Electric boilers are rapidly becoming one of the most popular options for heating homes in the UK. What makes them different from traditional gas boilers, and how do they actually work?

How It Works

An electric boiler is fed with cold water from your mains water supply- just like in a traditional gas boiler. The boiler then uses electricity to heat this water up. It operates effectively like a giant kettle, using electricity to heat a metal element within the water, which will then make the water hot!

This hot water can then be transported throughout your home, to your taps and radiators, and even your underfloor heating in certain systems.

Since an electric boiler doesn’t use combustion to warm up, this makes them much more efficient, with a much lower risk of losing energy during the heating process. Our boilers boast a 99% efficiency rating, while a traditional gas boiler won’t exceed 90%, as a general rule.

Where Should You Use Electric Boilers

Electric boilers are incredibly compact, and they can easily be installed in smaller spaces. This makes them a particularly good choice for smaller urban homes, where space is at a premium and where the efficiency of an electric boilers can really stand out.

They’re also a truly fantastic option for the 2 million UK households that don’t have access to the gas main, and the various other buildings that can’t use gas due to flue restrictions.

Electric boilers are also relatively cheap, so swapping to them isn’t prohibitively expensive. If you’re looking for a more efficient method of heating, but can’t commit to the expensive installation costs of a heat pump, they’re an excellent cost.

Why Are Electric Boilers Better?

As mentioned, electric boilers are a lot cheaper to install and maintain than gas boilers, which makes them much easier to get into your home in the first place. They also bring several other advantages to your home because of how they work.

For instance, they can provide heat a lot more quickly, meaning you don’t need to leave your boiler on for as long.

Operating on electricity also means that your heating has the potential to be entirely carbon neutral. They don’t burn any fuel on site (which means you won’t need to install a duct or flue). Obviously, the electricity you use may not be carbon neutral, but the UK is starting to pivot towards more renewable energy sources.

You could also pair your boiler with a domestic source of renewable energy, such as a home solar panel array. Its efficiency makes this incredibly viable!

Want to find out more? Give our team a call today on 0116 321 4124 or send us an email at sales@suryaheating.co.uk.

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