electric boiler solutions
The electric boiler range, incorporating hot water storage, provide both heating and hot water.
Where this electric boiler range is different to an electric combination boiler or instantaneous heater, the hot water storage allows for energy storage that can be charged using low cost off-peak electricity periods such as economy 7 and economy 10 or smart time of use tariffs, in addition to renewable technologies such as solar PV or wind generated electricity.
If you are looking for guidance to select the correct electric boiler solution, please click here to download your selection chart.
What benefits does this heating and hot water solution provide over an electric combination boiler? Click here to find out more.
MULTIflow + Flow Boiler
ELECTRAflow
ELECTRAstore
Electric Boiler Features & Benefits
- Electric boiler range with thermal storage capacity to maximise the benefits of low cost electric tariffs
- Delivering wet central heating and mains pressure hot water
- Easy to install – does not require G3 certification
- Requires no annual maintenance
- All thermal storage cylinders are manufactured from copper – killing bacteria such as legionella
- Built in scald protection
- Rectangular and slimline units available, with bespoke design flexibility
- Recommended by professional contractors and specifiers
- Ideal for a wide range of properties
running cost benefits over Electric Combi Boilers
Electricity is typically more expensive than natural gas, so an electric boiler or thermal store can be more expensive to run than a gas boiler.
With the drive on carbon reduction, it is essential that the cost to switch to electricity is kept to a minimum by ensuring that it is used at the lowest cost periods, or renewable technologies such as solar PV are incorporated into the product to minimise the running costs.
By utilising an electric only heating and hot water solutions, the electricity can be used when tariffs are at their lowest, whether it be the well known Economy 7 or Economy 10 tariffs or the newer time of use tariffs such as Octopus Agile. An electric boiler with integrated thermal storage can maximise the energy provided to heat the store to provide the heating and hot water to the property at whatever time of day it is required.
Where an electric combination boiler is utilised, it will generally be used during periods where the electricity tariffs are at their most expensive therefore increasing the ongoing running costs.
integration of smart and renewable technology
The ELECTRAstore electric boiler and integrated thermal storage provides the ultimate flexibility for both PV integration and smart technology, not available with an electric combi boiler.
The smart technology ‘learns’ the homeowners heating and hot water demand, intelligently heating the store at the lowest cost periods to the level to meet the predicted demand. Being able to do this ensures the running costs are kept to the minimum.
With the addition of PV integration through the controller, via and Iboost or similar, allows the store to utilise ‘free’ renewable energy to heat the stored water up to 90 degrees, reducing the reliance on grid electricity.
Maximise heating capacity and consistent hot water supply
Electric combi boilers have a limited heating capacity, which means they may not be suitable for homes with multiple hot water appliances running at the same time. This issue is overcome with our electric boiler solutions.
The MULTIflow and flow boiler combination provides the flexibility to size the hot water and heating requirements separately.
Where a combined electric boiler with thermal storage is specified, this solution stores a large amount of hot water for both heating and hot water, so there is less chance of running out of hot water during peak demand times. This is especially useful for households with multiple bathrooms or people who take long showers.
Correctly sizing the thermal store will ensure it will meet the kW requirement of both the heating and hot water for the property, whilst also maximising the potential for load shifting the energy requirements.
benefits of copper hot water storage
Our focus is very much on the manufacture of copper hot water cylinders and tanks. Copper provides fantastic benefits including;
- Ability to kill 99% of bacteria including Ecoli and legionella
- One of the most efficient conductors of heat
- Significantly more flexible for manufacturing than other materials
- Long lifespan due to its amazing resistance to corrosion
- 100% recyclable
For further information see our brochure The Ultimate Supermetal or visit our Copper Facts page.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What is an Electric Boiler?
An electric boiler is a device that uses electricity to heat water for various purposes. They are efficient and environmentally friendly alternatives to traditional fossil fuel heat sources.
Our electric boiler range incorporate a thermal store, which is a device used to store heat energy. In turn, they provide the ability to deliver both space heating and mains pressure hot water, by storing and managing heat distribution.
As a result thermal stores are becoming increasingly popular in domestic settings.
Thermal stores can be used to store heat from a variety of energy sources, including electric (immersion heater), gas, solar panels (thermal or PV) and solid fuel boilers.
Click here to see our full thermal store range.
What are the benefits of electric thermal storage?
There are many benefits to having a thermal store in your home, with one of the major ones being it can take the energy when it is at its lowest cost for use when it is required.
A thermal store is also inherently safe not only being an open vented store, but with the domestic hot water being mains cold water instantaneously generated, there is no risk of legionella. The use of the blending valve to control the hot water temperature provides home owners with anti scald protection.
In addition, there are no ongoing servicing requirements as associated with unvented cylinders, therefore reducing running costs.
The benefits of a thermal store are highlighted by the Energy Savings Trust.
Why the demand for electric central heating and hot water?
Electric central heating systems can adopt a similar approach to conventional central heating with traditional radiators fed by hot water flowing through pipes and heated by an electric boiler, such as the McDonald Water Storage ELECTRAflow or ELECTRAstore.
