As winter approaches, it can be really difficult to determine which heating solution is the best choice for your home – there’s electric heaters, gas heaters, ASHP heaters, wood burners and more with varying pros and cons.
One interesting point of comparison is how eco-friendly these heaters are. As our personal effect on the planet continues to become an increasingly important consideration, it’s definitely worth considering how our choice of heating impacts the world around us.
Energy Cost Comparison: What are the most cost effective heating solutions?
Let’s start with an overview of the energy cost of some of the most popular heating solutions.
This graph shows the cost in pence per kilowatt hour of heat. Possibly the most important takeaway from this is that electric heaters are by far the most expensive method of heating. They’re just over the double the cost of the next most expensive option!
As you can see the rest of the heaters covered here are fairly similar in terms of cost per hour, with a range between £0.07 and £0.04 per kilowatt hour.
Heating Sustainably: What are the most environmentally friendly heating solutions?
Let’s take a look at some of the leading heating systems in terms of environmental impact and efficiency.
Solar Heating
Solar heating systems use solar panels to capture and store thermal energy for later use. This is ideal for heating your home using a sustainable energy source, but you can also use the stored thermal energy to offset general electricity costs for your home. Solar panel installation and setup can be fairly expensive but they produce an ongoing saving in electricity costs and also add value to your home’s selling price.
Ground Source Heat Pump
Ground source heat pumps draw heat from soil or bedrock and use it to heat your home. They’re one of the most environmentally friendly ways to heat your home, but their output can be fairly dependant on the soil surrounding the installation site. They’re also associated with a high upfront setup cost and require a fairly large amount of space to install.
Water Source Heat Pump
Water source heat pumps are similar to ground source heat pumps, but they draw heat from a body of water to warm your home instead of soil. The main downside here is that they require a sustainable water source near the installation site, and this may not be accessible for the average homeowner. If you do have access to a s sustainable water source, they can be an extremely environmentally friendly and economical way to heat your home.
Biomass Boiler
Biomass boilers burn natural non-fossil fuels to generate heat for your home. Wood is usually the chosen fuel choice, but many people also opt for alternatives like grains on straw depending on availability. The biggest advantages of biomass boilers is that they’re carbon neutral, renewable, and the price of heating your home stays cheap and stable (especially when compared with traditional gas systems). On the other hand, they’re usually more expensive to install than gas boilers, and they also take up more space in the home.
What are the most popular heating solutions in the UK?
According to the 2021 census, main gas central heating is still the most popular heating solution in the UK, with around 74% of homes making it their preferred choice.
After main gas central heating, electric central heating and two or more types of central heating are the next most popular, with both being the preferred choice in around 9% of UK homes.
Just because main gas central heating and electric central heating are the most popular heating solutions, that doesn’t mean they’re the best. Solar heating, GSHPs and WSHPs are still more environmentally friendly heating methods – let’s take a look at the pros and cons of each.
Solar Heater Overview
Solar heating systems absorb thermal energy from the sun and use the stored energy for space or domestic water heating.
Pros:
- Low hourly energy consumption
- High electricity-to-heat conversion rate
- Instant heat production
- Reasonably cheap to buy
- Uses radiant heat for direct heating as opposed to convection heating
Cons:
- Lower lifespan compared to infrared heaters resulting in more frequent replacement
- Less efficient than infrared heaters
Ground Source Heat Pump Overview
Infrared heaters are a newer invention than halogen heaters, improving on their electricity-to-heat conversion rate as well as their lifespan.
Here’s some of the key pros and cons of infrared heaters:
Pros:
- One of the most energy-efficient heating solutions
- Low maintenance cost
- Less noise than gas boilers/air source heat pumps
- Low environmental impact
- Longer lifespan than many other heating solutions
Cons:
- High up-front costs
- Large space requirements
- Efficiency depends on soil/bedrock at installation site
- Refrigerant liquid used to transfer heat could be more environmentally friendly
Water Source Heat Pump Overview
Water source heat pumps are similar to ground source heat pumps, but they draw heat from water instead of soil.
They share many of the same benefits and disadvantages, with the main difference being the dependency on a sustainable body of water as opposed to soil/bedrock.
Pros:
- One of the most energy-efficient heating solutions
- Low maintenance cost
- Less noise than gas boilers/air source heat pumps
- Low environmental impact
- Longer lifespan than many other heating solutions
Cons:
- High up-front costs
- Large space requirements
- Requires a sustainable source of water
- Refrigerant liquid used to transfer heat could be more environmentally friendly
Conclusion
To summarise, mains gas central heating is still the most popular heating solution in UK homes, but it’s definitely not the most environmentally friendly choice. Solar heating, ground source heat pumps, and water source heat pumps are definitely the better choices in terms of their minimal impact on the environment.
Most of these alternate heating methods are associated with fairly high initial install costs, but they usually produce a substantial saving in the long term – this is especially true with solar heating, which both reduces monthly electricity bills and increase the value of the home. If you want to minimise the environmental impact of heating your home while also making a financially sound long term investment, it might be worth swapping out your traditional gas central heating for a solar powered option instead.
FAQs
Ground source or water source heat pumps are the most environmentally friendly heating methods. Unfortunately these systems are usually associated with a very expensive installation cost, so they’re often not the first-choice heating solution for the average buyer.
Solar heating is another great option if you’re looking for something eco-friendly, and it’s usually cheaper than both ground source or water source heating solutions.
The greenest options for home heating are water source heat pumps, ground source heat pumps, or solar heating. These three options are associated with higher setups than many other methods of heating, but they’re extremely environmentally friendly and produce a long term saving on your energy bills.
Water source heat pumps usually cost between £8,000 and £18,000 to buy and install. Ground source heat pumps are more expensive, costing in the range of £14,500 to £45,000 to install.
Solar heating is more than capable of providing heat for a UK winter as long as you have a suitable amount of solar energy storage. Storage can be expensive, but it undoubtedly produces a long term saving if you can afford the initial setup costs.
Thanks for reading our article comparing the most eco-friendly heating solutions for this winter.
Thank you for reading our article on the most environmental heating solutions this winter.
If you’re shopping for a new heater you may want to take a look at our articles on the Best Calor Gas Heaters UK 2023, Best Halogen Heaters UK 2023 or the Best Infrared Heaters UK to help narrow down your options. We cover the best models at a range of different price points.
Feel free to leave a comment below if you have any thoughts or queries that you’d like us to take a look at – we’d be happy to help.
