What Kind Of Heating Is Best For My Health?


 

We need warmth

The temperature of our homes affects our health. Room temperatures under 16 degrees Celsius are considered harmful for health and the World Health Organisation recommends a minimum of 18. 

Generally speaking old villas need about three to four times more heat than modern homes of the same size.  Insulation only became compulsory in 1978 so many of our houses have little insulation or none.

In some cases where the insulation was installed a long time ago, it may no longer be doing its job properly.  The state of your insulation makes a big difference to how effective your heating is. 

What to consider first

You need to think about the size of the area that you want to heat – is it large or a smaller room? How cold does your part of the country get?  It’s best you consider when and how often you want to heat each space – only for short periods…or? Do you want instant heat or can you wait for a wood burner to heat up?

Appliances with a thermostat allowing you to set the temperature you want and a timer on them provide significant advantages. A thermostat can help you keep the room temperature in the range of 18 to 22 degrees and then 16 degrees overnight if required.

The costs of the appliance and running it are also important considerations.  Some options should be avoided if at all possible.  Open fires are inefficient, polluting, expensive and hard to control.  Portable or bayonet fitting unflued gas, kerosene or LPG canisters and heaters release pollutants and water vapour into your home.  Don’t use these unless you absolutely have to and particularly not in bedrooms or small unventilated rooms.

Heating options
Heat pumps
Heat pumps are an efficient form of heating although there are significant differences between appliances.  It is important to get one that is a good fit for the size of the area that you want to heat and if you live in one of the colder parts of the country, check that it will work effectively when the temperature drops below 10 degrees Celsius.

Wood burners
These can be cheaper and produce a lot of heat.  Newer models create little air pollution and are relatively efficient.  It is important to use dry, well-seasoned wood from sustainable sources (dried for at least a year).

Gas heaters
Flued gas heaters are an effective form of heating.  They are also healthy because the products of combustion are removed from the house.  Unflued gas heaters, by contrast, should be avoided if at all possible.  They emit nitrogen dioxide which is particularly bad for people with asthma and also water vapour that will make the house damp and more difficult to heat.

Wood pellet burners
Wood pellet burners are an efficient and environmentally friendly form of heating.  They burn pellets made from waste wood, in a controlled manner and have a low level of emissions.  They only use a small amount of electricity.

Electric heaters
Electric heaters include radiant, fan, convection and night store heaters and underfloor heating.  All of these operate differently and have different pros and cons.  A portable heater can be useful for heating a small room for a short period or where the heat is for one person.

Central heating
Central heating heats up either water or air that is then used to heat the entire house.  Hot air is distributed in a series of ducts while hot water systems may involve radiators or pipes built into the floors.  The heat may be generated by gas, a wood pellet-fuelled boiler or heat pumps.  Many of these systems have controls that allow you to control the temperatures in different parts of the house, for example, bedrooms can be kept a little cooler than living areas.

The Asthma and Respiratory Foundation acknowledges the use of the EECA energywise action sheet in preparing this fact sheet.