Buying an Electric Boiler: What you need to know

What is an electric boiler?

Electric boilers provide central heating and domestic hot water to properties without burying any fuel, like oil and gas.

Instead, they only use electricity, in a very similar way to a kettle. Electric Boilers are often compact units that re easily installed and don't require a flue or a condensate pipe as they don't produce any gas.

There are several electric boiler types available, here are some listed below

These units are much simpler than other types of boilers with far less moving parts making them much less likely to break.

Advantages of an electric boiler?

For homes that suit an electric boiler, there are many benefits.

You'll often find that when comparing installation prices between electric and traditional gas boilers, that electric boilers are cheaper to install. Earlier on in this blog we covered that electric boilers do not need a condensate pipe, this also removes the need for the addition piping, bringing installation fees down!

No risk of carbon monoxide leak

Electric boilers have a zero chance risk of having a carbon monoxide leak, this is because electric boilers don't burn any fuel whatsoever.

No annual service

As there are very few moving parts inside an electric boiler you don't have to have them serviced annually, this could save you £50 - £160 per year.

Flexible installation

An electric boiler can be installed on just about any wall inside of your home, unlike a gas or fuel boiler which needs to be installed on a external wall. This is another reason for how an electric boiler can provide you with more flexibility. This is possible as an electric boiler doesn't need a flue or condensate pipe.

Compatible with solar

Running an electric boiler with solar PV make it possible to reduce costs by helping you heat the home with a renewable energy source.

Electric boiler problems

While electric boilers are a simpler alternative to gas and oil, they still have some problems.

High running costs

At the minute electricity is much more expensive than gas which could see your energy bills increase. Even though the running costs are higher, you do save a lot of money in the installation, you can compare Gas Vs Electric boilers here.

You can combat the expensive running costs with either an Economy 7 or Economy 10 tariff, which both offer reduced prices for electricity during the night or by running an electric boiler with solar energy generated by solar PV.

Less hot water

Electric boiler are currently unable to meet a higher demand of hot water for larger families and homes.

It's industry standard to have 1.5 kW per radiator in your home. So, if there are 8 radiators in your home, you should install an electric boiler with an output rating of at least 12 kW.

Power cuts

If you had an electric boiler then having a power cut would not only leave your home without light but also without heating and hot water but this isn't a problem exclusive to electric boilers. All modern boilers have electrical aspects in them... Yes, even the gas ones, so during a power cut a gas boiler wouldn't work either.

The fuse...

Before deciding on an electric boiler, it's important to know what size fuse you have in your home.

A fuse delivers power into your home, An average electric boiler will use 48 amps of power which would blow a 30 amp fuse. If you had a 60 amps fuse the use of the boiler will leave little space for any other electrical appliances.

It's definitely worth checking with an electrician before installing an electric boiler. Contact us here.

Comparing electric boiler efficiency rating can be a little confusing as it's hard to find an electric boiler with an efficiency rating of under 99%, yet ErP rating (which is a European energy rating system) is often C or D on a scale of A+++ (Highest efficiency level) down to a G. Gas and oil boilers are frequently given A-ratings despite having an efficiency of around 89% - 94%.

So why is the ErP rating of electric boilers considerably low? The answer simply lies in the way electricity is most commonly generated in the UK.

Generating electricity in a sustainable and environmentally friendly way is definitely on the rise in 2022, but the majority of the electricity being generated in the UK is from fossil fuels such as gas or oil. For this reason,  electricity is considered a carbon insensitive fuel.

Being a carbon intensive fuel, electricity is more expensive than natural gas... at the minute. Fortunately, the National Grid believe that by 2025 we will be able to fully operate Great Britain's electricity system with zero carbon.

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Which homes are best suited for an electric boiler?

Commonly most people heat they're home using oil from the gas network but this means you need somewhere to store the oil also. Electric boilers are the efficient alternative that don't take up much space.

But, electric boilers can only provide a small amount of hot water. This makes electric boilers a bad choice for larger properties.

Electric boilers are perfectly suited for flats though, being small, compact and able to go on internal & external walls makes them a great suit. Unlike gas/oil boilers which require a flue to expel the waste gases out of the property and then you have to follow Boiler Flue Regulations as the flue must be a certain distance away from any windows to ensure that the gases don't go up into your home or your neighbours. Meeting the flue regulations can be particularly difficult for flats.