There are many forms of electric heating some ideal for home heating such as electric central heating and some better for commercial purposes. Electric heaters are perhaps the most familiar form of electric heating. Electric heaters are available in various forms, commonly as electric storage heaters that use electrical energy to heat bricks (such as clay bricks) at times when electricity is cheap such as at night. The heat is then stored in the bricks and released slowly over the course of the day. These electric heaters have advantages, notably the cheaper cost of using energy at “off peak” hours but they also have limitations. If the heat is not required because of a warm day the bricks will still have been warmed up and so the heat will still be released. Alternatively if, for some reason, the heat is lost too quickly from the bricks, because of a draught for example, then the heat may not be there when required. Other kinds of electric heaters have different advantages. Electric panel heaters work by heating an electrical element within the heater. The heater turns electrical energy into heat energy which heats the element. Air around the element is warmed and rises letting cooler air replace it which is in turn warmed. The sides of these heaters are usually panels of some kind of conductive material that absorbs the heat from the element and slowly radiates this heat out in a similar way to a radiator. This is essentially the same as an electric fire however they are usually designed to resemble a traditional fire rather than a radiator. An advantage of electric heaters is the controllability of the heat. Electric Heating is almost instant in its reaction to any changes and its possible to heat only one room rather than a whole house.
To heat a whole house you may install electric central heating. This kind of home heating is basically the use of an electric boiler to heat water going to radiators throughout the house. The Electric boiler heats water via an electrical element and then the water is pumped through the system. Though electric central heating is a more expensive way to heat the water it is worth considering the fact that in an electric boiler no energy is wasted as it is in a gas or oil boiler. No energy is lost through the flue because there is no burning of fuel and thus no need for a flue. So an electric boiler is 100% efficient at the point of use as well as being easier to install than a gas boiler because there is no flue, therefore there are no restrictions on where you place the boiler in your home. Manufacturers will point to the fact that electric boilers have no moving parts to maintain or service and it is claimed that this makes an electric boiler last 50% longer than a gas boiler. It is estimated that the lifetime of an electric boiler should be around 15 years whereas the lifetime of a gas boiler only 10 years. So with high energy efficiency, easy installation and longer lifetime the longer term financial savings could offset the cost of using a more expensive energy source and electric central heating could be a cost effective from of home heating.
Electric Radiators and towel rails are not related to electric boilers but are stand alone units. These radiators are usually filled with some form of liquid that is heated by an electrical element. The heat then radiates out much like a normal radiator. These units are easy to install and have the advantage over gas central heating radiators that they have no pipe work to install. Electric Water Heaters are also easy to install and work in a similar way to electric radiators in that an electrical element heats liquid inside. In this case the liquid is water and it is meant to be released through a tap. These units are more commonly used in workplaces rather than home heating and have the advantage that they are simple to use and easy to install. They are also reliable with few moving parts that could break down.
There are many advantages and disadvantages of electric heating many of which have been touched on already. Ease of installation is a major advantage of electric heating and this is because there is no need for pipe work. This leads to low installation costs and means that it can provide an excellent addition to an existing heating system where it would be problematic to fit gas or oil powered units, for example in a newly built extension. The lack of pipes also means that there are no restrictions on placement of a unit, whereas a gas boiler or fire would need some kind of ventilation. Safety is in fact a major advantage of electric heating. With no fuel being burnt within the unit or building there are no risks of carbon monoxide or other gases leaking. There is also no risk of oil or anything else leaking and damaging property. This in turn means that there are no worries about annual servicing or maintenance contracts, a problem lessened even more by the fact that electric heating usually contains fewer moving parts than for example, a gas boiler. With fewer moving part there is less of a chance of a problem arising and the electric is much more reliable. Finally the use of precise electronic controls means that you can have more control over your heating and it will respond quickly to any changes that you make.
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