Electric central heating

Nearly every household in the UK has access to the electricity grid, though not all are connected to gas. For many homes that are off the gas grid, electric heating is their main source of heat. 

Electric heating can be relatively cheap to install and low maintenance, but it's often expensive to run. That's because electricity costs around four times as much as gas per kWh.

There are several different electric heating set-ups, including:

• electric radiators and panel heaters
• electric central heating (with an electric boiler)
• night storage heaters
• infrared heating.

Using a heat pump can also be considered electric heating, as they are powered by electricity. Heat pumps are much more efficient than traditional electric heating options, which make them cheaper to run. They are more expensive to install, but there are government grants available. 

Find out more: how do heat pumps work?

Keep reading to find out more about traditional electric heating, its running costs and other pros and cons to consider. 

Electric radiators

Many electric heating systems are made up of a combination of separate heaters in each room, rather than a central source of heat like a boiler. This is called direct heating (rather than central heating).

Electric radiators and panel heaters are types of direct electric heating. They plug into the mains and are generally expensive to run. Your running costs will be cheaper if you're able to make use of solar panels to generate electricity and battery storage to keep it - bearing in mind that you'll often want to power your heaters when it's dark and solar panels aren't actively charging. 

Find out more: solar panels buying advice and solar battery storage

Electric radiators can also be used to flexibly heat individual rooms or supplement your main gas central heating.

Both have elements inside that are heated up. The heat is then transferred into the room or used to heat the air, which then circulates. The radiator cases are made from highly conductive materials so they transfer heat efficiently. 

New electric heaters (since January 2018) must have thermostats, 24-hour and seven-day programmable timers, temperature controls and fans. Some have smart heating controls too. Older models made before this can still be sold, so check carefully before you purchase.

Electric heaters come in a range of types  - electric wall heaters, fan heaters, oil heaters and convectors. We've tested electric heaters and looked at how quickly they heat up a room and how much they cost to run, as well as how easy they are to use. 

Which? members can see our full results in our guide to the best electric heaters from our tests. 

Alternatively electric underfloor heating is an efficient way to heat a room using electricity. Electric heating elements under the entire floor of a room provide a large surface area to radiate heat from, so it doesn't need to get as hot as a radiator would. 

Find out more about electric underfloor heating.

If your home is heated by electric heaters rather than a wet central heating system (radiators with water in pipes) you'll need a different way to heat your hot water. Options include:

• solar water heating
• electric boilers
• immersion heaters.

Electric central heating

An electric central heating system can be made up of electric radiators and an electric boiler. 

Electric boilers are similar to gas boilers but use electricity to heat water using a heating element, a bit like a giant kettle. They can be small and relatively quiet and don't need to be on an outside wall (unlike gas boilers) as there is no flue or gas pipe. Hot water can then be moved around your home as required.

This means they are also quite quick and easy to install, although you must use a qualified electrician to fit one. 

You can use Which? Trusted Traders to find a reliable electrician near you - our expert team rigorously assesses traders to make sure they are reliable. 

Electric thermal store boilers heat a high-density, highly insulated storage core using electricity. The heat is then transferred by a heat exchanger to a wet central heating system for radiators or underfloor heating, or a water tank to provide hot water to taps. The latest models use smart technology to charge when electricity is cheapest. They can also be powered using solar panels.

Find out more about the pros and cons of electric boilers.

Storage heaters

Traditional electric heating uses storage heaters. These store heat inside their core, which is made from a dense heat-retaining material. Usually they heat up overnight, when they can make use of cheaper energy through an off-peak electricity tariff, and gradually release the heat over the following day. This is why they're sometimes called night storage heaters. 

Traditionally you'd need a specialist Economy 7 or 10 electricity meter to tap into these off-peak rates, though smart meters can now also offer time of use tariffs. The downside is that the electricity you use the rest of the time will be more expensive than other single rate tariffs.

Storage heaters are designed to keep your home warm for the whole day but, once the heat runs out, you may have to wait until the next night for them to reheat. This can mean your home is coldest in the evening. However, there are some storage heaters that you can turn on at any time to get heat immediately.

Popular in the mid-twentieth century, storage heaters fell out of favour in the 80s and 90s as electricity prices increased and people wanted their heat to be on a more flexible schedule. 

However, storage heater technology has improved a lot lot in recent years. Modern storage heaters can come with:

• thermostats
• remote wi-fi controls
• programmable timers
• fans to help disseminate the heat
• open window detectors.

High heat-retention storage heaters can retain more heat than traditional models – up to 45% even 24 hours after they were last charged. This means you’re less likely to be cold come the evening. They're well insulated and have automated controls.

Combination storage heaters come with an additional built-in convection heater, usually incorporated as a grille at the top of the unit, that can give you on-demand heating if the stored heat runs out too soon. This costs more to use than the energy stored overnight so is best used sparingly.

