David Patrick of Dimplex discusses how electric space and water heating solutions can be integrated into a home’s core design to deliver ‘affordable warmth’ for tenants.
National Energy Action estimates that there are currently 6.1 million UK households in fuel poverty, meaning they’re unable to afford adequate heating to keep their homes warm and support good health. This is in comparison to the charity’s estimate of 4.5 million UK households in fuel poverty in October 2021. Not only does this mean that millions of people are struggling to achieve thermal comfort, but it may also have an incidental effect on other vital services.
Although numerous measures can enhance the energy efficiency of both existing homes and new builds in the UK, the heating system remains a critical factor in keeping household energy costs to a minimum and occupants enjoying a thermally comfortable indoor environment.
With rising bills and both current and incoming standards in mind, to create homes that offer occupants built-in affordable warmth, new as well as many existing fossil fuelled home heating systems must be replaced with efficient, smart electric space heating technologies that use renewable electricity to deliver thermal comfort and reduce energy costs.
Smart space heating
One solution is smart whole home space electric heating systems, which are designed to optimise energy usage, enhance end user comfort and provide greater control, all while addressing the evolving regulatory landscape and the urgent need to reduce energy bills.
While they are designed to perform and function similarly to traditional wet filled radiators, electric radiators are much easier to install compared to their traditional counterparts. The units also arrive on site pre-filled with thermal fluids/oil, or they are designed as infrared or dry heat units. This benefit further simplifies the installation process as there’s no need to handle fluids or fill the units onsite. Additionally, electric radiator and panel heater systems eliminate the need for ongoing maintenance, such as flushing systems, bleeding and balancing radiators, or annual servicing.
There are two types of installed electric heaters, the first being direct acting units, which use standard rate electricity for instant heat. The other solution is smart high heat retention (HHR) storage heaters, which support energy diversity by absorbing off-peak energy supplied at a lower price for slow release later, to provide reliable day and night heating. These heaters are among the most economical electric heating solutions, offering high efficiency and supporting grid flexibility, especially where heat pumps aren’t suitable.
With an emerging trend of misselling in the sector, it’s crucial to understand the impact that product selection will have on residents’ bills and, therefore, accessibility to affordable warmth. Any direct acting heating system, such as a panel heater, electric or aluminium radiator, will cost more to run than an HHR unit. This is because the storage capability allows these units to use cheaper electricity, meaning they are the only type of electric heater recognised in SAP to be up to 27% cheaper to run than a standard storage heater system and up to 47% cheaper to run than the direct acting unit mentioned above.
Taking full control
Precision temperature control is vital to maximising energy efficiency, and smart home heating systems are designed to deliver precisely that. By heating only occupied rooms to the desired temperature, unnecessary energy consumption can be avoided, and no energy is wasted heating unoccupied spaces.
Ensuring accessibility for a range of end users, look for solutions which offer easy to use, intuitive controls with clear display screens, providing confidence to set and amend the system to suit each individual’s lifestyle and needs. Some also allow for remote control through a smart device, allowing for adjustments when outside the property.
David Patrick is head of specification marketing at Dimplex