Before a boiler purchase, households mostly prefer to check out the various options in the market. As boilers do come in various shapes, sizes, and brands, what fuel it is using is something you should also consider.No doubt, in the UK, gas is considered the main source of fuel for most boilers. However, still there are trends now among people to move towards opting for electric boilers.
But how good an option that can be for you?
Before you make the choice,let’s talk about its advantages and disadvantages:
Works Silently: Unlike gas boilers, electric boilers have fewer moving parts, required to generate heat. Therefore, these boilers work almost silently and turn good to be installed anywhere. Even getting it placed somewhere in your bedroom will not disturb your night’s sleep.
No Need for Gas Supply: If your home does not have a gas line set up, you can consider electric boilers as a good alternative, apart from LPG boilers. Thus it can be the right choice for off-grid properties and for houses with no mains gas supply.
More Compact: Majority of the Uk homes find it hard to get spare space for their hardworking boiler. Electric boilers can be good for them, as it requires less space with hardly any pipeworks involved. Even no chimney or flue pipe is required,as combustion of fuel does not occur here.
High Efficiency: A most important factor that can make an electric boiler to be a better option, is its efficiency level. Whereas, even a highly efficient gas boiler can have an efficiency level of around 93%, for an electric boiler it can go up to even 100%. This is because no fuel is wasted during the process of heat generation from electric power. However, that’s not the thing that happens with your gas boilers.
A Safer Choice: Electric boilers never involve the combustion of any gas fuel. So there is no possibility of carbon monoxide gas emissions or any dangerous fire explosions. That way, it can be considered to be a far safer option than gas boilers.
More Eco-friendly Choice: Unlike gas boilers, electric boilers mostly burn renewable energy. So they don’t give out any greenhouse gases like nitrogen oxide, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, etc. that can harm the environment. That definitely makes it an environment-friendly choice.
But if you are getting the electricity generated, using nonrenewable energy resources like fossil fuels, it is also something that’s polluting the environment.
Now, if you look into these advantages of electric boilers, we can just take them to be the best alternative in today’s world. But why is it that, they are not the most popular? Of course, they have certain drawbacks which put them behind.
Expensive Fuel: Though electric boilers are efficient, electricity as a fuel is 3 to 4 times more expensive than gas. So, if you are in the idea to switch to an electric boiler, you also need to keep in mind the electricity cost.
Not Good for Big Families: Electric boilers provide hot water supply on demand. So if you have more than one person using the boiler’s hot water at a time, then it is not the right choice for you. Such boilers will not be able to provide hot water to those multiple users with the right pressure and right temperature.
PowerCuts: When it’s about electricity, you need to be aware of power cuts. If you are in an area where electricity can go off anytime, such boilers are not the right ones for you. You will be left with no heating and hot water supply.
So, taking all these things into consideration, you need to see whether electric boilers can be the right option for you or not. All that depends on your needs or preferences. So in a scenario, where your need is quite minimal which an electric boiler can accommodate, it can be something you can go for. Moreover, it can be considered a greener alternative as long as it is running on renewable energy resources. Anyways, if you are looking for any electric or gas boiler installation, you can contact Golden Plumbing & Heating Ltd.