Efficient Electric boilers

[lumepo]

The cost of bringing gas to my property and installing a central heating system is prohibitive. I am considering alternatives.

I would like to be able to remove the internal cold water tank and the imersion heater and install instead an efficient electric boiler instead. is there one you would recommend?

 

[muggles]

Electric boilers are roughly 100% efficient, at least at point of use. They're very expensive to run though, have you considered LPG or oil-fired heating instead? None of the electric boilers have very long warranties on them. There's a very similar discussion going on here at the moment //www.diynot.com/forums/plumbing/deciding-on-a-non-mains-gas-central-heating-system.397457/

 

[dcawkwell]

lpg cheapest to get up and running. 2 47kg bottle and a boiler
and you are up and running.
That would barely cover the cost of an oil tank.

 

[lumepo]

If electric boilers are 100% efficient at the point of use, does it mean that for a 2 bedroom flat, with only one shower, it is not necessary to have an storage heater as well?

 

[big-all]

If electric boilers are 100% efficient at the point of use, does it mean that for a 2 bedroom flat, with only one shower, it is not necessary to have an storage heater as well?

storage heaters use off peak electric thats around 400% efficient [1/4 the price]
ok not more than 100% but around 75% cheaper at say 3-5p a unit off peak over 12-20p peak rate

 

[Richardthe3rd]

With leccy heating a Heat Pump would be first choice and with flats a split air source heat pump maybe your only option.

If a HP is out of the question then a Storage Electric boiler is best, the other choice is a Flow Through electric boiler. The former will store heat that's generated on a cheap tariff, the later doesn't have that advantage

Establishing your cheapest tariff is a good starter regardless.
HTH

 

[Richardthe3rd]

If electric boilers are 100% efficient at the point of use, does it mean that for a 2 bedroom flat, with only one shower, it is not necessary to have an storage heater as well?

storage heaters use off peak electric thats around 400% efficient [1/4 the price]
ok not more than 100% but around 75% cheaper at say 3-5p a unit off peak over 12-20p peak rate

As always very informative big-all.

The disadvantage of electric storage heaters is a) Tariffs b) Difficulty in controlling the heat, when seasonal weather changes. I'd never recommend electric storage heaters, they're the work of the Devil.