Types of Central Heating Systems Explained

With most homes in the UK, making use of a central heating system, it is important to be aware of the different types available. Finding the best fit for your home will keep you warm in the most efficient way possible, while also ensuring you have low energy bills.

If your home is connected to the national grid, then a gas central heating system is usually the go-to option. A gas boiler heats water for a wet central heating system, to provide warmth for your home through radiators and hot water to the taps.

You can use electricity to heat your home if you do not have access to mains gas. Nearly every household in the UK is on the electricity grid, however, it is not as popular with homeowners as gas, because of the cost.

Storage heaters tend to be the most cost-effective option when considering electric heating. These heaters use electricity supplied at a cheaper night rate, to heat up special heat-retaining ceramic bricks. These bricks then release heat to your home the next day.

Liquid Petroleum Gas is usually used in wet heating systems, for homes that are not connected to mains gas. The main difference between this type of central heating and mains gas is that LPG is delivered by road and stored in a tank.

Like, Liquid Petroleum Gas, heating oil is delivered by road and stored in a tank, which you may have to buy or rent from your supplier. Heating oil is another option for homes that operate with a wet heating system.

Instead of using gas, electricity, oil or LPG to heat your home, you can install a biomass or wood heating system. These systems burn organic material, such as logs or wood pellets, to provide heat and hot water. It is quite common for people to buy a wood-burning stove to help make their living room warmer, although you can also connect the stove to a boiler to heat your hot water and the rest of your home.

You can also make use of a renewable energy system to create your own heat, instead of using mains gas and electricity, or other fossil fuel heating. This not only reduces your carbon footprint but also means you are less dependent on sources of energy that are likely to continually increase in price in the future.

Unless you are interested in reducing your home’s carbon footprint, then any home equipped with a gas boiler and wet central heating system is being heated in the most effective way possible.

If you are keen on becoming more environmentally friendly, then the natural progression would be to convert to a renewable energy system.

Although, transitioning to a new central heating system is more of a priority for homes with electric storage heaters. This is because a different type of heating system will give you more control over the temperature of your home.

A small percentage of homes in the UK, work without central heating. Instead, these properties typically have electric storage heaters or possibly even space heaters. Neither can match a central heating system’s efficiency or reliability. The issue with an electric storage heater is that you cannot choose when the heating comes on, while space heaters are only able to heat a small part of your home at once.