A Guide to Modern Home Heating

Winter has come. Knees deep in snow and frost, there seems to be one message on everyone's ice cold lips.

We're not heating our home this Christmas.

That's right. Despite the plummeting temperatures, it seems that a large swathe of the British public are deciding not to put the heating on this Winter. But why is this the case?

An older person's hand holding up a few pound coins in a dark home

The Cost of Home Heating

Let's get the big one out of the way first. Heating can be expensive and more often than not mounting costs or even just concerns about mounting costs can be a huge factor in the decision to heat your home. Because it's such a big concern, let's take a look at some statistics to put this into perspective.

Statistics on Home Heating in 2025

Approximately 73% of UK homes use gas to power their central heating. Despite this, UK homes are moving away from gas-powered heating as new homes are being built with heating alternatives such as heat pumps and electric solutions.
Gas powered central heating is not controlled. This means that it heats up your entire home.
The cost to run central heating is (on average) 6.4p per kilowatt, per hour.

The reason why we think it's important to cover the basics of common central heating is because it's important to establish ground rules. This isn't an excuse to point out central heating as bad. In fact, it's the opposite.

Central Heating in the UK

To declare central heating a write off would be selling it short. The truth is that central heating is neither good nor bad. It simply just "has its place."

A white radiator on a wall with a Christmas tree in the corner of the room which can be seen to left of the radiator

The costs of old fashioned central heating (mostly) comes from the fact that heats an entire home. How? By using the pipes in your home to transfer boiling water throughout your home- thus warming the air. It's all quite clever.

A diagram of how central heating works showing pipes going from the boiler into radiators in each room

This system may be old, but it's still fairly direct and clever. That being said, this still leaves us with a big question.

Why would you want to heat your entire home at once?

The answer here is quite simple. Either because you want to keep your home warm (kind of obvious) or if you have a family. That's right. For families that do their own thing in different areas of the home, central heating might just be the answer. Because of the blanket approach that central heating provides, keeping the family warm and toasty might just be a case of cranking up the thermostat.

The Decline of Central Heating

Despite all of our kudos to the old fashioned method of gas heating though, it may be worth revisiting an old point. Gas heating is on the decline. Due to costs, many people are naturally starting to drift away from this kind of warmth. It may seem like this is something relatively new thanks to all of the doom scrolling and media sensationalism in the media. In reality though, it's been coming for some time.

In Winter 2021, 78% of UK households with central heating, used it.

During the same time in 2022, use of central heating had reduced by 21%.

Chief amongst the concerns about central heating were questions about the environment, affordability and the growing popularity of alternative heating sources. Now, with governments pledging to tackle the problem by reducing the number of UK homes built with gas powered central heating, the biggest question of them all begins to raise it's head.

What is going to replace central heating?

Truth be told, we don't really know. It may be a case of pick-your-own solution when it comes to future heating. Instead of location or construction, new homes may be bought and sold purely on the type of heating they have installed. However, with all of that said, there is a solution to the home heating crisis that's not entirely new. In fact, electronic heaters have been extremely popular for quite some time.

A Senelux mini heater placed in front of a Christmas tree with lights on and presents underneath

The Rise of Electric Heaters

What's strange here is that electric heaters didn't really "rise" at all. They've always been popular, especially here in the UK. We just like to be a bit dramatic when the mood strikes us.

But it is true that electric heaters are all the rage these days. Surging in popularity particularly in rented properties and flats, electric heaters offer a whole host of advantages that gas heating simply can't compete with.

The main advantages of electric heaters

Energy Efficiency: one of the biggest reasons why electric heaters are getting so much traction with governments across the world. Electric heaters simply do less damage to the environment than gas heaters do. Fairly straightforward, but it certainly explains a large part of the appeal.
Cheaper heating: energy efficiency doesn't just mean better of the environment. By consuming less resources for power, electric heaters keep the costs low for the user. Meaning that you can avoid paying the rising central heating bills by making the switch to electric.
Focused and accurate: if gas powered heating takes a blunt-hammer approach to warmth, then electric heaters are like a hot scalpel. Heating up rooms that need it instead of spreading as widely as possible throughout your home.

Electric heaters really have sold themselves as the opposite of our old fashioned boiler heaters. Gas heaters are associated with their negative effects on the environment, whilst electric heaters are being praised for their efficiency. Gas heaters warm up your entire home whereas electric alternatives are typically designed to heat one or two rooms. Its a strange situation for the two that deserves some extra depth.

A close up of a 555 timer being inserted into a circuit board with a hand and soldering iron approaching

Adding an electric edge to your home heating

So far, we've looked into why the idea of electric heaters has taken off in the way that it has. All of the bells and whistles associated with electric heaters. Are you interested yet? Personally, I wouldn't blame you if you weren't. A lot of this is technical and a bit empty-sounding. So lets take a more "immediate" look at electric heaters.

Different Types of Electric Heater

An electric black and silver heater on a table with thermostatic dials located on the top of the heater

A small and portable thermostatic heater in black and silver with a fan mode and oscillation

Electric heaters come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. Some can be large parallels of the old fashioned gas radiator. Others, like this mini heater, can be ideal for those hard to reach places within your home. Great for smaller rooms or single-person households. The thing about electric heaters is that you really can afford to shop around and find the device that best serves you.

A black glass panel heater in a living room in front of a dark green sofa with a hand holding a phone on the left of the image

Smart heaters are a huge advantage where technology meets comfort

Another way that electric heaters distinguish themselves from central heating. Whilst gas heaters are falling out of favour, electric heaters are continually being improved upon. Through these improvements we've ended up with more decorative designs (for those "house-proud" among us,) better heating capabilities and smart home technology. Take this glass panel heater for example. Sleek and minimalist without losing any core heating power with Wi Fi capabilities ready to go at the flick of a switch (or tap of the phone!)

A garden patio heater next to a green table in a back garden

This garden heater is fully encased and is ready to take on rain, wind and more...

We really should have mentioned this sooner, but does anyone remember all of the old jokes about faulty boilers? And then the jokes about how long it took to get the boiler fixed? The only part about those old repair jobs that wasn't a joke was the bill at the end. There was never any way to make those funny. It may be minor, but electric heaters do tend to have issues far less than complex boilers, pipes and radiators.

Electric heaters have now arrived at the point where they are becoming reliable even outdoors. Whilst we can chalk this up to infrared technology, it's just a case of technology in general. Take the garden/patio heater above. Waterproof, windproof and sturdy, all the while being energy efficient (that one we can chalk up to infrared technology) and toasty.

The Future of Home Heating, then

It may be uncertain, but hopefully we've made it clear that there will be a worthy alternative to the old gas heating trick we've relied on for years. In fact, we may already have the alternative and just haven't come to full appreciate it yet. Gas heating has been a mainstay for years and it's not a bad way to keep your home warm and toasty. It's just run its course. But it has always had a good showing.

On the other hand electric heating has come leaps and bounds in the past few years alone. From imitations of old school radiators to compact designs to heaters that you can control from anywhere in the world thanks to Wi-Fi controls. What electric heaters have over central heating is adaptability. Finding the right heater has become as commonplace as buying new bedding or chairs. Electric heaters have the variety to appeal to all tastes and all needs whilst saving you money and keeping you warm, no matter the weather outside.

An In-Depth Look at Modern Home Heating