Electric vs Gas boiler Which is the best?

Here we'll give you solid insights into whether a gas boiler or an electric boiler is perfect for your home heating purposes. 

Choosing the perfect boiler for your home would depend on multiple factors, such as the size of your property, the number of showers, and the water pressure in the area. 

Once you've figured out the capabilities of each boiler system and how they fit into your home, you'd know which one to pick. 

Keep reading, and you'll know whether an electric or gas boiler is best for your home heating requirements. 

Electric or gas boiler?

Before we consider whether an electric boiler or gas is the best, let's understand how each boiler works and the pros and cons of each boiler system. 

We'll look individually into how each boiler works to better appreciate them in their totality. 

What is a gas boiler? 

A gas boiler is a central heating system that burns natural gas to generate hot water for home heating purposes, such as room radiators and water for your shower. 

They act like mini fires heating water. When we say natural gas, we mean the gas supplied to your home from a local gas network. 

LPG or Liquified petroleum gas is stored in tanks at your property as an alternative to natural gas. Either way, the gas is burnt to produce warm water. 

The heated water is pumped through your pipes and radiators to warm your rooms and run your taps and showers. 

There are three types of gas boilers: combi, system, and regular. Depending on your home's requirements you can choose the one you want. 

If you go for a combi gas boiler, you won't have to wait for domestic hot water as the boiler produces it on demand. In contrast, you might have to wait for your water to get heated using a system gas boiler. 

However, we won't be dwelling much into the types of gas boilers in this blog. Our objective is to understand whether an electric or gas boiler is best for our home. 

What is an Electric boiler?

Gas boilers have been traditionally used over the years and are still favoured by many who believe natural gas does the good deed for them.

So what exactly is an electric boiler? 

An Electric Boiler is a Boiler which works utilising electricity instead of a flammable non-renewable energy source like gas or oil boilers.

You can choose from various electric boilers, including direct-acting electric boilers. Depending on your home's needs, you'll have to choose among the different electric boilers. 

On a general note, electric boilers are also used in homes with lower heating requirements. 

Pros and Cons: Gas Boilers and Electric Boilers 

Gas Boilers - Pros and Cons

Electric Boilers - Pros and Cons

There you go. These are the major pros and cons of gas and electric boilers. Let's dive deeper into a few of these parameters to choose the best boiler for your home. 

Which boiler is more energy efficient?

Energy efficiency is a very important parameter when deciding which boiler to buy. It determines the quality heating output you can get from the substance used to produce heat. 

The condensing technology in gas boilers allows latent heat to be recovered and thus produce further heating, increasing the energy efficiency. 

Installation Vs Running costs

You can easily decide when you evaluate the installation and running costs of gas and electric boilers. 

Gas boilers are generally more expensive when it comes to the installation and cost of the entire unit. The higher the dependency on the number of moving parts and complexity of the system, the higher the price. However, in the long run, it proves to be beneficial as natural gas prices are much lower than electricity. The truth is that electricity costs about three times when compared to natural or liquified gas. 

Environment friendly: Electric or gas boilers

With the current global warming and climate crisis, it is much healthier to adopt the mentality of being an environmental conservationist.

Gas boilers burn an adequate amount of gas to produce heated water, which results in the emission of carbon and other greenhouse gases. 

A statement made by an acclaimed research agency in the UK goes as such

'A gas boiler emits more annual CO2 than seven transatlantic flights.'

38% of gas is used in the UK for home heating purposes. On an average, these gas boilers emit greenhouse gases equivalent to approximately 2.2 tonnes of CO2 per year.

You'd be surprised to hear that, but the truth is that you are contributing to greenhouse gas emissions using gas boilers. However, if your facility requires higher heating requirements, it is better to go for gas boilers as the current scenario of electric boilers does not level up to it. 

Gas vs. Electric Boilers: Which one is better for your home?

Now that you know the pros and cons of electric and gas boilers, it's time to choose. You can decide based on your home heating requirements and personal liking. 

Smart Cover is here to cover your boiler with boiler insurance cover in case there is boiler breakdown. We ensure that your boiler works in good condition throughout the year.