Home Heating - Is it time for a change?

from Cambs Sept 2022

Ford Fiesta

With winter just around the corner, now is the time to think about your home’s heating system. Is your boiler running safely and efficiently while keeping running costs to a minimum? Home heating can contribute up to 60% of your home’s utility bills, so it’s important to ensure you are up to date with the best practices for maintaining and operating your central heating system.

Out with the old

The general rule is that once your boiler reaches around twenty years of service, you should replace it with a new unit. On average, your boiler will begin to operate less efficiently after ten to fifteen years, meaning it will need to work harder to heat your home, resulting in increased utility bills. Along with the potential cost of breakdowns and repairs for older boilers, it may be financially prudent to replace your boiler before it becomes a bigger expense.

In with the new

According to the plan for the UK to reach carbon net zero by 2050, the UK government has announced that new-build homes will not be allowed to install traditional gas boilers after 2025. This doesn’t mean you have to replace your existing gas boiler by this date, but you may wish to consider these heating alternatives, which will soon be considered the norm. • Heat pumps: using a similar technology to that which operates your fridge freezer (but in reverse), heat pumps will be one of the main

ways new-build homes are heated after 2025, by utilising only air and a small amount of electricity. • Infrared heating panels: by emitting infrared energy into a room, the energy is absorbed directly into solid objects within three metres of the panel, causing them to warm up instantly. The infrared cannot warm air unfortunately, so the room will feel cold the moment it’s turned off. • Biomass boilers: these work in the same way as a conventional gas boiler, but rather than gas, the fuel is a plant-based mixture of either wood, pellet or woodchip. This means it’s a much greener solution than conventional fossil fuels. • Solar thermal panels: designed to be used alongside a regular gas or biomass boiler, solar thermal panels absorb heat from the sun, which is then transferred to a water tank for you to use as a hot water supply or for heating for your home.

Working from home this winter?

Rather than electric portable heaters, which are really costly to run, an efficient central heating system set to around twenty degrees is still the recommended choice, even if you plan on heating just one room of the house. By using individual thermostats or radiator valves (or a smart thermostat) in each room, you can focus the heat towards the room you need to keep cosy, avoiding having to wear gloves and a woolly hat on your Zoom calls!