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The Energy Blog ​Make your home heating more efficient

​Make your home heating more efficient

Efficiency is key when it comes to home heating. Not only does an efficient system save you money but it also uses fewer of the world's resources.

The first step to creating an energy efficient property is to ensure the building is well insulated and that appliances are set to operate only as much as necessary and thermostats are set to the optimum temperature. To help you make your home more energy efficient, we've got some great ideas that will save you money.

Beyond insulation and implementing other efficiency tips, your choice of heating system can have a significant effect on energy efficiency. Some systems can operate more efficiently in different homes. Here's an overview of four different electric systems and the benefits they can bring.

Traditional wet radiators with an electric boiler

It's easy to switch from a gas or oil-fired boiler to a clean, efficient electric one and retain your existing radiators and pipework. Electric boilers are 100% efficient because no heat is lost up a chimney or flue - and you can get rid of that big oil tank.

Watch this video to see just how easy switching to electric heating can be. 

To find out more or book a free quotation, call our Customer Care Team on 505460

Storage heaters

As the name suggests, storage heaters store heat at off-peak times for release at a later time when you need it. By ensuring your heater is set to heat up during the lower cost, off peak times of the day, you are then able to warm your home without using more costly energy, even if the heat is used during peak periods.

Here's a brief video explaining how storage heaters work:

If you have storage heaters installed and would like to know how to use them to their greatest efficiency, take a look at this simple guide for users.

Underfloor heating

Not only does underfloor heating keep your feet warm, it also ensures a more even distribution of heat throughout a room. Another important benefit is the increase in wall space gained not having radiators.

Underfloor heating systems are best installed in new builds, but can also be retro-fitted. The two main types of underfloor heating are underfloor heating pipes (wet system) and electric cable (dry). Both can be fitted under almost any kind of flooring. A wet system can be powered by either an efficient electric boiler or heat pump, the latter is particularly suited to underfloor heating because of the lower ambient temperature.

Here's a brief video providing an overview of underfloor heating and how it works:

Air source heat pumps

Given that Jersey winters can be pretty chilly, it comes as a surprise to many that the air outside your home can be used to heat the property efficiently.

Even on a pretty cold day of just 2°C, an air source heat pump is able to use that small amount of heat, transfer it through a refrigerant and increase its temperature sufficiently to heat your home and hot water.

Air source heat pumps are able to cut the cost of heating significantly because they produce around three times the amount of heat as would the units used to power them. So, for every £1 you spend on running costs, you will benefit from £3 worth of heat to warm your home and heat your hot water.

Here's a brief video explaining how heat pumps work:

Pipeless central heating

Slimline electric panel heaters have always been an ideal, flexible, highly efficient heating solution for individual rooms such as a bedroom or conservatory. But now you can enjoy the instant heat and controllability of panel heaters all through your home combined with a low cost tariff to create a pipeless central heating system for a fraction of the cost of installing a whole-house wet radiator system.

Get advice

Whether you think storage heaters or air source heat pumps are more suitable for you, the best way to find out for sure is to contact us. We'll be pleased to visit your home and advise you of the most efficient way forward.

Your Customer Number

Your 5 character Customer Number can be found in the top right and bottom left corners of your bill.

Example electricity bill with the customer number highlighted

Daily Service Charge

The Daily Service Charge covers energy support services such as metering, billing, Customer Care, safety obligations and other energy support services.

Off-peak

Off-peak means not at the most popular time. Some of our tariffs provide discounted rates at off-peak times - for example, during certain periods at night.

Off peak charging times

Our current off peak electric vehicles times are from 00:00 to 06:59.

Dedicated supply circuit

A dedicated supply circuit is an electrical circuit that is set aside for a specific purpose, such as powering a boiler. It will work with a single appliance only.

It will have its own circuit breaker in your fuse box, and no other device or appliance will be able to draw power from it. A dedicated supply circuit ensures that appliances can draw the current they need without overloading your system, blowing a fuse or tripping an electric circuit.

