Is your central heating system costing you too much money? Not to worry!
In this article, we will cover three alternative heating methods for your home that work at a time when energy prices aren’t falling, the cost to heat up our homes isn’t getting any lower and switching off the lights and turning things off standby can only save so much.
Many home-owners are looking to alternative heating methods as a way to save money and live more efficiently. The good news is there are two technologies that work in the short term.
Here’s the low-down on the main alternative heating methods for your home:
Electric radiators
In a nutshell: The best choice for central heating replacement.
Electric radiators are an effective alternative heating method for your home – they plug into a mains power socket and release an efficient temperature that you set. The electricity drawn by an electric radiator will cost far less than the cost to boot up a central heating system.
Related: How to make your home more energy efficient this winter
Electric radiators cost a lot less to run than central heating systems do because you aren’t paying to heat up your whole home; just the room the radiator is installed within. Electric radiators can also be transported from room to room so two per home will usually suffice.
Heated fans
In a nutshell: The best choice for portable room-to-room heat.
Heated fans plug into a mains socket. They suck in cold air, run this through a heated element, and then blow the heated air across a room. They can be bought from the likes of Argos for around £30, and they are relatively energy efficient – more so than central heating, anyway.
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Heated fans are an effective alternative heating method, more so perhaps than electric radiators because they distribute heat evenly in a room. Heated fans can be small units or they can take on the form of a faux fireplace.
The smaller units are more useful, because you can transport them from room to room easily. The larger the unit the better though in terms of pound-for-pound heating capability.
Underfloor heating – best for long-term savings
In a nutshell: Only suitable as a longer-term investment.
On the subject of underfloor heating, we must dispel the myth that underfloor heating could save you money – underfloor heating is not a cost-effective heating method, because it will cost hundreds or thousands of pounds to install.
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So even if you use your central heating system less, you won’t recoup your initial outlay. At least not for a good few years. Instead, underfloor heating is more of a comfort technology, in that you’ll have toasty-warm feet without socks on in a room of your home.
So there we have it, some alternative heating methods for your home.