In Britain, there are around 1.6 million properties using storage heaters. But with efficiency levels as low as 38% there are better alternatives for heating homes. In this article we explore one of these - infrared heat panels. 

Despite a unit of electricity being higher than gas, there are many benefits of infrared electric heating which mean that it should be actively considered by anyone looking to replace their domestic storage heater system. Below we explore five of these.

1. Price

People who currently use storage heaters who are looking to replace them are often surprised at the cost of replacing them. Storage heaters from industry leaders can start at about £700 (per unit and before installation). Top-of-the-range units from the main players in the market are often even more expensive. Even at the lower end, prices start at around £350.

The prices of Infrared Panel Heaters vary as there are many types and brands of infrared heaters available today. Our 300W infrared heat panel will cost less than £400, and a 785W unit comes in at under £600.

2. Controllability

Top-of-the-range storage heaters have a good level of controllability with digital timers and thermostats. However some of the basic models lack this, meaning rooms can become too hot.

In addition, by the end of the day, much of the stored heat in storage heaters has been lost, meaning that rooms can be cold in the evening - the very time when households have the most requirement for heat.

By contrast, infrared Heating can simply be turned on when and where required, which is more than enough for many people. Infrared heat panels can be operated on a room-by-room basis meaning that energy is not wasted heating empty rooms. Where there is a need for central control, remote controllers can provide this.

3. Efficiency

As already mentioned, storage heaters can be a low as 38% efficient at converting energy into useable heat. Compare this with the 98% efficiency that infrared heaters achieve.

4. Appearance

Storage heaters need to have big ceramic/brick cores so will always be bulky, whereas infrared heaters are very thin which means they don’t take up as much space.

Infrared heaters come in many different styles and can even incorporate a design or a photo on them. Some also have dual functions, such as an infrared mirror in a bathroom. This is not only a mirror but a heater that provides warmth (without steaming up).

5. Future-proofing

The Committee on Climate Change (CCC) made headlines this year when it recommended that all new homes should be future-proofed for low-carbon heating, and by 2025 at the latest no new homes should be connecting to the gas grid (1). That means there will be huge number of properties being developed that will not be able to have a standard central heating system.

Both storage heaters and infrared heat panels are electric and emit no CO2 emissions at source. This means that potentially both could be part of the low carbon housing stock that the Committee envisages.

However, one factor that might tip the balance away from storage heaters and towards more efficient heating types are future changes in the nature of electricity generation.

With more focus on renewables and as energy producers look to better match supply with demand, there may well be less surplus electricity available at night. This, in turn, may mean that one of the key benefits of storage heaters will disappear – i.e. the availability of cheap overnight energy tariffs to charge up storage heaters. The units themselves tend to be 3kW or more, so while they are fine to charge using the current Economy 7 tariff at night if that is scrapped then they may become extremely expensive to charge.

Conclusion

Electric heating won’t be the solution for everyone, as thousands of people across the UK have central heating (boilers and radiators) and it does not make sense from an environmental point of view to remove a working system system and replace it with electrical heating.

However, for those with traditional storage heaters that are in need of replacement, infrared heating should be considered not only because it is smaller and more aesthetically pleasing than a storage heater but more importantly it is the cheaper and more efficient option to use going forward.

(1)'UK Housing - Fit for the Future?', Committee on Climate Change, February 2019.