The best heating for your home

An effective heating system is vital to keep you cosy in winter, but it can lead to big energy bills and an even bigger carbon footprint.

Gas central heating is the most common type of home heating in England, Wales and Scotland - used by around 80% of us - but it's not the only option.

More than one million homes are not connected to the gas grid and use oil, LPG, electric heating or renewable energy for heating and hot water. In Northern Ireland, more than two thirds of homes use oil boilers as their main source of heating. 

In future, as we reduce our reliance on fossil fuels that emit greenhouse gases and cause global climate change, our heating will increasingly come from low-carbon and renewable sources.

But whatever type of heating you have, using it more efficiently will help cut your bills and reduce your carbon footprint. 

Keeping an eye on your energy prices? See our 10 ways to save on your energy bills.

What is central heating?

Central heating is a system that produces heat from a centralised source and circulates it throughout your home.  

The main elements in a central heating system are:

• A heat source, such as a boiler or heat pump
• Heat emitters, such as radiators, underfloor heating, or warm air vents
• A circulation system, such as hot water pipes or warm air ducts, which also includes a pump or fan to move heat around the system
• Thermostats, programmers and other controls

In the UK, most of us are familiar with so-called 'wet' or hydronic central heating systems, consisting of a gas boiler, which burns natural gas to heat water, and pipework that runs throughout the house to distribute hot water to radiators in each room to warm up the air - described as space heating. 

This type of central heating system usually also supplies the household with hot water. If it is a combi boiler, there is no hot water tank, as gas is burned each time we run a hot tap or shower to produce instant hot water. If it's a regular (heat-only) boiler or a system boiler, there is a separate hot water cylinder. However, not all types of central heating supply hot water for taps; in future, more of us may have separate systems for space heating and hot water.

Find out more about the pros and cons of different types of boiler.

Most of the components of a hydronic system can be retained whilst swapping the heat source. Typically, when a gas boiler reaches the end of its life, it is simply replaced with a new one. There's no need to replace the radiators, pipework, or controls at the same time if they still meet your needs.

Oil, LPG, electric and biomass systems can be similarly interchangeable - the heat source, or boiler, can be replaced like-for-like or swapped with a different type without affecting any of the other components.

Hydronic heat pumps (air-to-water, ground source and water source) are less familiar to most people, but they are also simply a heat source that can be attached to pipework and radiators. Although a heat pump produces heat in a different way, the way the heat is distributed around your home remains the same. This means that a heat pump can, in many cases, be a direct replacement for an existing gas or oil boiler.

Unlike a boiler, heat pumps don't produce instant hot water so, like a regular or system boiler, they must be combined with a hot water storage cylinder, or another method of producing hot water.

Whether it produces hot water or not, a central heating system is an efficient way of taking energy from a single (central) heat source, and distributing it as heat throughout your home.

What is not central heating?

Strictly speaking, other types of heating such as electric storage heaters, electric panel radiators, or freestanding heaters are not central heating. They do not have a single, central heat source - such as a boiler - but operate independently from one another. This can be a benefit or a drawback, depending on your home, your lifestyle, and your personal preferences. 

Direct electric heating systems are more common in flats and new-build homes, and can be very expensive to run. 

These types of heating will always need a separate hot water system, and are often paired with Immersion heaters (sometimes known as megaflow boilers or unvented hot water systems) to provide hot water.

In older properties, you might still have night storage heaters, which usually draw electricity from the grid overnight at a cheaper rate and disperse heat at a 'low and slow' level through the day. They're usually coupled with specific Economy 7 or Economy 10 electricity tariffs that allow access to cheaper overnight rates. 

We wouldn't recommend relying on portable electric heaters, as the running costs quickly stack up. But you're looking for short bursts of electric heating to supplement your existing system, see the running costs and our testing verdict in our guide to the best electric heaters.

Find out more about set-ups and costs for electric central heating. 

Is central heating sustainable?

Throughout most of human history, we have warmed ourselves and our homes by burning fuel in fires. 

As recently as the 1960s, many UK homes were still heated by fires - burning fuel such as wood and coal in open fireplaces, stoves and burners.

By the 1980s, however, central heating had become commonplace, mainly using gas boilers similar to those that we still use today.

Although open fires and stoves have largely been replaced by a small, self-contained boiler, they still ultimately rely on burning a fossil fuel such as natural gas (primarily methane), oil or LPG.

Home heating systems that burn fossil fuels are not sustainable - we know that they will be phased out gradually over the coming decades. 

However, that doesn't mean we can't have central heating systems. We'll just need to take heat from other sources, such as electricity, to warm homes more sustainably.

Gas central heating

If your home is connected to the gas grid, a gas central heating system is still one of the cheapest options for heating, and it's what most UK homes currently use.