Find out more about storage heaters in our dedicated guide.

Infrared heating

Infrared heating is another type of direct electric heating that uses radiant infrared heat to warm people or objects rather than the air, which means it uses energy more efficiently than traditional heating.

A heating panel emits infrared light, which travels through the air until it reaches a person or object, such as a wall or piece of furniture. The molecules in the object vibrate and generate heat, which is then radiated back into the room.

The panels are thin and come in many shapes and sizes, which means they can easily be installed on walls and ceilings. They can also be coloured, mirrored or printed with artwork or photos to blend in with your decor. 

As well as in panel form, infrared heating can come as underfloor heating or a fabric-like wallpaper, which can be plastered over and decorated.

How much does electric heating cost?

You'll need to consider both the cost of installation and the cost of electricity to heat your home.

Installing electric heating

Installing basic electric radiators is fairly inexpensive. Modern storage heaters are pricier – they can cost from around £400 each and you'll usually need one per room. 

An electric boiler can cost a similar amount to a gas one. However, if you're changing fuel it's likely you'll need rewiring and possibly a new supply fuse, as you'll be using more electricity at once than with a gas boiler.

Maintenance costs are minimal, and you won't need an annual boiler service, unlike with gas central heating.

Electric heating running costs

Electricity bought on an average out-of-contract (variable) tariff is roughly four times the price of gas per unit (measured in kilowatt hours) in October 2024. Comparing a home heated with electricity to a similar one heated with gas, electric heating could cost double the amount to keep warm than it would using gas heating.

Homes with storage heaters will often have time-of-use tariffs to help with electric heating costs.

Your heating bills will also be affected by:

• the size of your home
• how well it's insulated
• the efficiency of your electric heating and hot water system
• how much heating and hot water your home uses
• where you live in the UK
• whether you generate your own electricity.

Use our 10 ways to save on energy bills guide to cut your energy costs.

Generating and storing your own electricity

By generating your own electricity using solar panels – usually on your roof – you'll be able to cut the cost of running electric heating. A 4kWp system could generate around 3,500kWh a year depending on where you are in the country, which is worth £890 at current price-capped electricity prices. 

Read more in our solar panel advice guides.

To get the maximum benefit from your solar panels, you might want to consider storing electricity you don't use while it's being generated to use later. It can be stored in a storage battery or converted to heat in a heat battery or thermal store, which is a highly insulated water tank. 

If you're on an Economy or time-of-use tariff (see below), you can also use battery storage to store cheap energy you buy at off-peak times and use it when electricity is more expensive. 

Solar panel owners can also sell excess energy back to the National Grid using the Smart Export Guarantee. 

Electricity tariffs for electric heating

Storage heaters are often coupled with tariffs that offer cheaper electricity rates at night. The most common ones are:

• Economy 7 – gives seven hours of cheaper electricity overnight
• Economy 10 – gives seven hours of cheaper electricity overnight and three hours at another time (usually in the middle of the afternoon).

You'll need specific meters to get these tariffs. These are known as 'white meters' in Scotland.

You can use electric heating with a single-rate tariff, but this will make your heating expensive to run. But on the flip side, if you have an E7 or E10 meter everything else in your home that uses electricity will be more expensive to run during the other 17 (or 14) hours of the day when you're being charged peak rates, which are higher than the rates on a single rate energy tariff. So it's worth making sure you're set up correctly for your needs and making the most of off-peak rates if you are on one of these tariffs.

If you have a smart meter, you can access new types of time-of-use tariff, which offer cheaper rates at times when there's lower demand for electricity. Find out more about getting a smart meter installed.

Besides your heating, cheap-rate electricity is also worth taking advantage of for heating hot water using an immersion heater.

Secondary electric heating

Portable electric heaters or electric towel rails are types of secondary electric heating as they're in addition to your central heating system.

If your main heating is efficient then you often won't need secondary heating. However, it can make sense to use an individual heater to heat a small space for a short time. 

But take care if you're relying heavily on an electric heater. The price of electricity means they can be very expensive to run over a prolonged period.

See our reviews of the best electric heaters for the most efficient and reliable models.

Electric central heating pros and cons

Pros

• Electric heaters can be much cheaper to install than gas central heating.
• Little maintenance is needed as they don't have pipework or a gas flue and don't need annual servicing.
• Electric heaters are more efficient than gas boilers as all the electricity they use is turned into heat.
• As the amount of electricity generated by renewables increases (it's currently around 40%) electric heating will become lower carbon.
• If you generate your own electricity and use it to power your heating, you'll be able to reduce your carbon footprint and running costs.

Cons

• More expensive to run than gas central heating.
• Daytime rates on Economy 7 or Economy 10 tariffs are higher than on standard single-rate electricity tariffs so running appliances during the day can be expensive. 
• If you switch a night storage heater on for the first time in a while, you won't get heating until the next morning.