The Future of Heating in Rental Properties

Having a reliable heating system within your rental property isn’t a luxury, it is a necessity! As a Landlord, it is your responsibility to provide a reliable source of heat and hot water at all times for your tenants. In the main gas, central heating is the “go-to” option for heating a rental property, it is familiar, easy to use and something many of us have grown up with. However, as we enter the next stage of the route to net-zero emissions, The International Energy Agency (IEA) says that no new fossil fuel boilers should be sold from 2025 if the world is to achieve net-zero emissions by the middle of this century – which means we need to consider alternatives to gas.

Currently, there are a few contenders to take the place of traditional gas central heating…

• Hydrogen: Hydrogen is one of the most talked-about prospects to replace the gas boiler. Hydrogen can be removed from water utilising electrolysis, in a process powered by clean wind power. But there are claims that the UK would require twice as much wind power than we currently create!
• Heat Pumps: Heat pumps are currently utilized in a couple of hundred thousand of the UK’s homes, and they’re mostly unknown to the public. Rather than sucking warmth from a home and directing it elsewhere, a heat pump extracts heat from a residual source, for instance, from the ground, the air or a water source and then focuses that warmth into the residence. But there can be many downsides to this method depending on the type of residence you want to heat and its location.
• Biomass/Wood: Wood heaters were thought to be THE “green” option because growing trees take in the carbon released by burning wood. But they have since slipped out of favour since (a) they generate particles that are thought to cause lung damage (b) there’s insufficient land to grow all the wood we would most certainly need for all homes to use biomass heating.

These new kids on the heating block may be showing potential, but it is more than likely that electrical heating systems will slide into first place when it comes to replacing gas central heating. This is mainly down to the flexibility and choice that currently exists in the electrical heating market…

Storage Heaters

The good old fashioned storage heater is one of the most popular electric heating gadgets most of us have known, but the massive amount of kilowatts required to heat the bricks inside can generate huge electrical bills. However, the money saving tariffs now available via energy providers are now making this a more popular option again.

Electric Panel Heaters

As with storage heaters, the energy demands for these wall mounted heaters are high but can be counteracted by efficient energy provision and tariffs.

Clay Core heating units

The vital element of Clay Core heating units is their controllability, modern Clay Core heating systems feature a full range of control options. If you’re not too tech savvy you can regulate the heater from easy dial controls on the side of the radiator. But if you are willing to manage temperature levels by way of an app, you can manage each individual heater or zone from your smartphone or PC.

In the current post pandemic climate, many tenants are spending more of their time at home, and the method of heating the residence and the implications of how this affected their monthly energy bills is something that will be part of their decision making process when choosing a rental property, so it is something the property owner also has to think long and hard about.

As a Landlord, aside from having legal obligations, becoming more energy efficient is something both you and your tenants are looking towards.  For a long time, gas was considered the cheapest way to heat a property, but electric heating is now gaining much momentum, evolving into a sustainable and economical alternative.

With the increase of tenants’ savviness and desire for energy efficiency, there is a noticeable increase in pressure on landlords to upgrade their properties with a contemporary and sustainable electric heating system.

If you are looking for advice on how to make your property an attractive prospect for the rental market then please feel free to get in touch with us on hello@stuartsresidential.com or 01749 672 678.