SAP stands for STANDARD ASSESSMENT PROCEDURE and was brought in by the UK government as a way of measuring a dwelling’s energy efficiency and carbon impact on the environment. Since its introduction in 1995 there has been a number of revisions to the assessment criteria which have taken into account advances in technology and changing government criteria. The current SAP edition is 2012 is used as part of building regulation compliance for new dwellings in England and Wales.
You may be more familiar with Energy Performance Certificates that you get when you sell a property. These are produced by guidelines set out in SAP 2012. Traditionally in EPC regulations, including the current 2012 edition, Electric Heating hasn’t scored particularly well. This is because of the carbon factor used, it is said for every kWh hour of electricity that is required 0.519kg of CO2 is produced making it unattractive however massive advancements in the electricity grid means this figure is far from accurate which is why an update to the SAP has been long overdue.
Electric Heating Revised for SAP 10
The new SAP 10 is due to be released this year (2019). What does this mean for the electric heating?
The carbon factor for electric has now been revised from 0.159 kg of CO2 per kWh to just 0.233kg of CO2 per kWh. This is a staggering reduction and puts electricity close to gas (0.210kg per of CO2 per kWh).
Over the coming years we are set to see a continued ‘Greening of the grid’ as we aim to reduce the production of electricity from fossil fuels like coal and natural gas and big shift towards cleaner renewable energy production methods such as solar and wind technology.
As the ‘Greening of the Grid’ continues we are likely to see further reductions in the carbon factor used for electricity in fact some are already reporting that the factor in SAP 10 is outdated and electricity is even closer to gas.
Electric Heating could this really be the future of heating?
Whilst Gas currently has a lower price per kWh it’s price is based on a diminishing natural commodity so in the future is likely to continue to rise. Along with Gas there is also additional associated cost which you do not get with Electric Heating such as annual servicing and maintenance. There is also a loss of efficiency with a gas system as the heated water travels from the boiler through the pipes it cools, and you can often find the last radiator in a system is noticeably colder.
So where is electric heating winning?
- Quick warm up times. Unlike old night storage heaters that took hours to reach temperature, modern electric heating systems like the Elkatherm™Electric Radiators which North East Heating Solutions Supply & fit heat up in minutes. Enabling your room to reach temperature very quickly
- ELKAtherm™Electric Heating is 100% efficient at the point of use. You don’t loose efficiency down a pipe line as the ELKAtherm™system is modular.
- Modular Electric Heating means you gain greater control of you heating system being able to control each individual zone in the property.
- ELKAtherm™energy efficient electric radiators combine direct and stored heat to give great efficiencies. At the heart of our electric radiators is a ceramic core in which the element is embedded allowing the heater to stay warmer for longer once the target temperature is reached. This target temperature is then maintained by just topping up the heat in the radiator core so it is not constantly drawing once temperature is achieved.
- Elkatherm™ electric radiators are made in Germany where electric heating is more common than in the UK. This has lead to advancements in electric heating technology and design. Our ceramic core heaters are deeply fluted to give comfortable naturally convected heat which doesn’t require noisy fans which use additional power and dry the air. The also give off a lovely radiated heat which is very cosy. This efficient electric heating design eliminates cold spots and in many cases enables us to replace with a lower powered heater than previously specified.
- Electric heating doesn’t require high levels of maintenance and servicing like a ‘wet’ central heating system so once it’s in you don’t incur additional costs of servicing. ELKAtherm™ Electric radiators are guaranteed for 25 years on the main body of the heater and 4 years on the electronics.
ELKAtherm™electric heating are committed to energy efficiency. All radiators come with a choice of Lot 20 compliant controls. Lot 20 compliance was introduced to regulate heating controls ensuring that products have energy saving features such as open window detection and programmable time and temperature controls.
Electric Heating as an option for landlords & specifiers?
The revised carbon factor will really help make electric heating a viable option for landlords and specifiers. Previously even the more modern more efficient electric heaters like ELKAtherm™ made only a small impression on the EPC score which is all important when looking to rent a property out a landlord needs to achieve a minimum standard of an ‘E’ rating.
Electric heating a changing market place
Over the years in the electric heating market we have certainly seen more an more customers coming to us who have gas or oil systems that want to change to an electric heating system to reduce maintenance or pipes but also looking forward and thinking that electric is the fuel of the future and if you are putting a heating system in for the next 20-30 years electric is now a possibility not just as an update for outdated inefficient night storage heaters or cheap panel heaters.
If you would like to find out more about how electric heating could work for you and your home contact us and request a free information pack or book a free home survey.