Off-Peak Heating
Cheaper, cleaner electric heating powered by low-carbon energy.
-
Cheaper to runCompare costsLike a battery, Off-Peak Heating systems bank power during your Super Economy 12 'Low-Rate' overnight time bands, which is the cheapest tariff to run electric heating from here in Guernsey.
-
100% EfficientEfficiency explainedThis means every £1 you spend on electricity will give you £1 worth of heat for your home. A new gas or oil boiler will always be less than 100% efficient and will become even less efficient as they age.
-
Guaranteed Application AcceptanceApplying for powerYour installer will need to apply for 'additional load' for any electric heating installation. The good news is that we guarantee acceptance for any applications for Off-Peak Heating up to 18kW, which means most 1- and 2-bedroom homes could benefit - plus some 3-bedroom properties too.
Is storage heating really cheaper to run than an electric boiler?
The heating type that's best for you will depend on both your budget, and the type of property you have.
Off-Peak Storage Heating can be expensive to install. But expensive once beats expensive forever. Here is a short video about off-peak storage heating for a quick overview.
Your best bet is to discuss your options with an installer - we offer free home surveys to help islanders find the best electric heating solution for them.
But in the mean time, here is an overview to help illustrate which heating system may be the best for you.
Need more detail about storage heating?
Warning: plug-in electric heaters can cost a bomb
Their small size and convenience could be hiding potential for a big electricity bill. That's because you may not be running them during your cheap times, which means they're running on the highest electricity tariff. If this is for a few hours, the cost can really add up.
Installing an off-peak storage heater is more pricey than installing an electric boiler - unless your home is already set up for storage heating.
- New wiring may be needed inside the walls, with the pipes and plumbing system removed if your current system uses a boiler
- Minimal maintenance required compared to boilers or central heating - and no plumber callouts.
- Long lifespan with few moving parts
Never bleed a radiator again.
Overnight is the cheapest, cleanest time to use electricity for customers on an Economy 12 tariff. And as heating bills are usually the biggest part of your energy bill, why not store up your cheap electricity overnight and use that to heat your home when you need it?
That's precisely how Off-Peak Storage Heating works.
Wave goodbye to boilers, plumbing, leaks and pressure problems for heating. We're talking about 100% 'dry' heating from now on.
We already have the technology and systems in place to store up heat energy for you. Using clever systems that bank off-peak (and low-rate) electricity, internal storage blocks absorb your cheaper overnight electricity, ready to use the next day. Just like a battery. With no water necessary.
And just like modern hot water cylinders, storage heater units are well insulated to minimise heat loss and your heating bill.
A 'wet' heating system runs off a boiler and relies on complex plumbing and piping systems. Modern Off-Peak Storage Heaters work like other 'dry' heating systems (meaning 0 risk of leaks), and are easily controllable - giving you the heat you need when you need it.
Need more detail? Find out more here
Don’t wait for your boiler to break
Spring and Summer are the best time to make the switch. As with a house extension or roof replacement, it takes time but is worthwhile.
Important: What you need to know before you switch to electric storage heating
-
Step 1We will provide you with a free home survey to understand what your property needs. Book your free home survey here
-
Step 2
One of our advisors will calculate the heat loss specific to your property and provide you with a quote based on your property needs. As heat loss is unique to each property and usually depends on the level of insulation, quotes may differ between customers.
-
Step 3
Once you have accepted your quote, your installer will submit an 'Additional Load' to Guernsey Electricity. This checks if the incoming electricity supply and surrounding network is substantial enough for the additional electricity ‘load’ needed to power your heating system.
WE GUARANTEE TO ACCEPT ALL OFF-PEAK HEATING APPLICATIONS FOR LOAD UP TO 18KW
Power Supply
It’s really important to plan ahead and check if your property needs a supply line cable upgrade.
Electricity is delivered to your door through an underground network of cables. Some properties don’t have enough capacity in the existing service cable to supply a new heating system ad will need a service upgrade.
