Electric heating and electric boiler

Electric heating converts electricity directly into heat. It includes direct-acting panel heaters and convectors, storage heaters charged during the low tariff, electric underfloor heating and electric boilers that heat water for radiators or the floor. A heat pump also runs on electricity, but takes most of its heat from the surroundings, so it needs far less electricity for the same amount of heat.

Distribution tariffs for electric heating

A household that heats with electricity can have a distribution tariff with longer low-tariff hours. The Energy Regulatory Office sets the conditions in its price decision (for 2026, No. 14/2025):

• D25d and D26d - storage water heating or storage space heating, low tariff for at least 8 hours a day.
• D57d - direct heaters, hybrid heaters or a heat pump, low tariff for at least 20 hours a day; granted to new customers since 1 April 2016.
• D45d (direct heating) and D56d (heat pumps) - older tariffs that cannot be granted after 31 March 2016; customers who had them before may keep using them.

The main circuit breaker rating also matters for heating capacity. The breaker rating and tariff must be shown on the electricity bill together with the EAN code of the supply point.

Costs and the energy certificate

Advantages are low installation cost and no chimney or fuel. Disadvantages tend to be higher running costs and a worse EPC rating: Decree No. 264/2020 Coll. assigns electricity a non-renewable primary energy factor of 2.1, natural gas 1.0 and firewood 0.1.

Frequently asked questions

What does a factor of 2.1 mean in practice?

In the certificate calculation, every kWh of electricity used for heating counts as 2.1 kWh of non-renewable primary energy, while a kWh of natural gas counts as 1.0 kWh. A house with the same heat demand therefore scores worse with direct electric heaters than with a gas boiler.

What should I ask the seller for?

Electricity bills for recent years (they show actual consumption, the tariff and the breaker) and which rooms are heated and how. Real costs tell you more than the listing; the insulation of the house matters too.