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Revo Home Improvments

Electric Boilers

The electric boiler has, shall we say, a mixed reputation. The main criticism of them as a home heating system is that electricity is more expensive, so in terms of running costs they just aren’t winners. However, for millions of homes across the UK without access to the gas network they are a viable heating alternative and bring with them several other less talked about benefits.

To help you decide if an electric boiler could be a realistic option for your home, we reached out to our network of registered boiler installers across the UK and asked them for their thoughts on the subject and, importantly, which brands are the most popular and reliable (in their experience).

What is an electric boiler?

An electric boiler can be installed in most small to medium sized homes to produce the hot water for both heating and domestic use. While the most commonly installed boiler will use gas or oil to heat the water, an electric boiler will pass the water via an electric element.

Electric boilers are a popular alternative for homes where gas is not an option and oil is either impractical or too expensive. They are often limited as to the amount of hot water they can produce at any one time and so aren’t recommended for larger homes.

Types of electric boiler

here are a few different types of electric boiler, some of which may be more suited to your home and lifestyle than others.

Direct

This boiler is the most similar to a gas Combi boiler i.e. it uses a heating element to heat water on demand. While it is the simplest and cheapest to install it doesn’t have any way of storing hot water so you can’t take advantage of Economy 7 tariffs by heating water overnight for use during the day.

Storage

A storage electric boiler includes a hot water tank either within the unit or separately. This enables you to heat water overnight, when energy costs are lower, and store it for use the next day. They are more expensive than direct acting boilers and the tank will take up more space in your home

Electric CPSU

A Combined Primary Storage Unit, or CPSU, stores lots of hot water within the boiler so it can meet demand much quicker and at higher pressure. However, they tend to be quite large and as such are more suited to commercial installations.

Dry Core Storage

Dry core boilers are similar to storage heaters as they use cheaper nighttime tariffs to heat bricks overnight, but the heat is then released into water to be used in central heating and hot water, rather than being released directly into the home.

Solar compatible

If you have a storage tank with an immersion heater you can use free energy from solar panels to heat your water during the day.

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