As expert heating engineers in Edinburgh, we are often asked: what is the most efficient heating system for the home?
In this blog, we’ll discuss the most popular and efficient heating systems for residential properties, as well as looking at ways to improve heating efficiency within the home.
Why is it important to choose the right system and improve heating efficiency?
The optimal heating system for your home should keep you cosy in cold weather and provide your household with plenty of hot water. It is important to consider efficient heating solutions for your home as this could have a significant impact on your carbon footprint as well as your energy bills.
What is the most efficient heating system for your home?
When deciding whether to change your home’s heating system, you need to consider your definition of efficiency – whether that’s reducing energy bills or upgrading to sustainable energy that decreases your impact on the environment.
Gas central heating: If your home has a natural gas grid connection, a gas central heating system has, historically, been the cheapest and easiest option for heating your home.
More than one million homes in England, Scotland and Wales aren’t connected to the gas grid – this is typically remote and rural locations or older blocks of flats.
Electric central heating: More common in flats and new-build properties, electric heating usually involves separate heaters in each room. Immersion heaters provide hot water. Some older properties have night storage heaters and ‘economy’ electricity tariffs.
Oil central heating: This requires an outside tank to store the oil in bulk.
Heat pump central heating: Renewable heating is a sustainable way to heat your home and is becoming more popular. Generating your own heat reduces your carbon footprint by reducing dependence on fossil fuels. It is also cheaper than relying on oil or gas.
Renewable energy heating systems include:
- heat pumps
- wood burning stoves
- solar water heating systems – for hot water
- biomass boilers
LPG central heating: Liquid Petroleum Gas is used to heat some homes. You’ll need to buy it in bulk and store it in an outside tank, as with oil.
There are many different ways to heat a home and not every system is suited to every household. It can be helpful to speak to an expert. Our team of experienced heating engineers can provide their advice on the most efficient heating system for your home – call today on 0131 378 6168.
What is the most efficient way to run central heating?
Since gas central heating is the most common system in England, Scotland and Wales, we’re often asked: ‘is it more efficient to leave heating on all the time, at a low temperature?’. This is not necessarily the case.
A smart thermostat is a great way to improve heating efficiency. We are proud to be approved retailers and installers of Nest™ learning thermostats. Nest™ revolutionises the way you control your home’s heating system, allowing for improved efficiency and greater cost savings on energy by giving you control via your smart device, even when you’re not at home.
Different types of heating controls available can help you to improve the efficiency of your heating:
- Room thermostat – measures room temperature and adjusts the boiler accordingly
- Thermostatic radiator valves (TRVs) – allows you to adjust individual radiators in different rooms
- Timer – turns your boiler or hot water on or off at set times
- Programmer – lets you set different times and temperatures for your heating and hot water for different days of the week
There’s a useful guide to running your central heating on the Which? website.
More ways to improve heating efficiency of central heating systems
There are a number of simple ways to maximise the efficiency of your central heating system:
- Boiler maintenance and servicing Regular boiler maintenance and gas servicing will ensure that your system is in the best order. When your system is working as efficiently as possible, the fuel economy is optimised.
- Repair or update your boiler Our experienced central heating engineers can advise on whether replacing an old boiler or heating system with a newer energy-saving upgrade would be a cost-effective decision.
- Upgrade other parts of your heating system Our heating engineers can repair or replace badly-performing radiators and make upgrades to your thermostatic controls to reduce your gas bills
Our reliable contract heating engineers are on hand to give their expert advice on heating your home. Our gas safe heating engineers are here to help – call 0131 378 6168 .
Trust us to help improve heating efficiency in your home
Here at P Blackhall, we are proud of our reputation as specialist plumbing and heating gas safe engineers. We are highly experienced in the installation and maintenance of domestic gas boilers, central heating systems and more. All of the work we carry out is guaranteed for a minimum of 12 months.
With many years of experience in boiler repairs and servicing, our heating engineers will ensure that your boiler always runs smoothly and efficiently. You can relax, with the peace of mind that your boiler is maintained and monitored by expert heating engineers.
You can rely on us to maximise the efficiency of your central heating and keep your energy bills as low as possible. Call us today on 0131 378 6168 to discuss your heating concerns.
