With the cost of living crisis putting people under a severe financial strain, it’s important to explore ways that you can save as much money as possible. One of the ways that you can do this is by focusing on your energy bills. Energy rates are currently frozen, however they are expected to rise again in April 2023. While there are small steps that you can take to reduce your energy usage such as turning your thermostat down or improving your home insulation, you should also consider your heating system. Some heating systems are far more eco-friendly than others and as such, will help keep your energy bills low. Examples include infrared heaters, heat pumps, halogen heaters and electric radiators. Below, we’ll discuss some of these options as well as the benefits that they could provide for your home.
Infrared Heaters
Infrared heaters are a relatively new addition to the home market. These heaters work by heating objects instead of the air. This feels similar to feeling the sun’s rays on a winter day. While it might be cold outside, you’ll still feel warm.
Heaters like this were commonly used during the pandemic and could be spotted around outdoor seating areas for cafes and restaurants.
According to reports, these heating systems could use approximately one-third of the energy that would be used with a typical electric radiator. As such, it’s absolutely worth considering if you are looking at ways to reduce your carbon footprint and your energy bill.
A significant benefit of this heating option - aside from the energy-saving advantages - is that they are lightweight and sleek. As such, they can easily fit anywhere in your room. For instance, they can be added to walls and may seem like modern pieces of art. They can also be attached to ceilings. Installations like this are cost-effective. Indeed, you can purchase a heating system like this with a suspension kit as part of the bundle.
Infrared heaters may also use smart technology. You can easily and quickly adjust the settings at the click of a button using your smartphone or a similar device. As such, you will always be in complete control of how much energy you are using throughout the day. You can even control multiple heaters in different rooms. The heating system also uses a low wattage. As such, you don’t need to worry about it causing your electric bill to surge.
Take a look at the infrared heaters that we offer on our website now to find the perfect fit for your home.
Heat Pump
Another option worth exploring would be a heat pump. A heat pump operates by extracting heat from the air outside. It’s possible to do this even when it’s cold outside. You can use the energy from a pump to heat areas of the home like the hot water tank as well as the radiator. There are different types of heat pumps including a ground-source heat pump. This is designed to extract heat from the soil. While this is more efficient compared to an air heat pump, it’s also going to be a lot more expensive to install. The reason for this is that you will need to add pipes to your garden so it is a long and timely installation process.
You can also get hybrid heat pumps. These will work in conjunction with your gas boiler. They can be ideal for homes that aren’t fully insulated including oiler buildings.
These systems are highly efficient. On average, they will use just 1 unit of energy to produce 3 units of heat. You can also explore options like this on a government grant to ensure that the installation cost is more manageable. The only issue is that they do need a lot of installation work and they can also be quite noisy.
Heat Retention Storage Heaters
You could also consider using a high-heat retention storage heater in your home. Storage heaters have been available on the market for quite some time. However, the new modern products are far more effective in ensuring that you can access heat whenever you need it.
These are other examples of smart heating devices that you can add to your home. For instance, some high-heat storage heaters can adapt to match the weather conditions. This means that you will only ever be using as much energy as necessary to keep your home at the best temperature possible. They are also far more green-friendly and will cause less damage to the environment than a typical gas boiler.
Unlike heat pumps, these aren’t difficult to install and since they gradually release heat, they’ll keep your home pleasant and cosy throughout the day.
Biomass Boilers
Are you looking to upgrade your boiler to something far cheaper to run overall? If so, then you might want to consider using a biomass boiler. Biomass boilers are a renewable solution. They work by burning fuel from trees. These trees can then be replanted and the whole process is often highly sustainable.
Furthermore, a boiler like this is far less expensive to run compared with an oil or electricity heating system. It’s also slightly less expensive compared to gas.
Despite the benefits, there are some significant issues with this option. First biomass boilers are larger than the typical boiler system. So, you will need to make sure that you have the right amount of room in your home. You’ll also need the right fuel for your home since you’ll be burning wood. As well as this, how efficient your system is will depend on the fuel that you are using. Cheaper fuel may be far less efficient which can cut down on your energy savings significantly.
Overall, you may also need to pay more than £12,000 for the new system depending on the option that you choose for your home.
Heat Batteries
A modern choice for your home would be a heat battery. Heat batteries work by storing the heat produced by your heating system so that you can use it when you need it the most. This could include in the evening or perhaps you can save heat through the summer months and then use it through winter. It depends on the system that you choose for your property. The heat that you store can be used to provide hot water for showers or baths. They can also be used to heat the radiators throughout your home.
The big benefit here is that you’ll be using electricity throughout the night, when the rates are lower because fewer people are using it. This means that on average, you might be able to reduce your running costs by as much as 40%. However, while you will always save money over time, you will need to manage a high upfront cost. The battery will also require energy to run.
Hydronic Heating System
If you don’t mind ripping up the floorboards of your home, you could consider using a hydronic heating system. With a hydronic heating system, you can run hot water in pipes underneath the floor of your home. This system will require a boiler to heat the water. However, that will usually operate through either geothermal or solar power. A pump will then send the hot water through the home, keeping it warm. The heat can be converted through conduction, convection or radiation. Using a system like this, your energy usage will be 70% less compared to systems that require electricity. As you may have guessed, the downside is the installation cost. The installation can be as much as £10,000, depending largely on the size of the home.
Electric Radiators
Electric radiators are cheap to install and will typically cost far less compared to a new gas boiler. The majority of modern electric radiators have smart controls which means that you can easily change your settings without too much effort. The only issue is that they do use electricity at peak times. So, while they are certainly cheap to run and will help you save money on heating your home, they’re also burning fossil fuels. In other words, they won’t do much to reduce your carbon footprints. They are also likely to become more expensive over the next few years due to changes throughout the energy market.
We hope this helps you see that there are several options that you can consider for your home if you are considering upgrading to a more energy-friendly heating system. To make the right choice, you will need to consider a wide range of factors including the space you have available, the upfront cost you are willing to pay and the type of home that you have. Infrared heaters are a fantastic all-around choice because they are available to purchase and install at a low cost. They can fit almost anywhere and provide fantastic levels of efficiency while keeping your home cosy.
If you are interested in learning more about infrared heaters, get in touch with our team at Kiasa today. We’ll be happy to answer any questions or queries that you may have.
