The temperature has dropped again and with snow and ice outside – at least in parts of the northern hemisphere – we’re all looking for heating tips to save on our bills.
Sadly, those adverts promising a ‘revolutionary new heater’ that heats your room in 90 seconds and costs 2p just aren’t true. But you’ve probably already guessed it.
The real question, especially if you’re worried about how you’ll pay your heating bill this winter, is whether you should turn on your central heating or use one or two electric heaters instead.
At first glance, this may seem like a good idea. You can place the heater next to your desk if you work from home or near the sofa when you relax in the evening. As soon as you’re hot, you can turn it off – and you’re less likely to forget and leave it on when it’s right next to you pumping out heat.
The are some situations where it’s a good idea – but many more where it will end up costing you After money rather than saving it.
But rather than just saying “gas heating is cheaper”, we’ll show you how to calculate what will be most efficient in your home.
Gas vs electricity: which is more expensive?
We assume here that your house has gas central heating. Most UK homes do. According to a 2022 survey by Statistica, that figure is 78%. And the crucial fact is that gas is much cheaper than electricity.
If you check your energy bills, you can compare the unit price of the two. A unit is a kilowatt hour. Here are the figures from my invoice, which I will use as an example:
- Electricity: 35.797p per kWh
- Gas: 10.509p per kWh
Thus, for me, gas costs less than a third of the price of electricity (29%). And while your numbers may be slightly different, the ratios will be similar.
How much does an electric heater cost to run?
Using the figures above we can work out what I would pay for an hour using an electric plug-in heater. I’ll use the Princess Glass Smart Panel Heater – our top rated portable heater – as an example. It comes in three different versions, with three different powers: 1000, 1500 and 2000.
Emma Rowley / Foundry
For this example, I’m using the 1500 watt version, as that’s about the average electric heater. To get the most accurate calculation of its running cost, you should hook it up to a power meter and run it for an hour.
We explain how to know the energy consumption of an electrical appliance if you want to know the cost of operation of your other appliances.
But, if you just want to get a rough estimate – which won’t take into account heat setting or fan power – you can use an online calculator and your most recent energy bill. Enter your tariff or use a standard tariff, and fill in the power, and the calculator will do the rest.
If you prefer to do it manually, here is the calculation: heater power * electricity unit price = running cost per hour.
As 1000W = 1kW this means the calculation is 1.5*35.797 which means my 1500W electric heater will cost me around 54p per hour to run.
Ongoing daily charges for gas and electricity are irrelevant here, as they are payable regardless of how much energy you use in any given day.
How much does it cost to operate a boiler?
The next step is to determine the cost of running your boiler. It’s relatively simple. You may be able to find it on the boiler itself, or you may need to research the make and model online.
My boiler is an Alpha CD13R. It is a 13 kW boiler, which means that it uses approximately 13 kW of energy per hour, or 13 kWh. So on my tariff of 10.509p it costs me around £1.36 per hour to run my boiler.
Emma Rowley / Foundry
The first thing to keep in mind is that I have a small apartment and therefore a small boiler. Chances are yours will be bigger and cost more to run. A large house might have a 35 to 42 kW boiler.
You should also take into account that this is only an approximate calculation. This will cost you more or less depending on the temperature you set on your thermostat, as well as how many heaters you have and whether or not they are all on.
Central heating or electric heater?
So, for me, using my central heating is about two and a half times more expensive than an electric heater. But the plug-in device will only heat a small area, and the heat will dissipate quickly in a cold house.
To heat my whole house, central heating will be a more economical option. But if you’ve heard the mantra to save money, heat the person, not the room, you’ll know that’s not always the case.
The cheapest option will depend on how many people are in the house and where they are. If you’re home alone or the whole family is in one room, it may be more economical to leave the central heating off and use an electric heater to keep everyone warm.
Do some math and you will definitely know.
But here are some other heating hacks you can also try to save money.
Home heating tips to save money
1. Bleed your radiators
To make your home heating system as efficient as possible, you need to bleed your radiators to remove any air pockets. It will cost you less and keep your home warmer.
2. Put reflective backing behind your radiators
Get a roll of media to place behind your radiators and reflect the heat back into the room. It’s pretty cheap and very easy to do.
3. Move furniture away from the front of radiators
Don’t let any furniture touch the radiator, as it will absorb some of the heat. If possible, move furniture completely away from radiators, so they don’t block the heat.
4. Turn off heaters in rooms you don’t use
Only turn on heaters in the rooms you use. Make sure radiators in guest bedrooms or an unused dining room are turned off. Turn off the radiator when you leave the bedroom in the morning and turn off the living room radiator when you go to bed at night.
5. Invest in smart radiator valves
If you invest in smart radiator valves, you won’t have to turn radiators on and off manually. You can schedule the heater to turn on and off at certain times of the day, so you never waste heat. You can also change the temperature from your phone, wherever you are.
Some of these smart thermostatic radiator valves (TRV) have a digital display that shows the temperature, so you can see it and adjust it much more precisely. Many will also be Alexa or Google Home compatible, so you can use voice commands to change the temperature.
Standby
The downside is that they are expensive to fit to all your radiators (they cost between £45 and £65 each) and are battery operated which is an additional running cost. Some also need a compatible hub or smart thermostat to work.
If you already have a smart thermostat, it might be a good idea to get compatible smart radiator valves. But if you still have a traditional thermostat/timer and don’t know where to start, we have some ideas.
The Netatmo Smart Radiator Valve Starter Kit is a solid option. It’s expensive but Netatmo is great quality and there are no subscription fees and you won’t need a separate hub. The kit comes with two valves and a relay. You can buy it directly from Netatmo.
Or, if you’re an iPhone user, there’s an even cheaper option we recommend from another high-quality smart home brand. The Eve smart thermostat is one of the best on the market. It doesn’t need a bridge or hub, it’s easy to install and use. You can read more in our review or buy it on Amazon.
If you’re looking for a complete system, take a look at our roundup of the best smart heating systems we’ve tested. And if you want to buy an electric radiator instead, find our recommendations and the summary of the best radiators that we have tested.
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