Heat seekers

The campaign is centred around persuading the public and specifiers about the advances made in electric heating and the advantages and economies of using it in the home. The promotion, says AMDEA (the Association of Manufacturers of Domestic Electrical Appliances), is designed to respond positively to out-dated ideas of the cost of electric heating. An information leaflet, Electric Heating Essentials, is available free of charge from Creda or Dimplex and covers installation, running costs, controllability, maintenance and comfort and features electric storage heaters and the full range of other forms of heating.

On the Internet website – www.heating-electric.co.uk – are illustrations and case studies, plus similar information to that carried in the leaflet. The website also links to the Dimplex and Creda sites and gives Unidare details.

"The simplicity of installing electric heating – no flues or pipework – means that capital costs are still significantly lower than other types of heating," says Phil Alcock, product marketing manager with Dimplex. "In running cost terms, independent studies since the 1980s have shown that electric heating is, without doubt, cheaper or comparable to gas heating in smaller, well-insulated homes, up to three bedrooms, for example.

"This applies to properties built to the 1984 Building Regulations and later. Most significant is the lack of annual maintenance that gives electric heating its biggest cost saving over fossil fuel systems.

"Centralised home control, which maintains room-by-room time and temperature control, offers the convenience of a centralised programming unit. In the future such devices will integrate with other appliances to create the 'smart home'."

Meantime, AMDEA is busying itself talking to MPs and public advisory bodies to put the case for electric heating in environmental issues, energy conservation and the issue of fuel poverty. Neil Tunstall, marketing director for GDA Applied Energy, Creda, explains: "We believe the time is right to widen awareness of electric heating products because widening choice of domestic electricity supply means that the very best economy tariffs are becoming available right across the UK.

"We have designed our new heating appliances to make the most efficient use of electricity and to minimise total heating costs. The new Building Regulations relating to home insulation levels strengthen the economic case for electric heating in the small and medium sized properties that make up the bulk of our housing stock."

Its proponents believe that electricity can now be seen as an environmentally-responsive industry and point to the successful meeting of government targets on reducing harmful emissions despite an overall increase in total electricity use.

"We are seeking to re-establish electric heating, especially storage heating, as a price-competitive, home comfort – emphasising features such as easy, inexpensive installation; maintenance-free operation; and the ability to install incrementally, buying radiators room by room," says Peter Carver, director-general of AMDEA. "And the complete absence of compulsory annual inspection and maintenance is a significant factor in both the public and private rented sectors."