In the midst of a revolution in heating, as a wide range of clean, low-cost solutions are being devised and adopted to meet the needs of British households, the big question is which systems are capable and affordable enough to meet these challenging times.
Efficient conventional and combi boiler systems powered by natural gas are still a very effective option at the moment, and electric boilers can be a good like-for-like replacement with the right alternative energy supply.
It appears that these two, alongside the rise of heat pumps, are currently seen as the future of heating, but given the longevity of boilers and the current relative prices of natural gas against electricity, it may take some time for there to be any major changes, assuming no radical policy shifts or incentive schemes.
However, it is unlikely to take as long as central heating did to take off in the first place, as a remarkably forward-thinking 18th-century system took over a century to end up in most British homes.
Ancient Central Heating
The first central heating systems installed in Britain were constructed during the prime of the Roman Empire.
Known as hypocausts, Roman central heating systems were remarkably similar to other underfloor heating systems, which used a set of underground trenches under larger villas and public buildings and wall-mounted pipes that channelled heat through them generated by a fire from the outside.
The hypocaust was not the first underfloor heating system in history, with Ancient Greek designs and the Korean ondol both using a similar methodology, but it was remarkably sophisticated in its design to the point that it is recognisably similar to modern central heating systems.
However, the fall of the Roman Empire led to a regression in heating, and for over a thousand years, people kept warm using open fires.
That would eventually change thanks to one of the most important inventions in history and the catalyst of the Industrial Revolution.
James Watt’s Warm Home
Whilst he did not invent the steam engine, James Watt’s radical improvements to it changed the modern world in extremely quick and fundamental ways. The addition of a boiler and condenser to the existing design made the steam engine practical and the Industrial Revolution inevitable.
However, beyond this critical contribution to industry and transportation, Mr Watt also helped create one of the first-ever boiler-based central heating systems ever installed in a home.
Allegedly, part of his inspiration came from watching a kettle boil, which he used as a miniature
boiler to generate steam as part of his early engine experiments.
The central heating system he used relied on a series of pipes that channelled high-pressure steam throughout his house. The system eventually was used to heat warehouses and factories, but was typically only used to maximise the efficiency of steam generated for other processes.
Why Did Central Heating Take So Long To Reach Homes?
James Watt, as well as the contributions of William Strutt to Derbyshire Infirmary, helped to pioneer the use of central heating in buildings, but the boilers themselves were initially far too big to be realistically used in most homes.
The earliest major central heating systems were either used in industrial buildings as a way to safely get rid of excess steam and heat, or in the first wave of greenhouses and conservatories as a way to maintain a tropical climate for exotic plants.
Part of the change was the development of the heating radiator by the German businessman Franz San Galli in 1855, which allowed for a much more efficient heating system to be developed that largely resembles the ones we use today.
The other major issue, however, was the source of fuel for the boiler. Early industrial boilers and those used in greenhouses relied on vast amounts of coal and coke rather than natural gas, in part because the latter was very rare and expensive to come by.
This meant that providing enough fuel to power a boiler was a labour-intensive process that tended to require skilled firebox operators rather than the effortless and efficient use of gas you see today.
It also meant that whilst radiators and boilers started to appear in British homes by the end of the 19th century, they were typically only found in upper-class dwellings until the end of the Second World War.
The major rebuilding project following VE Day led to a mass building project that had not been seen in the country in a generation. These houses were designed around a central boiler and radiators rather than a coal fire, something that has been the standard ever since.