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What is the Best Electric Boiler to Buy in the UK 2024?
What is the best electric boiler in the UK? With natural gas becoming more expensive and contributing towards climate change, there’s never been a better time to consider an electric central heating boiler for your home.
Which electric boiler is best suited to your home and circumstances though? That’s the question we aim to answer in this article.
To ensure you get the exact electric boiler for your unique circumstances and needs, we highly recommend getting expert advice from a professional heating engineer. However, finding a reputable heating engineer near you that installs electric boilers may not be the easiest task. That’s where we come in.
To save you the hassle of searching for heating engineers in your area, checking if they install electric boilers, and then comparing them against other engineers to ensure you don’t get overcharged. We have developed a service that does all of the hard work for you.
All you have to do is answer a few simple questions, and we’ll get you quotes from up to 3 heating engineers in your local area. It’s free and there’s no obligation to accept any of the quotes you receive. Click the button below to get started.
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Electric Boiler Cost
Generally speaking, electric boilers cost roughly the same as gas boilers in terms of upfront and maintenance costs. You can find electric combi boilers in the UK for as low as £900, and regular electric boilers can even go down to £500. Usually, prices go up to around £2,500, however, some premium models can cost more. Below we’ve put together a table of what you can expect the electric combi boiler cost to be:
| Electric combi boiler options | Price range |
|---|---|
| Budget models | £900-£1,200 |
| Mid-range models | £1,200-£2,500 |
| Premium models | £2,500-£4,500 |
Of course, when it comes to the total cost of an electric boiler you’ll also need to consider the running costs and installation costs. Installation costs can vary widely from one installer to the next. This is why it’s so important for you to compare quotes from different installers to make sure you’re not overpaying.
The downside to this though is that finding and comparing installers can be a tedious task. Thankfully, you don’t need to worry as we can help you with finding professional installers and save you hours of your time. By clicking the button below you’ll receive up to 3 quotes from qualified installers available in your area which you can then objectively compare. It’s completely free to do and you’re under no obligation to accept any of the offers.
- Quotes from local engineers
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What is an Electric Boiler
Before finding out which electric boiler in the UK is the best, you may be curious as to what exactly an electric boiler is and how it works.
How do electric boilers work to heat homes?
The difference between electric vs gas boilers is minimal – an electric boiler works in exactly the same way as a gas boiler, but uses electricity as its fuel rather than gas. This means it does not directly produce any carbon emissions, and that there is no health risk with having one installed.
Types of Electric Boilers
As you may already be aware, gas boilers are generally available in 3 different types: combi, system and regular/conventional. This is no different for electric boilers. This means that, whether your home is best suited to a regular, system or combination boiler, there will still be plenty of electric boilers in the UK for you to choose from.
What is the Best Electric Combi Boiler?
Designed to provide heating and hot running water to a property, directly from the mains water supply, combi boilers are the most popular boiler type in Britain. It’s no surprise then, that there are many different electric combi boilers already available on the market.
However, electric combi boilers are not all the same. That’s why we have provided some electric combi boiler reviews below to give you an overview of some of the best boilers on the market:
Electric Heating Company Mercury combi boiler
The latest addition to the Electric Heating Company’s boiler portfolio, the Mercury combi boiler is available in a wide range of outputs to suit different property sizes, and sports some state of the art features too.
- Output ranges of 12 – 26kW (suitable for homes with 6 – 17 radiators)
- Compatible with central heating and underfloor heating
- Includes 5 year guarantee
- 100% energy efficient (no energy is lost)
- Includes summer and winter modes to help save energy
The only drawback of this electric combi boiler is that the models with lower outputs are not capable of producing a high enough flow rate of hot water to efficiently fill a hot bath, and are only recommended for use with showers.
What is the Best Electric Regular Boiler?
A boiler type that’s becoming less and less common, regular boilers require a separate hot water cylinder to provide hot running water, and a feed tank in the loft to provide a water supply. This boiler type requires a lot more pipework compared to other types of boilers, such as an electric hot water boiler. However, if you already have the existing pipework, an electric regular boiler could be fitted with little hassle.
We’ve provided some information on what we consider to be the best electric regular boiler below.
Heatrae Sadia Amptec regular boiler
A lightweight and compact regular boiler that’s made in the UK, the Amptec regular boiler is available in 5 output sizes and can be used with pressurised or open-vented systems. We’ve listed some of its key features below.
- Output ranges of 4 – 12kW (suitable for small properties with up to 8 radiators)
- Compatible with central and underfloor heating systems
- Silent operation
- 99.8% energy efficient
- 2 year warranty
As this electric boiler is only available in lower output sizes, it is unfortunately not suitable for larger properties with high hot water demands.
What is the Best Electric System Boiler?