This form of electric central heating is more commonly referred to as electric wet central heating and has grown in popularity as people look to move away from the less efficient night storage heating systems.
The electric central heating system is regularly used in a wide range of properties from new builds to refurbishments. It is particularly suited to multi-storey buildings and apartments within high rise flats, as well as rural homes with no natural gas supply, as an alternative to LPG and oil-fired boilers. But electric central heating offers so many more benefits that simply as a last alternative when gas is not available.
By using electric central heating you can also enjoy the benefits of:
- No gas certification required to install the system
- No annual boiler maintenance
- No flue required, making it easy to install anywhere in the property
- 100% efficiency on heat transfer
- No need for gas pipes to enter the building and no external oil or LPG tanks
.
Click here to discover further benefits.
ELECTRIC BOILERS A PERFECT SOLUTION FOR APARTMENTS
The electric boiler solutions provide the perfect heating and hot water solution for apartment applications.
Unlike gas boilers, the electric water boilers do not require a flue to an external wall, simplifying the installation and regulation compliance in apartment applications.
Where property management companies consider the maintenance and replacement costs of central plant systems, the electric boiler solution incorporating thermal storage is often considered a more cost effective solution for the residents.
What is the difference between a thermal store and a hot water cylinder?
A thermal store differs from a conventional hot water cylinder as the stored water is not delivered to the taps directly from the thermal store. Instead, it is heated up by passing through an internal coil (heat exchanger) that transfers heat from the thermal store water to the mains cold water, and is blended down to 55 degrees before being delivered to the hot water outlets.
Another difference is that a thermal store has the ability to supply the wet central heating system, whether it is underfloor heating or traditional radiators, not possible with an unvented cylinder.
Thermal store benefits over an electric combi boiler?
The switch from conventional gas boilers or in the instance of multiple occupancy developments, gas fired central plant systems, can be problematic when looking for a heating and hot water system that is both cost effective at the time of purchase, but is also efficient to run.
Electric combination boilers are often seen as the answer with several advantages, such as being small, clean and easy to install. However, there are also disadvantages to this go to solution.
An electric boiler with thermal storage on the other hand, not only provides the same benefits over gas powered systems but can also ensure ongoing running costs are kept to a minimum. In addition, this energy storage potential only provided by a cylinder, enables the balancing of demand on the electrical grid, and reduce the reliance on peak periods.
So will it be thermal storage or electric combination boiler?
Before making the choice between an electric thermal store or an electric combination boiler to provide both the heating and hot water for your property, it is worth considering the benefits of thermal stores. Click here to see the additional benefits our electric thermal stores, ELECTRAflow and ELECTRAstore, can provide over an electric combination boiler.
Is a thermal store vented or unvented?
There are many benefits to having a thermal store in your home, with one of the major ones being is it is open vented, providing the mains pressure hot water without the complexities of an unvented option.
A thermal store is inherently safe not only being an open vented store, but with the domestic hot water being mains cold water instantaneously generated, there is no risk of legionella. The use of the blending valve to control the hot water temperature provides home owners with anti scald protection.
There are also no ongoing servicing requirements as associated with unvented cylinders, therefore reducing running costs.
How does the heat transfer process work in a thermal store?
In an electric boiler with thermal storage, the water held in the tank is used to provide the energy to meet the properties heating and hot water requirements.
There are generally two approaches to the design and manufacture of a thermal store. Firstly the coil based thermal store and secondly, thermal stores featuring an external plate heat exchanger (PHE).
With the coil type thermal store, the domestic water passes through a high efficiency copper coil, drawing heat from the surrounding thermal store of water, to deliver mains pressure hot water. This water is blended with cold water via a thermostatic blending valve to 55 degrees, and delivered to the outlets at the required temperature.
The space heating can be provided either directly from the store or via a separate internal heat exchanger.
Are thermal stores any good?
A thermal store can provide a perfect solution, whether in an electric only apartment where the homeowner wants to maximise the benefit of off-peak tariffs or through renewable technology.
In an electric installation, the thermal store temperature can be raised to store more energy. For instance, the ELECTRAflow temperature can be raised to 90 degrees, providing 150% increase in stored energy over an unvented cylinder that is held at 60 degrees.
The thermal store is also widely recognised as an optimal solution for incorporating renewable energy inputs, thanks to its ability to harness the energy as it is generated, store it until it is required, and then transfer the heat into heating and hot water on demand.
By incorporating multiple renewable energy sources, you can create a truly efficient solution using, for example, solar to capitalise on the energy generated in the summer months, with a solid fuel stove generating the power during the colder winter months.
What are the operating temperatures of a thermal store?
The thermal store is designed to work best when the store temperature is at or approaching 70°C – 75°C. While the thermal store can provide hot water at lower temperature storage, the available flow rates and volume will be reduced. Check the thermometer is showing the store temperature is at or approaching 70°C -75°C.
High temperature thermal stores such as the ELECTRAflow and ELECTRAstore models can raise the stored temperature to 90°C, allowing for a larger capacity of energy storage. These products utilise a temperature sensor at the top of the unit as opposed to the immersion control thermostat.