Editing Storage heater (section)

==Environmental aspects==
In common with other forms of direct [[electric heating]], storage heaters are not necessarily [[environmentally friendly]] because the source of electricity may be generated using [[fossil fuels]], with up to two-thirds of energy in the fuel lost at the [[power station]] and in [[Electric power transmission|transmission losses]].<ref name="AECB1" /> In [[Sweden]] the use of direct electric heating has been restricted since the 1980s for this reason, and there are plans to phase it out entirely—see [[Oil phase-out in Sweden]]—while [[Denmark]] and [[Germany]] have banned the installation of electric space heating in new buildings for similar reasons (though in Germany the ban was lifted in 2013).<ref name="AECB1" /><ref>[http://www.enev-online.org/enev_2009_volltext/enev_2009_10a_ausserbetriebnahme_von_elektrischen_speicherheizsystemen.htm ''EnEV 2009: § 10a Außerbetriebnahme von elektrischen Speicherheizsystemen.''] from: ''enev-online.org'' (in German)</ref>

In the UK, a storage heater earns a "Poor" rating for Environmental Performance on an Energy Performance Certificate. However many progressive countries are developing their electricity generating system, principally, to incorporate "greener", more sustainable and [[renewable energy]] sources; so how "green" a storage heater system is would in principle depend on how the electricity used is generated. Of course this argument applies to all forms of electric heating, but the ability  of a storage heater system  to use electricity at times when, for example, wind generated electricity could not otherwise be used, may in conjunction with a [[smart grid]] give storage heating a new role in the future.

In some countries, the current design of the electrical generating system may result in a surplus of electricity from [[base load]] power stations during off-peak periods, and storage heaters may then be able to make use of this surplus to increase the net efficiency of the system as a whole. However, future changes in supply and demand—for example as a result of [[energy conservation]] measures or a more responsive generating system—may then reverse this situation, with storage heaters preventing a reduction in the national base load. Other technologies may incorporate [[demand response]] electronics to sense when there is a change in supply and demand. Thereby, they ensure that these loads only use off-peak electricity. Further advances in supply technology could provide for a more bespoke 'supply and demand' tariff system to make smart grid sensing technologies like [[dynamic demand]] a more viable financial prospect.

Compared to other forms of electric heating, storage heaters are cheaper to run<ref name="aecb2">{{cite web|url=http://www.nef.org.uk/energysaving/storageheating.htm|title=Electric Storage Heating|publisher=National Energy Foundation (UK)|accessdate=2009-12-30}}</ref> and they impose lower peak loads. The highest peak loads come from instantaneous electric heating, such as [[Electric heating#Immersion heater|immersion water heater]]s, which create heavy loads for short durations, although instantaneous water heaters may use less electricity overall. High-efficiency [[ground source heat pumps]] are able to use up to 66% less electricity than storage heaters in heating by recovering heat from the ground, and are regarded as preferable even though they use electricity throughout the day.<ref name="AECB1">[http://www.aecb.net/PDFs/green%20electricity%20illusion.pdf The Green Electricity Illusion (Table 3, page 15)] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070711065425/http://www.aecb.net/PDFs/green%20electricity%20illusion.pdf |date=2007-07-11 }}, ''[[Association for Environment Conscious Building|AECB]]'', published 2005-11-11, accessed 2007-05-26.</ref> [[Air source heat pumps]] give similar efficiency increases and are generally easier and cheaper to install for domestic use. These are not to be confused with air conditioning (A/C) heat pumps which provide cooling with an increased carbon footprint and are now considered to be an environmental liability in some, (in particular hotter climate), countries.<ref name="aecb3">{{cite web|url=http://www.yourhome.gov.au/technical/fs62.html |access-date=2013-01-27 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130119102810/http://yourhome.gov.au/technical/fs62.html |archive-date=2013-01-19 |title=Heating and Cooling - yourhome.gov.au}}</ref>

Where alternatives to electricity exist, hot-water [[central heating]] systems can use water heated in or close to the building using high-efficiency [[condensing boiler]]s, [[biofuel]]s, [[heat pump]]s or [[district heating]]. Ideally hot water heating should be used. This can be converted in the future to use other technologies such as [[Solar hot water panel|solar panels]], so also providing [[future-proof]]ing. In the case of new buildings, [[low-energy building]]s such as those built to the [[Passive House]] standard can eliminate almost all the need for conventional [[space heating]] systems.

{{Commons category|Storage heating}}