Live Direct Debit rates for UK average since 1 October 2026. Typical home: about 8,000 kWh of heat a year.
Why electric boilers cost more to run
An electric boiler turns almost all the electricity it uses into heat, so it's close to 100% efficient. The problem is the price: electricity costs 26.32p per kWh against 7.97p for gas. Even after allowing for a gas boiler's losses, heat from an electric boiler costs nearly three times as much.
A heat pump also runs on electricity, but it moves heat from outside rather than making it, giving about 2.8 units of heat for every unit of electricity in real UK homes. That's why it's far cheaper to run than an electric boiler.
Cost per year compared
| Heating | Typical home | Smaller home (6,000 kWh of heat) | Larger home (11,500 kWh of heat) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electric boiler | £2,125 | £1,579 | £3,027 |
| Gas boiler (incl. standing charge) | £865 | £671 | £1,187 |
| Heat pump | £759 | £564 | £1,081 |
Electric boiler and heat pump figures don't include the electricity standing charge, because you pay that anyway.
Cost per hour
Electric boilers for homes are usually rated between about 6 kW and 15 kW. At full power they cost:
| Boiler size | Per hour at full power |
|---|---|
| 6 kW | £1.58 |
| 9 kW | £2.37 |
| 12 kW | £3.16 |
| 15 kW | £3.95 |
Like gas boilers, they modulate and switch off once the house is warm, so real hourly costs are usually much lower.
When an electric boiler makes sense
- Small, well-insulated flats with low heat demand, where running costs stay modest.
- Homes with no gas supply where a heat pump can't be fitted.
- On an off-peak tariff such as Economy 7, heating hot water at night can cut the cost, if your system has a hot water cylinder.
If you can fit one, a heat pump will usually be much cheaper to run, and the Boiler Upgrade Scheme can give £7,500 towards it in England and Wales. Compare all options for your home in the heating cost calculator.
Sources: Energy Systems Catapult (Electrification of Heat), Government in-situ boiler study, Ofgem typical consumption values, Ofgem price cap via Uswitch, Octopus Energy tariff data.