Types of heating, compared unit by unit

There is no such thing as the best heating system. A heat pump that shines in a well-insulated 2015 house struggles in a draughty stone cottage. And the pellet stove your neighbour swears by gets expensive if you are never home to fill it.

283 articles, and as many particular cases. Air-to-air and air-to-water heat pumps, condensing gas boilers, biomass, underfloor heating, solar thermal, wood stoves, electric radiators, back-up heaters. Each appliance is judged on its installed price, the efficiency it actually holds in January, the servicing it demands, and the building it belongs in.

The awkward cases get their own treatment. Heating a conservatory. Supplying a house off the grid. Laying underfloor heating over a crawl space that pulls the warmth straight down.