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Despite the limitations and the fact that in Ireland there is a virtual monopoly in supply via the ESB, electric heating is a viable alternative to consider when planning the heating of your home in a new build situation.
The efficiency of electric heating equipment is measured in a couple of different formats, the most common being Coefficient of Performance
(COP). A COP of 1.0 means that the heat energy the appliance delivers is the same as the electrical energy it uses. In other words, it operates at 100 per cent efficiency. As an example, consider a baseboard electric resistance heater, which uses electricity to generate heat just as a toaster generates heat. This conversion of electricity to heat is virtually 100% efficient and is said to have a COP of 1.Ground source heat pumps can have a COP of 3.
Despite their high efficiency, electric heating units—at current prices of electricity—may cost more to operate than oil, natural gas, or propane boilers. Energy- and cost-saving options are available, however, that may make electric heating cost competitive. For example, the ESB offer a discount rate to customers willing to have a portion of their power cut off during periods of high demand, usually somewhere between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. daily. To qualify for these rates usually requires having a back-up fuel source or a thermal storage system. A back-up fuel source such as fuel oil or propane can be used when electricity is interrupted. The main considerations are availability and cost of the back-up fuel as well as how the heat would be distributed throughout the house. Under this agreement, the customer’s power may be interrupted any time the utility experiences a high demand for power.
In a price sensitive situation, baseboard resistance heaters are the least expensive to install, but they are the most expensive to operate. They usually do not allow you to take advantage of special low electric rates, since they lack the capacity to store heat.
Electric boilers, in addition to supplying heat, also allow air conditioning to be added, and some models can accommodate thermal storage devices. Since electric boilers can lose a significant amount of heat through the seams in ductwork, make sure these points are well sealed. Both electric furnaces and baseboard heaters have a COP of 1, meaning they operate at 100% efficiency.
Radiant heating, using electric heating cables, is now more often installed in floors rather than in ceiling or wall panels, as was done in the past. Under-floor radiant heating also can be provided by water, heated by a boiler or ground source heat pump. The heated water circulates through plastic tubing fastened beneath a wood floor, in a cement floor, or in a lightweight cement overlay on an existing floor. In-floor radiant heating provides more constant heat than baseboard heaters. It is most easily installed during new construction or major remodeling and is appropriate for energy saving zoned heating.
Electric thermal storage systems (ETS), more commonly known in Ireland as storage heaters, operate by storing heat during the utility’s off-peak hours, allowing homeowners to substantially reduce their heating costs by taking advantage of off peak discount rates. ETS boilers use either ceramic bricks or water to store heat and are available as a central boiler or room heater. If you are building a home, you can bury heating cables in sand or earth beneath concrete slab floors; however, if you choose this method you must insulate under the cables or you will lose a large amount of heat to the ground.
There is no doubt that electric heating is worthy of consideration by anybody building a home in Ireland. Together with gas, electric heating is particularly common in Dublin and major towns throughout Ireland in apartment complexes. It is very clean and safe and allows for installation in an existing building without massive interruption to the home. The down side is that one is dependant on the ESB to provide the power and if there is power cut and or a strike, for example, then you are left high and dry unless you have a back-up system such as solid fuel/gas in its place.
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