When the days are cold and you are sat at home working, you may think that it’s a waste to heat up your whole home while your located in just one room. In this blog we will explore the two options for effectively heating your home office, a heat pump or an electric heater.

 

What is a heat pump?

A heat pump uses electricity in the same way that a refrigerator does. It uses the electricity to move heat from a cool space to a warm space, this means in terms of efficiency the heat pump ranks high. They also have the added function of being used as an air conditioning unit for the warmer months of the year.

Efficiency

An electric heater is only using electricity to convert into heat; therefore, it is 100% efficient at what it does, much better than a boiler. However, a heat pump can run at 350% efficiency.

Winner: Heat Pump

 

Floor Space

Electric heaters are available in various sizes but typically they occupy very little space. In comparison, the heat pump needs more footprint for the full installation. It’s worth noting though, that once installed a heat pump will be on the wall/ ceiling and take up no space in your home.

Draw

 

Life Span

An electric heater will usually last around 5-10 years, depending on the quality of the heater. Whereas a heat pump has a life span of 15 years or so.

Winner: Heat Pump

 

Capital Cost

The initial cost of a heat pump is more than an electric heater.

Winner: Electric Heater

 

Energy Cost

The electric heater consumes more energy than the heat pump. The heat pump will give more than 50% cost benefit over electric heaters.

Winner: Heat Pump

 

Environmental Impact

While both systems rely on electrical energy, the electrical heater leaves a carbon footprint 3-5 times more than the heat pump.

Winner: Heat Pump

 

Maintenance

For both options the maintenance is fairly simple and the costs associated are very low.

Draw

 

Overall Winner: Heat Pump