With more high-rise buildings being built this year, the demand for electric wet central heating boilers is rising. Alan Clarke, technical support manager at Heatrae Sadia, talks about the benefits of these systems and why they should be a primary choice for specifiers.
Despite the construction industry taking a downturn in 2017, more high-rise buildings are being built this year - with London alone holding 510 buildings of over 20 storeys in the planning stages or under construction.1
By opting for electric, the customer can benefit from simplified maintenance processes, as in the case of high-rise buildings, it can often be problematic to gain entry for annual gas boiler services.
Additionally, an electric option removes the need for any flueing. This is a significant win, especially since the guidelines on concealed flues tightening in 2013. What’s more, following recent safety concerns surrounding gas boilers, many are being removed from multi-storey buildings to prevent any potential incident occurring, heightening the emphasis on the benefits of electric units. So, what do specifiers need to know about choosing electric options?
Electric wet central heating
Following the introduction of electric wet central heating flow boilers, the market has seen a number of changes – all of which provide benefits for specifiers and tenants alike. For example, as products of this nature work perfectly with conventional wet radiators and underfloor heating systems, they can provide central heating on demand. Additionally, they are usually compact, efficient and can be wall hung. They can be controlled and operated by a programmer and thermostat, working in a similar way to a gas-fired boiler. Our Amptec electric boiler, even modulates in the same way as a gas boiler, improving running efficiency.
Electric boilers can also be paired with direct cylinders as a way of supplying hot water to all electric properties. Our Megaflo Eco can deliver up to 72 litres of hot water per minute provided it’s connected to a mains water supply, ensuring a user has a powerful shower or a fast filling bath. What’s more, performance of the cylinder shouldn’t be significantly affected even if more than one tap or shower is used simultaneously (depending on the mains water pressure and flow rate coming into the property).
Product selection
Many electric boilers have an operating life similar to a traditional cast iron gas boiler. A high-quality product, like the Amptec might cost more initially, but will save a property owner money in the long run and offer them peace of mind.
In order to sustain a long operation life, many key features were implemented into the design of the Amptec. For example, solid state technology was included for the switching of the heating elements to ensure a much longer life, in comparison to what is achievable using conventional electro-mechanical devices such as relays and contactors. We believe that only solid state technology is suitable for the typical switching life required for a long-lasting electric boiler, and we avoid using mechanical relays to switch the heating elements on and off.
In addition to Amptec, Heatrae Sadia also has the Electromax to offer, which contains an electric boiler and a hot water cylinder in a single casing. The Electromax can provide full wet central heating and unvented domestic hot water from one compact unit. It comes factory assembled, tested, pre-plumbed and is very simple to install.
Whilst electric heating was historically considered to be lacking in choice and flexibility, there are a raft of products that are available for when gas is not a viable option in a high-rise development. All of which not only offer benefits for the installer, but also help to meet the needs of specifiers, landlords and residents.
For further information please visit www.heatraesadia.com.
