It is becoming more and more expensive to heat the home because of rising energy prices.
This means it’s ever-important to find the cheapest way to generate heat.
There are plenty of methods to choose from so you’re spoilt for choice. But this can make your decision more confusing, when factors such as efficiency come into play.
So to give you a helping hand we’ve found the cheapest ways you can heat your home.
We’re also able to connect you with reputable and trustworthy heating engineer who’ll help to upgrade your heating system too.
Firstly, let’s take a look at the four most common ways you might heat your home:
Gas heating:
This is by far the most popular choice in the UK, accounting for 69% of households. It’s also the cheapest method and a gas condensing boiler is extremely efficient, helping to keep those costly bills down.
Electric heating:
Electric heating isn’t the cheapest of methods and unless you combine it with renewable technology it’ll be considerably more expensive than gas.
Oil heating:
For properties not tied to the gas grid, an oil boiler is an option. The main problem here though is as the resource becomes scarcer, it’ll only increase in price. It’s not a particular eco-friendly alternative either.
Woodstove heating:
Ok, so they’re not exactly common, but wood burners are a low-cost and eco-friendly way to produce heat for your home. The wood is a sustainable source and known as a carbon neutral product because the only CO2 released is that which has been previously absorbed.
Heating costs
Take a look at the table below to see how your cost of heating compares to other options. Figures are based on the average annual heating and hot water costs of a three bedroom semi-detached home:
Save with renewable heating
If you believe your energy bills are far too high, then perhaps it’s time to consider a green approach. And in fact you can save hundreds of pounds every year by adopting renewable heat.
With plenty of grants and attractive schemes to benefit from too, you can even earn a fortune with your renewable technology. And better news still, you’ll protect your home from the rising cost of national grid energy for the next 25 years and more.
So let’s take a look at your main options:
Heat Pumps
Heat pumps are a brilliant invention, absorbing heat from the ground or air, before using it for your home. Air source heat pumps are by far the most practical option and the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) even go as far as to say they’re the best heating choice for most UK homes.
Air source heat pumps are very easy to install and are also known as a fit and forget technology. This means they will run a lifetime without any hitches. They look similar to an air conditioning unit and are positioned against an external wall of your home where there is plenty of air supply. See our complete guide to air source heat pump costs to see if this may be suitable for you.
Solar Thermal Panels
Another excellent option to National Grid energy is solar thermal panels. They may not be as popular as solar panels which generate electricity, but they’re still a great system for your home.
The Solar Trade Association (STA) say there are over 100,000 solar thermal installations in the country. They work by absorbing the sun’s rays and using the heat in the property. And like heat pumps there’s very little maintenance involved, giving you guaranteed heat for 25 years and possibly longer.
Solar thermal panels can even provide as much as 65% of your annual usage too, according to the STA.
Jonathon Mione from the Intelligent Energy Solutions, says: “Solar thermal definitely benefits those who use lots of hot water, a family for instance, rather a smaller household.”
How to earn with renewables
By harnessing renewable power you can save a great deal on your bills, but did you know you can even earn thousands of pounds as well? A further £860 million has been pumped into the Government’s Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) recently, which provides a fixed income for homeowners producing their own heat.
Tariff rates available vary depending on the technology you have, but you’ll be paid for seven years once the system has been registered.