Your installer can check with Guernsey Electricity by submitting an additional load application if your property needs a supply line cable upgrade
Frequently asked questions
Making the switch to electric heating is a fantastic investment for your property. Like any property upgrade, the installation will take time to complete and we want to help answer your questions before you make the decision to change.
We recommend checking current prices and tariffs online first.
Use our online calculator to compare heating running costs
Heating systems only replace the volume of heat lost from your property, which means property insulation is the most effective way to reduce the running costs of any heating system.
Off-Peak Storage Heating
This heating system runs on the cheapest tariff available for electric heating as, like a battery, they're designed to store heat energy during your low-rate overnight periods. This cheaper stored heat can then be used during the day as and when you need it.
Please check our Super Economy 12 'Low-Rate' prices here. Your low-rate time bands are printed on the back of your electricity bill.
Electric Boilers and Underfloor Heating
These run on the Superheat Tariff.
Electric heating is costs significantly less to run than gas heating in Guernsey.
Oil is one of the cheapest commodities and although oil heating systems may initially have a lower running cost when new at around 91% efficiency, over time the cost to run your oil heating will increase as your boiler's efficiency decreases.
Some customers have replaced oil boilers working at less than 70% efficiency, meaning over 30% of their bill was used to pay for waste greenhouse gas emissions rather than valuable heat for their home.
Air Source Heat Pumps
This is the least expensive way to heat a property and runs on the Heat Pump tariff.
Unlike other heating systems, air source heat pumps provide three times as much energy as is put in. This means that for every £1 spent on electricity to run the heat pump, you could generate £3 worth of heat for your property.
Off-Peak storage heating systems run on the cheapest tariff by storing power overnight during off-peak periods.
If you've got a storage heater and are unsure how to use it, find out more here
If you currently heat your property with a traditional electric heating system*, a gas or oil system, you will significantly cut your carbon emissions by moving to an Off-Peak Storage Heating System.
This is because we import around 60MW of electricity from low-carbon sources from the European grid, and all additional demand is topped up from the Vale power station. As Off Peak Storage Heaters store power during overnight off-peak times on the grid, it can be powered using 100% low-carbon electricity.
*Air source heat pumps will help you significantly reduce your carbon footprint too.
No - unless you are replacing an existing electric heating system. However, your preferred installer will always do their best to provide a solution in an emergency.
Switching to an electric system is a positive development for your property and similar to other property improvements such as extensions and roof renovations, it will take time to complete.
Lead times will vary depending on workload and availability, and it is worth preparing for your switch to electric heating well in advance. Please be aware that your property may need a supply line cable upgrade which will add to the timeframe.
We also recommend switching during the spring and summer months when possible so the work can be carried out when you do not need to use the heating. Depending on the work required, it may take several weeks from start to finish.
There will be a different answer to this question for each property depending on:
- the network infrastructure in your area
- the supply line cable connecting your property to the network, and;
- how much electricity other properties around you are using
Your neighbour may be in a different position to you if, for example, they had electric heating installed a few years ago, or the network serving their property is from a different substation.
Your installer will submit an Additional Load Form to Guernsey Electricity's new connections team to establish if there is enough power in the surrounding cable network to power an electric heating system in your property.
Replacing your gas or oil boiler whilst retaining your existing radiators is the quickest and most simple option. This is known as a ‘wet system’ as it relies on water heated by electricity to be pumped around the property.
Moving to electric radiators is known as a ‘dry’ system.
This doesn’t need a boiler and all existing radiators linked by pipework can be removed. Electric radiators are then installed throughout the home with a cable supplying each radiator to power it individually. This means each radiator is powered independently and has its own programmer and thermostat.
The main benefits of a dry electric heating system are:
- no water pumped around the property which reduces the risk of leaks.
- if one radiator fails, the others will still work unlike a wet system where if the boiler fails, there is no heat for the home.
- each room can have accurate temperature control e.g. your lounge can be warm and cosy at 21°C, and the spare room can be as low as 12°C just to keep it aired.
If the supply line cable supplying your property has sufficient capacity, you will not need an upgrade. However to find this out, your installer will need to submit an 'additional load' application.