If you urgently need to replace your heating system, contact Energy Freedom Homes today; we'll get you the best system for your circumstances and requirements as quickly as possible. Click here to contact us.

On your journey to an Energy Freedom Home, you have reached the stage where you are ready to replace your gas heating, or perhaps you are just finding out what is involved so you can be prepared when it's time to make the switch.

Unsure about what an Energy Freedom Home is? You can read about it here.

Replacing your gas heating is a great opportunity to lower your energy bills, as space heating accounts for the biggest proportion of energy use.

1. Which heating system to buy based on your requirements.

Key decisions  

First decision: when to buy?  

1. If your current system is beyond its life span;
   
2. If your current system is out of warranty;
   
3. If you bought your system more than three years ago.

Life span  

Out of warranty  

Take advantage of rebates

These rebates do change reasonably regularly, so reach out to Energy Freedom Homes here, if you are interested in what is currently available.

We don't know how long these rebates will be around for, so deciding to upgrade now is better than waiting and missing out.

Second decision: Energy source

Electric resistive 

1. Products with this technology are usually cheaper to buy.
   
2. Doesn't emit any harmful gases or combustion by-products.

1. Relatively inefficient, leading to high ongoing running costs.
   

Heat pumps

1. Because the refrigerant is so cold, heat pumps can extract heat from the air down all the way down to sub-zero temperatures.
   
2. Heat pumps can extract about 3 units of heat energy from the air for every unit of energy put in from electricity. This makes the running costs for a heat pump very low compared to other technologies.
   
3. Doesn't emit any harmful gases or combustion by-products.
   
4. Heat pumps are able to heat, cool and dehumidify your home using the same product. These type of units are called "reverse cycle".

1. Up-front purchase cost is generally higher than for other energy sources.
   
2. Not a good source of energy for hydronic heating applications.
   

Wood 

1. Depending on the product, can be a lower up-front cost.
   
2. Depending on availability of wood, fuel sources can be cheap or even free which makes ongoing running costs low.

1. Generates significant emissions and air pollution from burning fuel, especially standard woods.
   
2. 'Of all heat production sources, small-scale domestic wood ... burning is the most severe polluter' and causes 'the highest health costs'²:
   
3. One kilogram of wood will pollute one million cubic metres of completely clean air³.
   
4. Wood fire stoves are a major contributor to tiny particle pollution, which is a pollution that is proven to damage health and cause early deaths^{2 3}.

Energy Freedom Homes does not recommend the use of wood as an energy source.

Which is the best option for your requirements? 

Third decision: heating source

Portable heaters

1. Usually portable.
   
2. Cheaper to buy.
   
3. Effectively heats small spaces for a short period of time.
   
4. No electrical upgrades required; can plug into a standard power point.
   
5. Don't emit any harmful gases or combustion by-products.

1. High running costs.
   
2. Very inefficient if you want to heat large spaces or heat for long periods.
   
3. Portable heaters use a lot of current and as such, having two could be enough to trip your mains switch.
   
4. Some models are unsafe and can be a fire hazard.
   
5. 43% of home heating-related fires and 85% of associated deaths are caused by portable heaters⁴.
   
6. The system only provides heating. You'll need a different dedicated system for cooling during summer.

This option can be good if you have a really tight budget. But use with caution.

Split systems 

This heating source uses heat pumps as an energy source. They allow for a "zoning" approach to heating a home, where you put a different unit in each space that you want to heat.

1. Very effective for heating individual rooms and large spaces such as an open-plan living area.
   
2. Much more economical than trying to heat the same space with portable electric heaters, because for every unit of electricity they consume, they can put out three or more units of heat, due to the heat pump technology they use.
   
3. A split system will heat, cool and dehumidify your home using the same product.
   
4. Easy-to-clean filters to maintain high efficiency and air quality.
   
5. Less costly to install than ducted, underfloor or hydronic systems.
   
6. A good option for retrofitting a heating system.
   
7. A range of indoor units can accommodate installation locations from floor to ceiling.
   
8. Air conditioners have a fast response time if required, but are more energy efficient if given time to slowly change room temperature.

1. More expensive to buy than a portable electric heater.
   
2. Requires professional installation.
   
3. If you want best performance and air quality, annual servicing is recommended which will be an ongoing cost.

If you are short on space outdoors, it is possible to connect multiple indoor units to a single outdoor unit. This is called a "multi-head" system.

Ducted 

1. Vents in each room can look nicer than wall-mounted split system units.
   
2. Where wall space is limited, installing duct work and vents is a viable alternative to split systems.
   
3. If you have roof space for a central unit, this can be a good option.
   
4. Can provide heating and cooling
   
5. Air conditioners have a fast response time if required, but are more energy efficient if given time to slowly change room temperature.

1. Designed to heat the entire home at once. If you want to break up the system into zones it will increase cost every time an additional zone is added. If you don't zone, you'll be spending money on energy to heat and cool rooms with no-one in them.
   
2. More expensive to purchase and install than split systems.
   
3. Even thought the duct work is well-insulated there will still be losses as the air is moved around the home, which makes it less efficient than a split system solution.

If you've got gas ducted heating, unfortunately it is not possible to reuse the ducts. They are not rated for heating and cooling, one of the major benefits of a reverse-cycle air conditioning system.

Hydronic 

1. The radiant heat produced by hydronic systems is well-loved and may have a lower impact on people with allergies and asthma than convection heating alternatives.
   
2. Heat output in each room can be controlled by adjustable radiator panels.
   
3. Ongoing maintenance is low.

1. Hydronic systems work best with very energy intensive energy sources like gas boilers. Even though electric boiler solutions exist, they either operate outside a heat pump's range of efficiency or consume a lot of power if using an electric resistance energy source.
   
2. The amount of energy required to circulate water around the system and maintain temperate at a consistent level makes for high running costs.
   
3. The system only provides heating. You'll need a different dedicated system for cooling during summer.
   
4. The cost of an electric boiler and compatible pipework and panels make this a very expensive option.

If you've got hydronic heating, unfortunately it's not likely you'll be able to replace your gas boiler with a heat pump and keep your existing pipes and radiator panels. We've got a dedicated article explaining more here.

Underfloor 

Stove 

1. Wood is available almost everywhere.
   
2. Wood heating can be economical if you have cheap or even free firewood (however, check whether you need a permit to collect firewood from forests and remember there is a cost in the time you spent to gather wood).

1. You need somewhere to store wood in a reasonable quantity.
   
2. If you're buying your firewood, it can cost several hundred dollars (or more) for a winter's worth of good firewood.
   
3. There is ongoing maintenance.
   
4. There is limited control over the temperature.
   
5. A stove can only heat.
   
6. They produce combustion gases and need a flue or chimney, which makes installation expensive.
   
7. Not all the smoke and other combustion products go up the chimney; some will get into the indoor air and can be a serious irritant for people with asthma and other respiratory conditions.
   
8. Tiny particular pollutants are hazardous for your health.
   
9. The smoke from wood fires is a major contributor to outdoor air pollution. 

Energy Freedom Homes does not recommend the use of a stove as a heating source.

Which is the best option for your requirements?

In summary  

Next steps  

References