Radiators electric or gas

Hugheschloe

Morning,
we are doing our attic conversion and are now deciding on heating up there. But do I have gas plumbed to our boiler (although in years this probably will go) or do I look at the new “efficient” electric radiators? Or is there something else? I’m really struggling to decide and we need to soon…. I’d appreciate feedback and advice thank you 

ComicGeek

All electric radiators/panel heaters are 100% efficient anyway, any product (normally also advertised as German engineered with names like Fischer) that claims to be something special is a scam.

Do you have a gas boiler and radiators in the rest of the house already, wasn't sure from your post? If so, simplest would be to extend the system into the attic and install additional rads.

Depending on where you are in the country, and how you coped with the recent heat, you might also want to consider a condenser less heat pump that does both heating (at 300-400% efficiency so much better than electric rads) and cooling (attic conversions get really hot even with good insulation). Something like https://www.cooleasy.co.uk/categories/diy-air-conditioning/powrmatic-vision/vision-2-6kw-dc-inverter-air-conditioning-unit.html, which does need an external wall (gable wall?) to install on.

grumbler

Hugheschloe said:

although in years this probably will go

You are too optimistic. These 'years' will cost you a fortune in extra heating costs.

or do I look at the new “efficient” electric radiators?

All electric radiators are equally efficient -100%.

Heat pumps are more efficient as a source of energy for heating. Also there are solar electric panels (PV) and solar water heating panels.

Bendy_House

Hi HC.

As CG says. All electric heaters are 100% efficient for the simple reason that every watt consumed is turned into heat - there is no loss (perhaps a teeeeny fraction lost in the mains 'hum' or glow from an element!).

Some leccy heaters can be more 'effective' than others, tho', in doing stuff like heating a wider area or storing up cheaper electricity overnight, but more 'efficient'?, no.

What will this attic be used for? If a living area that will be heated for longer periods, then it's especially worth looking at 'oversizing' the wet rads that are still your best option to fit. For bedrooms, it should still be done, but not quite as critical, simply as they are run less.

You reckon in time the gas boiler will go? What do you mean by this? What will replace it? An ASHP? PVs?

The 'green' energy options that will come along, and are already here, will still almost certainly be supplying the heat to your home via the 'wet' system you already have, but the main difference is likely to be that the water temp won't be as high. That's ok PROVIDED the rads are sized appropriately - ie bigger! - so they can release a similar amount of heat to the rooms. So, if you need to replace any other rads, consider their new sizes carefully. Or go UFH.

Sicard

In light of the Russians being in control of a lot of gas which will cause problems for the West for years to come I'd go for electric.

markin

The future will be green gas, or more likely wet systems with ASHP, So fit a rad or a mini split AC/heat pump. 

Bendy_House

Hughes has a wet system, and it would, under most scenarios, be nuts to change from that.

Pretty much all the future eco options require a thermal store, heated by whatevs - ASHP, PVs, Solar, Biomass, even cheap-rate leccy or gas, and this will then supply heat via a wet system, which they already have.

Cheap and easy to extend a wet system to the upstairs, instead of new cabling to supply electric rads. One other thing to consider - depending on what rooms will be up there, seriously consider 'zoning' that floor so that it is under independent heating control.

ALL Hughes is asking is what type of outputting devices to install. And I think there's one obvious answer.

Lomast

Sicard said:

In light of the Russians being in control of a lot of gas which will cause problems for the West for years to come I'd go for electric.

Except 33% of our current electricity is generated by gas although Russian gas only accounts for a tiny part of the UK supply so we are less reliant than a lot of Europe 

grumbler

Lomast said:

Sicard said:

In light of the Russians being in control of a lot of gas which will cause problems for the West for years to come I'd go for electric.

Except 33% of our current electricity is generated by gas although Russian gas only accounts for a tiny part of the UK supply so we are less reliant than a lot of Europe 

And? If import to Europe goes down prices will rise equally on both the "tiny part" and the remaining part.

Hugheschloe

Thank you all for your responses. I do have gas boiler system in place so was just unsure to extend to the attic which will be a bedroom or change.
Lots to think about but I think it might be best utilising my boiler and getting rads plenty big enough and looking at what I can do to improve boiler…
thanks again 

bris

Electric is a lot more expensive to run than gas.

Heat pumps are not the answer either as they are pretty weak at the default setting and to get the right heat for your water (and some say heating too) you need to ramp up the power but doing that costs a lot more electricity defeating it's point of being efficient.

Stick with gas for now as the newer models can be converted or are ready to run the new ix in a few years