As temperatures get chillier, nothing beats coming home to a cozy and warm residence – but keeping your home toasty won’t come cheap; heating costs account for most households’ largest energy bill.

As part of your efforts to lower electricity bills, you may be contemplating switching from gas to electric heaters – but which option would be the better fit?

Cost of Heat

No matter their residence – from new builds along the Clyde to stylish flats in Maryhill – Glasgow residents rely on reliable heating systems to stay warm throughout winter. Renewable systems could help the city reach its carbon reduction goals more effectively while remaining cost-competitive against fossil fuel costs.

Electric heating offers the potential to save money on energy costs by switching over from natural gas heating. Electricity works well as a portable heater or room warmer and also is one of the more eco-friendly choices available to us today.

Your energy spending can be easily monitored by looking at your meter pulse light or speaking with your supplier; the faster it blinks, the more energy is being consumed. A wattage monitor makes monitoring usage even simpler by showing which appliances offer cost-effective power use solutions.

Installation and Portability

Newer electric heaters have been engineered to offer energy efficiency values comparable to fuel-based central heating systems, making them an attractive option for people living off-grid or without access to gas networks and reflecting this in home reports produced by Energy Saving Trust.

Electrical heaters do not produce any carbon emissions when in operation compared to gas heaters which require a flue or vent for operation, making it an attractive option in areas where access to natural gas may be limited or those who wish to limit CO2 production at home.

Homeowners with electric heating can reduce energy use even further by installing insulation and using smart controls for their electricity system. Smart controls will allow you to easily manage heating throughout your home, as well as ensure it doesn’t come on when not needed. Electric heating installation businesses may offer quotes for replacing storage heaters with modern models offering greater energy efficiency and longer manufacturer warranties.

Energy Efficiency

Many residents in Glasgow appreciate the low running costs associated with electric heating as a major draw for living there. Unfortunately, if your residence is an older building with poor insulation and therefore lacks proper energy efficiency measures such as gas boiler or heat pump systems then their energy efficiency may not compare as favorably to what electric heaters can achieve.

Govanhill Tenement House was recently gutted to install an energy efficient system centered on an air source heat pump on its roof that will significantly cut carbon emissions by one third and decrease electricity bills for residents by half.

Glasgow is planning to implement heat networks to combat fuel poverty in specific zones, drawing heat from power stations into buildings in these zones, competing with gas boilers for homes and businesses alike. But for this effort to succeed, major private investment will be necessary – which is why community energy projects such as Greenspace Scotland aim to raise both funds and awareness about zero emission solutions by 2030.

Environmental Impact

Electric heaters offer the greatest potential to reduce environmental impact by producing less carbon emissions from power plants than gas heaters that rely on fossil fuels to heat homes.

An important challenge will be making the green shift affordable for families who typically pay more for heating. This may require creating a subsidy program as well as working to merge individual funding sources for energy efficiency improvements into one coherent whole.

Tizo Seleman, 40 years old care worker living in Glasgow City Council-administered housing, can expect her heating bills to drop significantly after they installed a low-carbon air-source heat pump for her flat in her tenement building by Glasgow City Council. The project forms part of its efforts to reduce climate-altering emissions while making tenants’ lives more comfortable and affordable; powered by Rate 2 electricity (meaning cheap night rates can be stored overnight and used during daytime when demand prices increase) the system allows tenants to utilize cheap night rates when on demand prices spike; rates 2 electricity also stores cheaper night rates that can then be used during days when demand prices spike significantly higher, creating savings that benefit them all residents in historic homes by making tenants’ lives more comfortable than ever before!