What are the Most Efficient Central Heating Systems?

Heating your home can be one of the biggest bills you face after the cost of a mortgage or rent.  That’s why people are constantly looking to switch suppliers for gas and electricity and get the best deal.  However, the actual central heating system can also play a big part in how efficient your home is.  If you are considering the installation of a new system, what are the most efficient and cost-effective options?

Gas powered heating systems

For around 85% of the UK, their home has access to the gas network.  And if this is the case, then using a gas fired central heating system is often the most efficient and cost-effective option.  the key to this is getting the right boiler – an older, inefficient boiler can cost a lot of money and may frequently break down.

Boilers from companies such as Worcester Bosch will clearly set out how energy efficient they are – an A rated boiler is the very top level and what most heating engineers will recommend for a gas connected home.

In addition to the boiler, the thermostat and heating system controls can also make a system more efficient.  Smart thermostats are the latest option where you can manually control your system from your smartphone as well as having standard settings.  These allow you to only heat your home when it is needed.

Non-gas connected homes

If you are one of the remaining 15% who doesn’t have access to the national gas network, there are still a number of options available.  These include:

• Electrical central heating
• LPG heating
• Oil central heating
• Immersion heaters
• Storage heaters
• Wood heating systems

Of these, one of the most efficient systems is LPG – this is a mixture of butane and propane gas that is compressed into a liquid form that can be stored in tanks or bottles.  That means that you can store large amounts and cut down on the frequency of deliveries needed.  It is safe to use and creates a heat profile similar to gas.  The only downside is the reliance on deliveries.

Heating oil is another option if you can’t use gas.  This can be cheaper to use but the installation is more expensive and needs to be very specific.  That’s because there’s a risk of huge environmental damage if the heating oil escapes from its storage facilities.  These systems also tend to require more maintenance.

Renewable energy

One of the biggest growth areas in terms of central heating options is the use of renewable energy sources.  By making your own energy, you don’t need to be reliant on mains gas or electricity and reduces the carbon footprint of your home.  It also means you are less likely to be affected by changing prices in energy.

Renewable energy systems can be costly to install but can pay this back over the long term.  There are some schemes from the government that may also be able to assist, and you may be able to ‘sell’ unused power to the national grid.