Electric Boilers for Heating
Electric Boilers for Heating
Electric Heating Boilers, work like all gas and oil boilers – an electric boiler heats the water, which is then circulated via the flow and return pipework to either radiators or an underfloor heating system, and thus is often called a central heating boiler. The only difference between these boiler types is that it’s fuelled by electricity rather than gas or oil. They are a wet central heating system, just like an oil or gas boiler. Electric central heating boilers have high energy efficiency at 100% , which is higher than any gas boiler installation on the market – be they traditional gas boilers or condensing gas boilers heating systems.
Electric boilers tend to be particularly suited to properties that have no access to a gas supply – be it a mains gas supply or an lpg gas supply
What is an electric heating boiler?
An electric heating boiler generates heat using electric heating elements immersed in water. Electric boilers are highly efficient thanks to their efficiency – which is very close to 100%. They are easy to install in both new houses or flats and whilst renovating older properties, since they require only to be connected to the central heating system and the mains electricity supply. Unlike a gas or oil boiler, they do not produce any products of combustion and therefor no flue gases or fumes, meaning that there is no flue system to install, which results in lower installation costs. You can also lower your energy bills by taking advantage of low tariff electricity such as economy 7 rates.
Advantages and disadvantages of electric boilers for heating
- Installation: is quite easy and often very quick with regards to the time. These electric heating boilers can be wall mounted – (the most common) or floor standing, and are very compact – allowing you to place the electric boiler where you require.
- Efficiency: these electrically powered heating boilers are an efficient system that has an efficiency close to 100% and allows you to heat your home or flat quickly.
- Safety: there is no risk of an explosion or carbon monoxide leak which can result in carbon monoxide poisoning that can kill from waste gases.
- Maintenance: an electric heating boiler requires little maintenance, and isn’t mandatory as compared to gas boilers in landlord properties – this ensures low maintenance costs if any.
- Space saving electric heating system: these central heating boilers are compact, they are wall mounted and as opposed to an oil boiler, you will not need extra space to store the fuel for the boiler in a tank, eliminating the possibility of an oil spill or the smell associated with the oil storage tank.
- Ecological heating solution? – if your using electricity generated form renewable energy, such as solar PV / Photovoltaic panels, wind turbines or wave/ water generated electric, that it can be said that you’re not contributing CO2 into the environment, and thus having a CO2 neutral heating system. The same can’t be said for a gas or oil boiler, as both of these are fossil fuels and emit CO2 into the environment.
- Legislation changes – The current talk is of banning gas heating for new houses by 2025 more info here. Legislation may well force people to change their boilers to electric, whether they have a mains gas network supply or not.
- The downside – The price of electricity/running costs : at present it’s more expensive than gas and fuel oil, whether it will be lower in relative terms in the future, due to the push for renewable energy- who knows?
- Any professional heating engineer will be able to fit electric boilers normally in conjunction with an electrician – there’s nothing special about electric central heating boilers as a matter of fact they are easier to install than a gas boiler for example, as there’s no flue pipes to install, and the lower emissions electric boilers can be placed or fitted in many more locations due to this fact than the average gas boiler.
- Electric combi boilers are also available that will do the heating and hot water requirements as that what a combi boiler is designed to do- but in reality you need a 3 phase power supply to get useable electric combi boilers – we do have an electric combi boiler solution for single phase boilers /properties/or locations – and these are listed on our dedicated web page here – electric combi boilers
- Carbon footprint / carbon emissions can be eliminated or reduced if you are powering the electric boilers from renewable electric power supplies. Unlike gas boilers which produce carbon emissions
- Running costs can be reduced as our electric boiler range have as standard weather compensation and optimization – built into the units – This can help reducing running cost by 20% as the electric boiler adapts it’s output to the prevailing weather conditions.
- Domestic hot water – you can produce hot water via an indirect hot water cylinder with our boilers.
Electric Boiler Heating Systems
These electric boilers for heating are one of the simplest and most cost-effective solution for central heating. They also ideal for heating flats or houses where there are no or limited possibilities to route a chimney / flue pipe system, for example in buildings of historical value or stone constructed houses. Also, electric heating boilers, are a perfect solution for petrol station heating where only fire-resistant equipment should be used for safety reasons and requirements. They also suit holiday home heating and caravan boiler requirements very well too.
We do a full electric boiler range from 0.5 kW to 45 kW in heating output. These electric wet central heating boilers can be powered by single phase electricity up to 15 kW of output electric boiler , and from there on and up to 45 kW they require a three phase electric supply to the electric boiler. Full details on the range can be found on our dedicated product page here – Electric central heating boiler range
Electric wet central heating boilers from Flexiheat UK
Electric heating boilers for underfloor heating?
A question we often get asked is can you use an electric boiler for underfloor heating? The quick and simple answer is yes – Our range of electric heating boilers can heat the central heating water from Zero Centigrade all the way up to 80 Degrees Centigrade. Most underfloor heating system will have a flow temperature between 35-60°C, depending on the heat losses from the property or building. If the underfloor heating system operates with thermostatic mixing valves, then commonly they use 45°C temperature for screeded floors and 55°C for timber suspended and floating floors.
Electric central heating boiler systems – UK and Ireland
Should you require any further assistance with our electric central heating boiler systems / electric boilers for heating or any of our products, please click here to contact us via email or call us direct on 01202 822221
