, and help cut your carbon footprint, but it's often expensive to run.
There are several different electric heating set-ups, including:
- electric radiators and panel heaters
- electric central heating (with an electric boiler)
- night storage heaters
- infrared heating.
Keep reading to find out more about them, plus the costs of electric heating and the pros and cons to consider.
Electric radiators
Many electric heating systems have separate heaters in each room, rather than a central boiler (like a gas or oil central heating system).
Electric radiators and panel heaters are types of direct electric heating, which is generally expensive to run but more affordable if it makes use of solar energy generation and storage. They can be used to flexibly heat individual rooms or supplement your main central heating.
Both have elements inside that are heated up. The heat is then transferred into the room or used to heat the air, which then circulates. The radiator cases are made from highly conductive materials so they transfer heat efficiently.
New electric heaters (since January 2018) must have thermostats, 24-hour and seven-day programmable timers, temperature controls and fans. Some have smart heating controls too. Older models made before this can still be sold, so check carefully before you purchase.
Alternatively you could have underfloor heating. This involves putting electric heating elements under the entire floor of a room. Find out more about electric underfloor heating.
With this type of space heating, you'll also need to think about how to heat your hot water. Options include:
Electric central heating
An electric central heating system can be made up of electric radiators and an electric boiler.
Electric boilers are similar to gas boilers but use electricity to heat water using a heating element, similar to a kettle. They can be small and relatively quiet and don't need to be on an outside wall (unlike gas boilers) as there is no flue or gas pipe.
This means they are also quite quick and easy to install, although you must use a qualified electrician to fit one. Use Which? Trusted Traders to find a reliable electrician near you.
Electric thermal store boilers heat a high-density, highly insulated storage core using electricity. The heat is then transferred by a heat exchanger to radiators or underfloor heating to heat your home or a water tank to provide hot water. The latest models use smart technology to charge when electricity is cheapest. They can also be powered using solar panels.
Find out more about the pros and cons of electric boilers.
Storage heaters
Traditional electric heating uses storage heaters. These store heat inside their core, which is made from a dense heat-retaining material. Usually they heat up overnight, when they can make use of cheaper energy through an off-peak electricity tariff, and gradually release the heat over the following day. This is why they're sometimes called night storage heaters.
They're designed to keep your home warm for the whole day but, once the heat runs out, you may have to wait until the next night for them to reheat. This can mean your home is coldest in the evening. However, there are some storage heaters that you can turn on at any time to get heat immediately.
Storage heater technology has improved a lot lot in recent years. Modern storage heaters can come with:
- thermostats
- remote wi-fi controls
- programmable timers
- fans to help disseminate the heat
- open window detectors.
High heat-retention storage heaters can retain more heat than traditional models – up to 45% 24 hours after they were last charged. This means you’re less likely to be cold come the evening. They're well insulated and have automated controls.
Combination storage heaters come with an additional built-in convection heater, usually incorporated as a grille at the top of the unit, that can give you on-demand heating if the stored heat runs out too soon. This costs more to use than the energy stored overnight so is best used sparingly.
Find out more about storage heaters in our dedicated guide.
Infrared heating
Infrared heating is another type of direct electric heating that uses radiant infrared heat to warm people or objects rather than the air, which means it uses energy more efficiently than traditional heating.
A heating panel emits infrared light, which travels through the air until it reaches a person or object, such as a wall or piece of furniture. The molecules in the object vibrate and generate heat, which is then radiated back into the room.
The panels are thin and come in many shapes and sizes, which means they can easily be installed on walls and ceilings. They can also be coloured, mirrored or printed with artwork or photos to blend in with your decor.
As well as in panel form, infrared heating can come as underfloor heating or a fabric-like wallpaper, which can be plastered over and decorated.
How much does electric heating cost?
You'll need to consider both the cost of installation and the cost of electricity to heat your home.
Installing electric heating
Installing basic electric radiators is fairly inexpensive. Modern storage heaters are pricier – they can cost from around £400 each and you'll usually need one per room.
An electric boiler can cost a similar amount to a gas one. However, if you're changing fuel it's likely you'll need rewiring and possibly a new supply fuse, as you'll be using more electricity at once than with a gas boiler.
Maintenance costs are minimal, and you won't need an annual boiler service, unlike with gas central heating.
Electric heating running costs
Electricity is roughly three times the price of gas per unit (measured in kilowatt hours). Comparing a home heated with electricity to a similar one heated with gas, electric heating could cost double the amount to run than gas heating in a typical household.
Homes with storage heaters will often have time-of-use tariffs to help with electric heating costs.
Your heating bills will also be affected by:
- the size of your home
- how well it's insulated
- the efficiency of your electric heating and hot water system
- how much heating and hot water your home uses
- where you live in the UK
- whether you generate your own electricity.
Use our 10 ways to save on energy bills guide to cut your energy costs.
Generating and storing your own electricity
By generating your own electricity using solar panels – usually on your roof – you'll be able to cut the cost of running electric heating. A 4kWp system could generate around 3,500kWh a year depending on where you are in the country, which is worth £1,190 at current Energy Price Guarantee prices. You can read more in our solar panel advice guides.
To get the maximum benefit from your solar panels, you can store any electricity you don't use while it's being generated to use later. It can be stored in a rechargeable storage battery or as heat in a heat battery or thermal store, which is a highly insulated water tank.
If you're on an Economy or time-of-use tariff (see below), you can also store cheap energy you buy at off-peak times to use when electricity is more expensive.
Find out more about energy generation and storage on our renewable heating page.
Electricity tariffs for electric heating
Storage heaters are often coupled with tariffs that offer cheaper electricity rates at night. The most common ones are:
- Economy 7 – gives seven hours of cheaper electricity overnight
- Economy 10 – gives seven hours of cheaper electricity overnight and three hours at another time (usually in the middle of the afternoon).
You'll need specific meters to get these tariffs. These are often known as 'white meters' in Scotland.
You can use electric heating with a single-rate tariff, but this will usually work out more expensive. If you have a smart meter, you can access new types of time-of-use tariff, which offer cheaper rates at times when there's lower demand for electricity. Find out more about getting a smart meter installed.
Besides your heating, cheap-rate electricity is also worth taking advantage of for heating hot water using an immersion heater.
Secondary electric heating
Portable electric heaters or electric towel rails are types of secondary electric heating as they're in addition to your central heating system.
If your main heating is efficient then you often won't need secondary heating. However, it can make sense to use an individual heater to heat a small space for a short time.
But take care if you're using a portable heater and have a time-of-use tariff. Peak rates could make it very pricey to run.
See our reviews of the best electric heaters for the most efficient and reliable models.
Electric central heating pros and cons
Pros
- Electric heaters can be much cheaper to install than gas central heating.
- Little maintenance is needed as they don't have pipework or a gas flue and don't need annual servicing.
- Electric heaters are more efficient than gas boilers as all the electricity they use is turned into heat.
- As the amount of electricity generated by renewables increases (it's currently around 40%) electric heating will become lower carbon.
- If you generate your own electricity and use it to power your heating, you'll be able to reduce your carbon footprint and running costs.
Cons
- More expensive to run than gas central heating.
- Daytime rates on Economy 7 or Economy 10 tariffs are higher than on standard single-rate electricity tariffs so running appliances during the day can be expensive.
- If you switch a night storage heater on for the first time in a while, you won't get heating until the next morning.