Stepping into the new era. The majority of us use gas boilers to keep our homes cosy. However, given around 15% of UK carbon emissions are created by heating buildings, is there a more efficient way for us to stay warm through the British winter? Choosing which is the most affordable and green replacement can be demanding, when homeowners will need to meet the target for all new heating systems to be installed in the UK by 2035. So, what is the best electric heating system to better future homes standards.
What is the problem with gas heaters?
In 2021 current Government proposals indicated that from 2025, under the Future Homes Standard, newly built homes will not be permitted to use fossil fuels for heating. This significantly improves the energy-efficiency of homes. Therefore, it marks the end of traditional convectional heaters.
Convectional heaters heat homes up by heating the air directly and pushing warm air around the room. You’re losing 25% of your heat through your radiators, while a further 19% of the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions come from warming up other traditional heaters. Therefore, it will produce more heat so, more pollution will pass into the atmosphere. This is a substantial issue to the environment as they produce carbon emissions. In consequence of it burning fossil fuels. According to the IEA, heating homes with oil or gas is responsible for around 20% of total carbon dioxide emissions in the UK. If we want to reach our climate change targets, we need to reduce it by eliminating most greenhouse gas emissions from homes.
Are heat pumps the answer?
Requiring homeowners to rethink and redesign their homes can have a serious impact on change for the UK. All homeowners will need to adapt to new heating solutions immediately. While, trying to find planning permissions for the Governments suggested heat pumps. The useful fact is that there is a considerable amount of supply chains out there that supply satisfactory solutions which are acceptable for consumers. For example, Infrared heating panels. However, the Government is only trialling heat pumps. This does not give a varied option for homeowners to choose from; when switching every home to a heat pump is considerably expensive and difficult to install.
What happens when the cold hits? While heat pumps may save on bills in the summer, in total they have less efficiency and a low heat supply. So, when the cold weather hits the heat pumps need to work harder. Older poorly insulated houses may need higher temperature than the heat pumps can control becoming less efficient. Therefore, all energy bills will be back to being a less efficient alternative to gas boilers.
In addition, a heat pump outside unit will sometimes be covered with a coating of ice so it can cause an issue as the ice prevents a transfer of heat and could damage the unit beyond repair. This just shows how high maintenance they are. Including an annual check by the owner and a service every few years by a professional. Keep in mind heat pumps are already difficult to install. They also cost on average to install £6000-£8000 and Ground source heat pumps £10,000- £18,000. Furthermore, to add to the cost, for the heat pumps to properly work they require extra spending to install underfloor heating and wall installation already.
Upgrade with Infrared heating
The better alternative to heat pumps. Infrared heating is a form of an electric heating system. It is clean and doesn’t harm the environment or use heavy metals. They are made from aluminium which reduces carbon emissions alone as it can be recycled. Furthermore, ‘Jigsaw Infrared’ offer a collection of glass mirrored Infrared heaters with a recycling rate of up to 80% according to Glass Alliance Europe. The challenge is that every home is different – some new, some old, some large, some small – so it’s difficult to find the right approach in such a complicated property landscape.
Replacing storage heaters. The best way to heat a home. Consumers worry about how electric heating can be installed in an old property building. They often have high ceilings, poor insulation, and large open spaces. On top of that consumers don’t want to rip out an old gas boiler and install a heat pump as it may damage the property. The great thing about Infrared heaters is that you can replace all radiators with them. IR heaters are fitted with brackets that can be installed simply with no planning permission.
On the other hand, when installing Infrared heaters, they are ideal for new builds. With multiple styles, including glass and mirror options, infrared panels blend in perfectly in new builds. They have such a simple installation process as they do not need pipework, so the installation is much more straightforward. Therefore, little maintenance is required. With a long-life span, Infrared heaters are reliable for an extended period.
The future of home heating UK
In addition, the UK infrared heating company ‘Jigsaw Infrared’ offer multiple control systems to make the heating process even simpler. Jigsaw recommend the Wired room thermostat along with the Hub for new builds as it will lower energy bills while, being modern and stylish to fit the new home environment. Infrared heaters can be programmed to the smart heating system to alter the temperature that the consumer desires just from a phone. So, you don’t even need to be in to turn it on or off or set up a schedule to heat your home for when you return.
Infrared heaters are more energy-efficient than other heaters. They use 100% of the heat they produce, which creates almost no loss in heat transfer lowering the cost by 40%. They also improve indoor air quality by not circulating air and not emitting harmful compounds. In fact, they have an abundance of health benefits– improving blood circulation, allergy reduction and even an immune system boost. This is due to Infrared directly heating the object or person. Making it sustainable for old buildings.
They can be installed in any room condition. There is such a wide variety of Infrared heaters that ‘Jigsaw Infrared’ offer – 400w, 800w, 1200w and many more depending on the material of the heater. Indoor Infrared heaters work really well when they have been sized correctly to the rooms they’re trying to heat. The only requirement is they are stated to be at ceiling or picture height. For the same purpose of any heated object and to assure optimal use of the heat to direct at objects.
If you’re interested in a new, eco-friendlier way of heating your home, you’ve come to the right place. Visit https://www.jigsawinfrared.com/ for a free quote from our specialist. Your contribution to a greener country starts here!
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