Electric heating for the right reasons

Judged by today’s standards the catchline for the adverts below could be ‘for all the wrong reasons’.

Most electricity generated in the seventies came from carbon intensive coal and when the inefficiencies of power generation and transmission losses were factored in, electricity was a very environmentally damaging method of space heating.

Night storage heaters were an attempt to utilise off-peak electricity but suffered from being bulky and inefficient, meaning these were cold by the evening when the heat was needed so had to be topped up with peak time electricity.

But these adverts could have their time again if the government gets its energy policy right. A decarbonised grid coupled with well insulated homes warmed by efficient heat pumps means the slogan for ‘all the right reasons’ could finally mean something.