Gas is a fossil fuel, which means it's not sustainable in the long term. Under current government plans, most homes will not be able to install new gas boilers after 2035. If sustainability is your priority, consider low carbon heating next time your boiler needs replacing. 

New gas boilers are more efficient than much older ones but, in most cases, you're still better off seeing your boiler through to the end of its life than replacing it prematurely. 

Many boilers run at less than their rated efficiency. You can find out more about boiler efficiency in our guide.

See our survey results to get the lowdown on the best boiler brands, according to boiler owners and engineers.

You can also use your heating controls to minimise the amount of energy your gas central heating system uses, while staying comfortable.

Read our guide to boiler controls and thermostats. 

Oil central heating and LPG

Oil is the most common fuel for home heating systems in Northern Ireland, and oil and LPG are both also used in rural, off-grid areas of the UK. 

You'll need a tank outside your home to store the oil, which is bought in bulk and delivered by tanker. Liquid petroleum gas (LPG) and other types of heating oil tend to have quite volatile prices, so buying it can be expensive. 

Like gas, oil and LPG are fossil fuels and not a sustainable option. If you're upgrading your boiler, choose an efficient one. Find a reliable oil boiler brand with our reviews.

See the pros and cons of oil central heating and more on getting the best heating oil prices.

Solid fuel heating

Wood burning stoves and biomass boilers are fuelled by solid organic material, such as logs or wood pellets, which are generally considered to be more sustainable than fossil fuels. They can be connected to a central heating system to heat your home and produce hot water. 

However, while these fuels may be continually reproduced, and therefore considered renewable, they are not free from environmental concerns. The air pollution created by domestic wood-burning is still considerable and experts are increasingly worried about its impact on both the environment and our health. 

Biomass boilers also produce greenhouse gases. Typically, the carbon emissions are lower than that of a gas boiler, but higher than a heat pump.

If you're thinking about burning wood, pellets or other organic materials to use as a heat source, you'll need to consider whether it's suitable for (and allowed in) your area. 

The Boiler Upgrade Scheme offers grants for the installation of biomass boilers in England and Wales, but only if your property is off the gas grid and in a rural location, and your boiler has an emissions certificate showing that polluting emissions are kept to a minimum.

Find out more about wood burning stoves: pollution and health impacts.

Electric boiler central heating

Electric boilers are relatively uncommon in UK homes. They are a similar size and price to gas boilers, but cost much more to run due to the higher price of electricity. 

They are best suited to smaller homes that don't have a very high demand for heating and hot water.

An electric boiler can be an option if you have no gas connection, or if you're looking to reduce your carbon footprint, but there are generally more cost-effective alternatives.

Find out everything you need to know about electric boilers and our top-rated brands.

Low carbon central heating systems

Over the coming years, UK homes will gradually switch from fossil fuels to low-carbon alternatives in order to cut greenhouse gas emissions and slow the effects of climate change. 

Electricity is expected to become the preferred choice for heating our homes due to rapid changes in the way it is produced.

In 2010, around 75% of the UK's electricity was produced from fossil fuels (coal and gas power stations). The carbon emissions from grid electricity at that time were 457gCO2/kWh (grammes of carbon dioxide per kilowatt hour), which is higher than for natural gas. 

Since then, coal generation has been almost entirely phased out, while renewable energy generation has increased rapidly.

In 2023, just 37% of grid electricity came from fossil fuels (mainly gas power stations) and around 60% from zero-carbon sources, including nuclear and renewables such as wind and solar power. Electricity generated in the UK in 2023 reached its lowest-ever carbon intensity, with an average of 171gCO2/kWh.

The decarbonisation of the UK electricity grid will continue over the coming decades, and forecasts suggest that by 2050 it will emit as little as 33gCO2/kWh.

But, while electricity is now a low-carbon way to heat our homes, it is currently much more expensive per unit than gas. If you replaced your gas boiler with an electric boiler powered by mains electricity on a standard tariff,  your energy bills would more than double. 

Which low carbon systems can heat your home cheaply?

Fortunately, there are an increasing number of ways to make electric heating more affordable - and, in many cases, it can be cheaper to run than a gas boiler. 

Broadly speaking, there are three ways to go electric while avoiding sky-high bills. They are:

1. Choose the most efficient electric heating technology. Heat pumps are the best choice, as they are three to four times more efficient than gas boilers, and use a lot less electricity than other types of electric heating.
2. Switch your electricity tariff. Time-of-use tariffs allow you to use cheaper electricity at off-peak times, which works well with electric heating that can be programmed to take advantage of the cheapest rates.
3. Generate and/or store energy. Use solar panels to generate electricity or heat, or install a home battery system to store your own energy or cheap electricity during off-peak hours. 

