Electric Boilers for heating

dande67

Hi.

I was wondering if anybody has any experience with electric boilers. I live in an old house. Had radiators heated by a solid fuel range which has now been taken out. I'm looking at electrical options for heating and I was considering an electric boiler as I have all the radiator infrastructure in place. It's something you don't hear talked about. All the talk is about heat pumps which are not suitable for an old cottage like mine at this point.

Thanks for any feedback

Lenar3556

Very expensive to run vs oil or gas, plus your house electricity supply will significantly limit the size of one you can install.

Given that they require a fully plumbed system, there really aren’t a viable solution in all but the most novel scenario.

Electric radiators would be a more efficient and cost effective solution.

KildareP

It'd be horrendously expensive.

1000L of kero is €1155 from Naas Oil (closest example to me)...

• Kero contains ~10kWh of heat a litre
• allow for worst case 70% efficient non-condensing boiler already in place
• meaning every litre gives you only 7kWh of heat into your heating circuit @ €1.16 a litre
• that is 16.5c per kWh of heat.

Any electric form of heating that involves an element (convective heater or an immersion) is by its nature 100% efficient so

• 1kWh of electricity gives 1kWh of heat
• but electricity is averaging around 36c per kWh currently
• that is 36c per kWh of heat.

Let's say you used 1000L of oil a year to heat the house = 7,000 kWh of heat @ €1155.

7,000kWh @ 36c of electricity = €2,520, over double the cost.

If you were putting in a brand new oil boiler today then it would be condensing and closer to 90% efficient. The same 1,000L would give you 9,000kWh of heat for €1155 while 9,000kWh of electricity would be €3,240.

Sleeper12

The only electric heater that could be viable is a heat pump. These are very good value compared to gas and oil if installed correctly and home has correct insulation. Badly sized, installed heat pump or inadequate insulation is a money pit

micks_address

ive noticed a few youtube videos on this:

The Zeb... not sure if its available here... it is in the UK

https://youtu.be/y_v0midqPDc?si=0u-8aUTGToP1gDHR

https://youtu.be/NOUDbx1tX-A?si=jpb3MiRY5q6E1a26

headtheball14

I can't see why you wouldn't go for a new gas or oil boiler to be honest. you have the infrastructure in place unless no gas mains or room for oil tank.

I would say that some of the requirements for renovations to older houses to install heat pumps seem over the top to me and designed to extract maximum revenue from.customers .

I installed an air to air heat pump with storage heaters as a back up and didn't upgrade insulation yet and it has been successful over all. I would not be eligible for the grants with this set up though.

The seai one stop shops have been very unhappy with this when I contacted them .. I did want to get extra insulation but not an air to water heat pump and they have said not interested in dealing with me .

You would be looking at what 2 or 3 grand for.a boiler to last ten to 15 years , would be same for storage heaters or air to air heat pump at least and then you can multiply that by 5 or more for air to water

micks_address

ive been thinking about an air to air heat pump in the future - have gas/radiators now.. would like the cooling potential for the summer even though we wouldnt need it a lot

headtheball14

yeah have to say it's nice to have the few occasions we have had very warm days.

they suit particular house.configurations.

if you have a house with loads of rooms maybe not but open enough it works

dande67

Thanks for all your feedback. Food for thought.

carveone

The one bed apartment down from me had their gas boiler replaced with an electric one by the landlord. On the basis that the flue was hard to change or something equally lazy. Oh and it needed a condensate pipe which would require extra work (boiler was in the kitchen above the sink).

The changeover seemed fast enough plumbing wise. But then they needed an electrician to rewire for the 10kW needed which took hours. Their electricity meter is whizzing around. I've a suspicion the tenants aren't going to be happy with their bill.

monseiur

Heating rads by solid fuel stove only is a bad idea (unless you have a stoker on standby 24/7 so you were right to take it out. Seeing that your house is old and that you have rads, pipework etc in situ already the most economical heating system in your scenario is oil. A self contained outdoor oil boiler costs €1,700 approx, a 300 gallon oil tank costs roughly €500#. Your plumber may be able to source them cheaper. Double check your attic insulation, a minimum of 300mm is required. Also check windows & doors for draught, if single glazed upgrade to uPVC double treble glazed if your budget allows.😊

Forget air to water or similar unless you can afford to drop over €120,000 on totally gutting your house & re-modelling to suit. Even at today's high oil prices €120k. will buy you a lot of oil !

Seventy Plus

Never heard of an electric boiler until I read all of above yesterday.

Seems straightforward you swap your gas or oil boiler for an electric boiler; where pipes and radiators are in place.

If you have solar pv with good generation you would not be concerned about electricity bill

A lot less disruptive in the case of a retrofit; notwithstanding lower COP as compared to heat pump.

It is worthwhile looking into for the road to Net Zero.

antoinolachtnai

this is a good strategy if you hate money and love your electricity supplier in equal measures.

Solar PV doesn’t have anything to do with it any contribution to make to heating a home in the winter time.

lulu34

sorry to hijack this post but I just bought a 2 bed terraced house 80square meters

It already has storage heaters that were put in in the late 80s. It needs a new kitchen and bathroom so budget is tight. Should I just replace all storage heater s with electric ones(atc or farho)

Or how much would an oil boiler and rads cost ??
thanks