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By: Rob Wells

Updated: 17th October 2023

As more homeowners turn to more efficient home heating systems, there's an increasing number of electric boiler manufacturers to choose between.

2 of the leading electric boiler manufacturers are Heatrae Sadia and Elnur so we've compared their range of electric boilers to help you find the right unit

What is an electric boiler?

For smaller homes, flats and properties off the gas network, an electric boiler is the ideal home heating solution. They generate central heating and domestic hot water, just like any other type of boiler, the only difference being that they don't burn any fuel, helping to make the highly efficient units.

The reason electric boilers are best suited to smaller homes and flats is because they aren't powerful enough to meet higher demands for heating and hot water.

What are the benefits of an electric boiler?

There are many advantages to installing an electric boiler over a gas or oil boiler:

• Achieve high efficiency levels of 99-100%
• Quiet in operation
• Light and compact units making them simpler and often cheaper to install
• Installation is flexible as there's no need for a flue or condensate pipe
• Fewer moving parts so there's less chance of a fault developing
• No need for an annual service which will save you time and money
• No risk whatsoever of a carbon monoxide (CO) leak
• Don't need to store any fuel in a tank (oil and LPG)

Electric boiler considerations

While there are many electric boiler advantages, especially if you live in a smaller home, there are some considerations to be made before having one installed:

• Less hot water: as mentioned earlier in the article, electric boilers aren't able to meet the higher demand for heating and hot water from larger homes with several bathrooms.
• Electricity is expensive: It can be easy to be put off by the higher running costs of electricity compared to gas and oil but it's possible to counter this with cheaper night tariffs (Economy 7) or a solar PV system.

Electric boiler manufacturers

An increasing number of electric boilers are appearing on the market as more people look to increase the efficiency of their home. Two of the most popular and reliable electric boiler manufacturers are Heatrae Sadia and Elnur.

Heatrae Sadia

Heatrae Sadia manufacture electric heating systems with the 2 million UK homes without a mains gas supply in mind. Their Amptec and Electromax electric boilers are both highly efficient and available in a range of output ratings.

ModelOutput rating optionsDimensions (HxWxD)EfficiencyErP rating

Both of these Heatrae Sadia boilers operate silently while the Amptec is a long and thin unit so won't take up much space at all.

Elnur

Elnur Mattira electric boilers are available as a system or combi unit and are highly efficient and available with a lengthy 5 year warranty.

ModelOutput rating optionsDimensions (HxWxD)EfficiencyErP rating

In addition to these specifications of the units, Elnur boilers boast several features:

• Heating modulation: Automatically set the heating output to your demand which helps save energy and keep your bills down.
• Auto-heating regulation: Add an external temperature sensor and the unit will be able to anticipate outdoor conditions influencing the temperature of your property and heat accordingly.
• Simple installation: Installation only takes 1 day, saving you time and money.
• Frost protection mode: During periods of time where the boiler isn't in use the frost protection mode will turn the boiler on if the temperature falls below 8°C.

Electric boiler efficiency

You might notice that while all of these electric boilers have a high efficiency, the ErP rating (which also shows efficiency) is fairly low in comparison. The reason for this lies in the way that the majority of electricity is generated in the UK – by burning fossil fuels.

Burning fossil fuels releases carbon into the atmosphere and, as a result, electricity is considered a carbon intensive fuel. So, while the electricity will efficiently heat your home once it arrives at your property, the process by which it's generated, for the most part, gives it a low ErP rating. Find out more about Electric Boiler Efficiency.

This one also one of the reasons why electricity is so expensive. In the UK, the average price of electricity is 34p/kWh which dwarfs the average price of gas which is only 10p/kWh.

As a result, electric boiler running costs will be higher than a gas boiler but it's possible to make savings in other areas:

• No need for an annual service
• Less likely to ever need a heating engineer to repair a fault
• More often than not, the installation is cheaper

To find out which will cost more over a 10 year period, read our article on the electric boiler cost vs gas.

Potential Costs

Both Heatrae Sadia and Elnur offer a range of electric boilers with each being better suited to the heating and hot water demands of different homes – making it easier to find the most suitable unit for your property.

Electric Boiler ModelPotential Cost (before installation)Electric Boiler ModelPotential Cost (before installation)

These potential costs don't take into account the installation, which will be on top of the price of the unit itself. Fortunately, electric boiler installation is much simpler than the installation of a gas or oil boiler so is often cheaper.

Heatrae Sadia vs Elnur

Both Heatrae Sadia and Elnur electric boiler ranges offer a wide number of output ratings to suit even the smallest of homes. While Elnur offer the largest variety of output ratings, Heatrae Sadia electric boilers offer greater diversity in terms of size.

As electric boilers are best suited to smaller homes and flats, you'll want a boiler that doesn't take up too much space. The Heatrae Sadia Amptec is possibly the most space-saving boiler available thanks to its long and thin dimensions of 1050x90x90mm (HxWxD). Plus, and often most importantly, their units are potentially available at a lower upfront cost.

Electric boiler installation

When it comes to electric boiler installation, the process is often more flexible, simpler and, best of all, cheaper than having any other boiler type installed.

Finding the best price for an electric boiler installation (or any type of boiler installation) is a case of comparing quotes from multiple installers.

By completing our simple online form, letting us know the type of work you need completing, we'll match you with local installers qualified to complete the work. You'll get free quotes from up to 3 installers for you to then compare and decide which best suits you. On top of that, there's no-obligation whatsoever.

About the author

Rob Wells

Rob is another of our resident home heating experts. He manages our external partnerships, making sure you get the most up to date information.