Choose a heat pump​​​​

Heat pumps run on electricity, but are much more efficient than gas boilers - typically around 300-400% efficient, compared with maximum 94% for a gas boiler. This cancels out the higher cost of electricity, so your bills may work out about the same, or cheaper. 

You can convert your existing central heating system to run on a heat pump - in many cases a gas, oil, LPG, electric or biomass boiler can be swapped out and replaced with a heat pump. 

Find out how ground and air source heat pumps work, the different types available and which sort might be best for your home. 

We've crunched the numbers and looked at how much you can expect to pay to run a heat pump, and how that compares to the cost of the same heat demand with a gas boiler, in our guides to air source heat pump costs and savings and ground source heat pump costs and savings.

If you don't already have a central heating system, or if you only need to heat a small space, an air-to-air source heat pump may be a better option. Rather than circulating the heat to radiators through hot water pipes, this type of heat pump blows warm air through vents and is ideal for smaller homes. Air-to-air heat pumps also provide cooling during hot weather. 

They are much cheaper to buy than air-to-water heat pumps, though are not eligible for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant.

Find out more about getting a £7,500 grant towards the cost of a heat pump with the Boiler Upgrade Scheme.

Switch to a time-of-use tariff

If you have a smart meter, energy suppliers can now offer time-of-use (ToU) tariffs that charge different rates for energy at different times according to the level of demand. Some tariffs are designed specifically for heat pump or EV owners. Any ToU tariff can be used to lower bills if you avoid using your electric heating at peak times.

Economy 7 and Economy 10 are older types of ToU tariff that offer cheaper overnight rates, typically used with electric storage heaters. Until recently, homes needed a separate meter to measure energy use during off-peak periods.

Newer ToU tariffs can be much more flexible because smart meters can measure energy use during any peak or off-peak period and charge different rates accordingly. 

They may offer a number of different rates through each 24-hour period, so you can programme your heating to make best use of the lowest rates. Combining an efficient heat pump with the right tariff can result in lower running costs than a gas boiler. Here's how heat pump bills can be lower than gas with the right tariff.

ToU and heat pump tariffs are constantly evolving but to make the most of them you'll need to be able to switch the bulk of your energy consumption to the cheapest times. Many white goods such as dishwashers and washing machines now come with programme scheduling so that you can set them to run at certain times of day, even if that's not when you've loaded them up.

Find out more about different energy tariffs, including Economy 7 and other time-of-use tariffs.

Install solar panels 

You can generate your own electricity from solar PV panels to help power your electric heating, or divert it to heat hot water in a storage cylinder. They're not right for every home - you need a suitably sized, unshaded roof that faces the right way - but can typically save you hundreds of pounds a year.

Find out whether solar panels are worth it for your home.

Solar thermal panels produce hot water only, reducing the amount of energy you need to heat water for hot taps, baths and showers. During summer, solar thermal panels can meet all of your hot water needs, but you'll still need a backup system, especially during winter.

Find out how solar thermal panels work and the pros and cons of solar water heating.

Install a home storage battery 

Home batteries were once a niche product for those generating their own energy from solar panels. However, the introduction of time-of-use tariffs means that they can also be successfully used in their own right to lower bills.

When used alongside solar PV panels, a battery allows you to store energy generated during the day, and use it to power your home - including electric heating - at night. 

Similarly, you can charge up your battery during off-peak hours, at the lowest rate, and use the energy during the peak-rate period to minimise your electricity bill.

Read more about the cost of storage batteries, the pros and cons, and find out where to buy one.

Mix-and-match heating and energy systems

Most UK homes already have a functioning heating system, and it can be disruptive to replace everything in one go.

Thankfully, if you're interested in sustainable heating, you don't have to do it all at once. It can be expensive and may not be sensible if your existing system is in good working order - if you have a relatively new, efficient boiler, for example. 

Instead, you can adopt a mix-and-match approach. This could mean using different systems for different rooms, times of day or seasons. You may also want to separate your heating and hot water systems, and make one of them renewable while the other stays as it is. You'll start reducing your carbon footprint now with a view to gradually increasing your use of low-carbon heating over time.

For example, you could fit solar PV panels to power your electrical appliances and lighting, using a rechargeable battery to store any excess energy you generate to use later, but continue to use your gas boiler to heat your home until it needs replacing. 

Or, if you already have a hot water cylinder, you might install solar thermal panels to help heat the water, alongside your existing boiler. 

No matter what system you choose, it makes sense to ensure your home uses energy as efficiently as possible and is well insulated to reduce heat loss. You can future-proof your home by making sure your insulation is up to scratch, which will save money on heating bills in the short term, as well as making your home heat-pump ready.

You can read more on our renewable heating systems page or find out about insulation, draughtproofing and other ways to make your home more energy efficient.