What’s the Most Cost-Effective Way of Heating Your Home?

The winter months in the UK serve as a stark reminder that having access to the right heating options is absolutely essential. However, knowing how best to heat your home, and which technologies give the best value for money, isn’t always so easy.

Especially during a cost of living crisis, making every penny go a little bit further with sensible short-term and long-term decisions is key, and that’s why our team of experts at Warmaway have pooled their knowledge to share with you some insights on the most cost-effective methods to heat your home in 2024.

Cheap Heating Solutions

It goes without saying that your central heating system is the most expensive and vital heating tool in your property. With an efficient central heating system, you can enjoy warm and comfortable bedrooms and living areas and for longer periods if your house is well insulated.

However, the boiler market simply isn’t the same as it used to be. With the global drive towards green and clean electricity, new products have entered the market that rival and in many cases surpass older, traditional boiler products – and it could benefit you to see if one of these new products could completely change your daily life.

We think the best heating options in today’s market are:

1. Traditional Boilers

With every heating system, it’s typically the case that spending a little more upfront for a quality product will result in you getting access to a better heating system that operates more efficiently, reducing those monthly gas and electricity bills.

It’s still the case that new boilers present themselves as the perfect middle-market product which work well and don’t break the bank to invest in. With a new boiler, you’re likely to see consistently great performance from your heating system, and any fluctuation in cost is likely to be driven by you either using the heating more or gas prices spiking (which we know has happened a little too much recently). 

Boilers are still a staple of the UK household, and that’s why we continue to offer an expert boiler installation service for our customers across Yorkshire. Alternatively, servicing your current boiler could be a sensible way to unlock immediate cost savings if you’re experiencing any issues.

2. Underfloor Heating

One of the newer and more exciting products that’s revolutionising heating in the UK is underfloor heating. Despite it first being invented by the Romans around 5,000 BC, many people today still think that underfloor heating is an extremely premium, exclusive heating type that requires rebuilding your house and isn’t available to all households.

That’s simply not the case. At Warmaway, our expert heating engineers can install an underfloor heating system for your property, regardless of its size, with minimal disruption. That said, you might find that our underfloor heating options are a little more stylish than what the Romans could conjure up.

This innovative heating style pairs beautifully with smart controls and devices, which we also supply if you value home comforts.

3. Heat Pumps

Now for the most exciting and market-shifting product that you’ll hear plenty about in the coming months and years if you haven’t already – heat pumps. Available in two unique styles, these efficient little devices provide enough power to heat your whole home.

• Ground source heat pumps draw heat directly from the ground and use it to heat your home.
• Air source heat pumps suck in air from outdoors via one central pump before heating it and circulating it around your house.

Generally, air source heat pumps are quicker and easier to install than ground source pumps, as well as being cheaper. That said, ground source heat pumps are more efficient overall, but of course, require a little bit of work to be done to install – including digging up the ground and running some tests for safety purposes.

Both heat pumps present fantastic options for central heating. They’re much cheaper than boilers to run and you won’t face the prospect of having to upgrade to a renewable/electric heat pump system in the coming years. So, if you want to go green with a quality heating system and future-proof your house, this is the right choice for you. Get in touch with our friendly experts for tailored advice.

How to Choose the Right Heating System

To make the right choice about which heating system to invest in, start by taking a careful look at your budget. The main driver behind this decision should be how much money can you afford to invest upfront versus in the long term. 

Repairing an existing heating system will always be the cheapest option available to you (if you already have a boiler installed), but generally more renewable, modern, and sustainable heating systems will include a higher upfront cost with cheaper long-term daily costs.

At Warmaway, we believe the UK is set to increase its adoption of heat pump technology as part of the net zero drive, and this could be an exciting development to check in on if you haven’t read much about them already.

Heating individual rooms

Of course, there are much smaller-scale heating solutions that can’t heat your entire house, but could comfortably heat an individual room. If you’re happy with your heating system at present and aren’t quite ready to make the jump to a renewable system, these options could help keep you ticking over while you also maintain your boiler.

Electric Oil Heaters

The most cost-efficient heating type if you’re looking to heat one small-medium sized room is likely an electric oil heater. These are essentially stand-alone radiators filled with oil. They take a while to heat up initially, but once they’re hot, they don’t use too much electricity to stay hot – meaning you can get access to cheaper heating over a few hours.

Of course, if you’re looking to heat multiple rooms or large rooms, a proper central heating system is the sensible next step, but we’ve seen a lot of oil heater sales increase in the current economy.

Electric Space Heaters

Standalone fans or space heaters are commonplace in UK households. You’ll see them in shops everywhere, and that’s because they’re cheap to buy and output a tonne of heat extremely quickly.

If you use them infrequently, they can be a nice option for one or two people sharing a room. That said, they are hugely energy-intensive, and not a sensible investment if you’re looking to use them daily as a main heating source.

If you think of the sheer amount of electricity usage you could rack up using these devices over the course of a few hours, then consider how many days you use them for, it becomes immediately obvious that investing in a proper heating system might be a better idea. Plus, everyone can enjoy a central heating system, not just the person hogging the fan!

How Warmaway Could Help

At Warmaway, we are experts in all things heating. Our Yorkshire-based operation has seen hundreds of renewable energy systems and boilers installed for households across the region, and our expert heating engineers are friendly, approachable, and fully qualified to conduct complex installations. If you’re in need of help with your heating, reach out to us for an obligation-free chat.