Heating bills are inevitable with every home, but they don’t have to be extortionate. But what is the most cost-efficient way to heat your home in the UK?
The two most common ways you might heat your home are electricity and gas. So, first of all let’s explore the cost efficiency of these two types of energy when it comes to domestic properties.
Electricity Vs Gas
Looking at the price per unit, it is very simple to compare like for like the cost of using an equivalent unit of energy. This is because all energy bills are calculated based on how much energy you are using in a kilowatt hour.
This does not mean the number of kilowatts you use per hour; it is simply a unit of measurement that equals the amount of energy that you would use if you kept an appliance with 1,000 watts running for an hour.
According to the Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (Ofgem), the average domestic price for a medium user of electricity and gas in the UK in 2021 are as follows:
- Gas – 4.2 pence per kWh
- Electricity – 19.3 pence per kWh
As you can see, electricity can be nearly 5 times more costly to use to heat your home than gas. However, the other thing we must consider is the efficiency in which electricity and gas can heat your home.
Though electricity is more expensive per unit, electric heaters and radiators are considered to be 100% efficient. This is because they turn all the electricity that they use into heat. On the other hand, even an A-rated gas boiler wastes about 10% of the energy in its fuel, with additional heat being lost from the pipework, and the electricity that is needed to run the boiler and the pumps.
Another thing you need to consider when thinking about cost efficiency, is the thermal efficiency of your home. To make sure that you get what you’re paying for, think about investing in various insulation such as external wall insulation Gateshead, ensuring that the heat inside your home doesn’t escape.
Other ways to heat your home
If you don’t have access to mains gas, in that you are off the gas grid, then there are a couple of options open to you instead. This includes LPG.
LPG is a mixture of butane and propane compressed into a liquid and stored in tanks or bottles. It is safe to use, provides similar heating characteristics to mains gas, and is a reliable source as long as you get deliveries on time.
Don’t forget renewable
As people across the world are finding new ways to find sustainable and eco-friendly ways to live, renewable energy is becoming more popular. Though the cost of installation is pretty big, you can receive a subsidy payment for the energy that you produce, bringing the fuel cost down over time.
Final thoughts
For the average household, the most cost-efficient way to heat your home is going to be by mains gas. However, if you want to invest in sustainable technologies, or you live off the grid, then you may opt for a different choice of energy.
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