A cross between combi and regular boilers, system boilers are best suited to homes with higher demand for hot running water. They require a hot water storage cylinder to provide hot running water, but draw their water supply directly from the water mains.
As electric boilers are generally only available in lower output sizes, system models are actually quite common. This is because a separate hot water cylinder can store hot water that can then be drawn by the hot taps or a shower.
We have provided some details about what we consider to be the best electric system boiler below.
Elnur Mattira system boiler
The Mattira range of boilers from Elnur is the only range of boilers capable of regulating energy consumption according to the heating needs of the property. They do this by measuring the internal and external temperatures of the property every 20 seconds. We have listed some further key features below.
- Output ranges of 3 – 15kW (suitable for up to 10 radiators)
- Compatible with central heating and underfloor heating
- SEM (Smart Electronic Modulating) system regulates energy consumption
- 100% energy efficient
- 5 year guarantee
While this system boiler is capable of meeting high hot water demands of a home, it is limited to how many radiators it can support, and would not be suitable for a large home.
If you are unsure of which type of boiler to get, but still want to make the move to an electric boiler, we recommend getting advice from a qualified heating engineer. They can help you with deciding on what’s best for your home and take the hassle out of doing the research on your own.
To ensure you are getting the best advice, and not overpaying on boiler installation, we also recommend comparing quotes from several heating engineers near you. That way you can compare the different quotes, and have the peace of mind that you’ve got the best deal. This is something we can help with.
Rather than doing all of your own research and spending hours vetting heating engineers in your area, you can save time and money by using our free quote comparison service. Simply click the button below and we’ll find quotes from up to 3 trusted heating engineers in your area. It’s completely free and there’s no obligation to accept any of the quotes you receive.
- Quotes from local engineers
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- Save up to £975
What Size Electric Boiler do I Need?
Depending on the size of your property and how many radiators you have, you will need an electric boiler of a specific output size. A good way to work out what output size would be suitable for your home is to allow for 1.5 – 2kW for each radiator in the property.
As electric boilers are only available in a limited range of output sizes, they are more suited to small to medium sized properties.
Best residential electric boiler for flats in the UK
As a typical flat will have very few radiators throughout the property, any kind of electric boiler would be able to meet its heating and hot water requirements easily. The main consideration for what would be suitable, will most likely be more about space.
As the Heatrae Sadia Amptec has very compact dimensions, it could be a good choice. However, you need to take into account that it would require a separate hot water cylinder to provide hot running water. Which would take up a lot of space itself.
If your flat is already fitted with a combi boiler, replacing it with the Mercury electric combi boiler could be a good option. It will easily fulfil your heating and hot water needs, and can help to lower your carbon footprint too. Especially if your energy supplier provides electricity from renewable sources.
If your flat requires an electric boiler for hot water only, then it might be worth considering an electric immersion heater or water heater for your home instead.
Best electric boiler for a large house in the UK
To be completely honest, it’s difficult to recommend the best electric boiler for a large house. This is because their output sizes are limited by the electrics within a property. To successfully power an electric boiler with an output size higher than 12 – 15kW you will need to have a 3-phase electric system.
Add to this the fact that an electric boiler will struggle to provide sufficient amounts of domestic hot water to a large property, and it becomes clear that your best option will not be an electric boiler.
There are other low carbon heating alternatives that could heat a large home effectively though. One of which is an air source heat pump in the UK.
Advantages of Electric Boilers
While electric boilers are not the only renewable alternatives to gas or oil boilers, they do have many benefits that are not provided by other renewable options.
- Highly efficient with most electric boilers being 100% efficient
- No risk of releasing waste gases
- Cheap and straightforward to install
- Can be installed almost anywhere (do not to be on an external wall)
- No need for annual servicing
- Compact and lightweight
- Almost silent running
- Solar compatible
Disadvantages of Electric Boilers
Unfortunately, where there are advantages, electric boilers do have a few disadvantages too.
- Only suitable for smaller properties with a single bathroom
- High running costs due to the price of electricity
- Only truly green if your electricity supply is renewable
As there are considerably fewer disadvantages than advantages when using an electric boiler, it’s no surprise that many British homeowners are choosing them.
If you are considering getting an electric boiler and want to ensure you find one at the best possible price, we highly recommend getting quotes from multiple heating engineers near you. This allows you to compare the quotes against each other, understand which engineer is offering you the best deal, and avoid being overcharged for the installation. This is something we can help with.
To save you the time and hassle of having to look for heating engineers in your area and contact each one individually, we can put you in contact with up to 3 heating engineers near you. All you need to do is click the form below and take a minute to fill out our simple form. We’ll then get you quotes from up to 3 trusted engineers near you. It’s completely free and there’s no obligation to accept any quote you receive.
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FAQ
Nick has a wide range of experience writing about conventional and renewable heating solutions. As well as writing articles for GreenMatch, he also helps in the production of Youtube videos.
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