Invoice Number

This can be found on the top right corner of your bill here

Example electricity bill with invoice number

Premise Number

This can be found on the top right corner and bottom left corner of your bill.

Example electricity bill with premise number highlighted

Payment Slip

This can be found at the bottom of your bill here

Bill payment slip example

Peak Load

Peak load or peak demand is a short period when the demand for electricity is at its highest.

Kilowatt Hours

Electricity consumption is usually measured in kilowatt hours, or kWh for short. Each kWh of electricity equates to 'one unit of electricity' for billing purposes. A 1kW (1,000 Watts) appliance in use for one hour = 1kWh (one unit). The cost per unit used depends on which tariff you are on.

Three phase

Residential homes are usually served by a single-phase power supply, while commercial and industrial facilities usually use a three-phase supply.

One difference between single-phase and three-phase is that a three-phase power supply better accommodates higher loads. Single-phase power supplies are most commonly used when typical loads are lighting or heating, rather than large electric motors.

Another important difference between 3-phase power and single phase power is the consistency of power delivery. Because of the variations in voltage, single-phase power supply does not offer the same consistency as a three-phase power supply. A three-phase power supply delivers power at a steady, constant rate.

kVA

A kVA is simply 1,000 volt-amps. A volt-amp, or ampere, (VA) is the voltage times the current feeding an electrical load.

Embedded generator

Embedded generators like wind turbines and solar panels are connected to your electricity supply and provide electricity for onsite use. They also have the capability to export back to the grid.

Smart Card Number

Your Smart Card Number is the 19-digit number displayed below the barcode on your Smart Card.

The Smart Card Number also contains your six-digit Meter Number that is also displayed on your meter. You need this to top up a Smart Pay As You Go Meter whether at a Payzone outlet or online.

Example of Smart card for meter charging

Smart Card

A Smart Card contains your unique Smart Card Number used when topping up a Smart Pay As You Go Meter.

Example of a smart card for meter charging

F-Credit

F-credit is a Pay As You Go meter display and means Friendly Credit. It is the period between 9pm and 8am. If the credit on your meter runs out during this period, your supply will remain on until 8am.

Decarbonise

The process of reducing carbon by replacing fossil fuels with fuel that is less harmful to the environment such as low-carbon electricity.

Regenerative braking

With conventional braking systems, the kinetic energy that was propelling the vehicle forward gets converted to unwanted and wasted heat by the friction of the brakes.

Regenerative braking recaptures much of the car's kinetic energy and converts it into electricity, so that it can be used to recharge the car's batteries.

In addition to improving the efficiency of a vehicle, regeneration can significantly extend the life of the braking system, as the mechanical parts will not wear out as quickly.

Power factor

Power factor is the ratio of useful power in kilowatts (kW) to apparent power, measured in kilovolt amperes (kVA). A perfect power factor would be 1.0, however in reality this is almost impossible to achieve. Office buildings are usually between 0.98 and 0.92. Bad power factor is anything below 0.85.

Electric flow boiler

Electric flow boilers are simple to install, quiet in operation, 100% efficient and integrate into most existing radiator or underfloor piped systems. Plus, with no flue or storage tank, an electric boiler is a space-saving option that can be installed almost anywhere in your home.

Approved heating system

A heating system, approved by Jersey Electricity, on a dedicated supply for use on one of our discounted heating tariffs.

To learn more about what's required for an approved heating system, view our current approved heating guidelines.

20-digit payment code

The 20-digit payment code is issued with your receipt for a Pay As You Go (PAYG) meter top-up. If your meter did not charge automatically, you can do it manually with the payment code. Press button A on your meter then key in your 20-digit payment confirmation code on the meter keypad, then press button B. Your meter will recognise the amount paid and charge accordingly.

Single phase

Single-phase power supplies are most commonly used when typical loads are lighting or heating, as in a domestic home, rather than large electric motors and higher loads. Single-phase power is a two-wire alternating current (AC) power circuit.