storage heater/economy 7 queries

This may sound like a stupid question but how do storage heaters know to come on at night time?

Do they have an internal timer? Does the change in electric supply for normal to ecomomy 7 trigger them?

I have storage heaters and i find them to be quite expensive (electricity bill is £50-60/m in winter in a one bed flat with just me as opposed to £15-20/m in summer) so i was wondering if possibly they are coming on at the wrong time?

Is that even possible or if they have an internal timer does switching them off all summer mess up the timings?

Any advice on this subject is very welcome
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Comments

  • Most storage heaters have timers which can be set.
    Try getting hold of a user manual for the type you have got.
    Economy 7 comes on after midnight . I have it to heat my water & it switches on automatically .
    Have a look at your electricity bill & you should be able to tell which tariff you are using the most . If its not economy 7 you need to set the timers.
    Hope this helps . Though as you can tell I'm no expert!
    W
  • irnbru_2
    irnbru_2 Posts: 1,603 Forumite
    This may sound like a stupid question but how do storage heaters know to come on at night time?

    You'll either have a mechanical- or radio-tele- switch. This controls which meter records the usage.
    I have storage heaters and i find them to be quite expensive (electricity bill is £50-60/m in winter in a one bed flat with just me as opposed to £15-20/m in summer) so i was wondering if possibly they are coming on at the wrong time?

    Your storage heaters will be on a separate fuse box controlled by the E7 switch. During the E7 period everything will be charged at E7 rates.

    Keep your old bills and compare your consumption, not the cost.

    Search this forum for storage heater and E7 advice.
  • GaryS
    GaryS Posts: 807 Forumite
    Storage heaters are usully wired into a separate circuit, connected to an Economy 7 meter.
    This is because they use so much electricity, they only come on overnight.

    They heat up overnight using "cheaper" electric, supposedly store it during the day and the you release the heat when you get in from work via the controls. You can also release the heat during the day, but be careful not to turn them up too high as you may run out of heat by late evening.

    Some newer ones also have a boost switch which controls a convector element on the front of the storage heater. This uses normal price electricity, not Economy 7 rates.

    I would never have storage heaters by choice, having replaced some old ones years ago, then replaced them again with gas central heating.

    They are just too expensive to run.
  • Mikeyorks
    Mikeyorks Posts: 10,369
    First Anniversary Combo Breaker
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    This may sound like a stupid question but how do storage heaters know to come on at night time?

    No, it's not the storage radiator fairy! ;) As post #4 - they're wired to a separate meter, which only activates for (generally) 7 hours between 0100hrs and 0900hrs (eg 0100hrs - 0800hrs Winter / 0200hrs - 0900hrs Summer) And, of course, all other electricity you use in this period .. is at the lower rate
    Do they have an internal timer?

    No

    Does the change in electric supply for normal to ecomomy 7 trigger them?
    Yes (provided they're 'on' at the wall socket.)

    I have storage heaters and i find them to be quite expensive (electricity bill is £50-60/m in winter in a one bed flat with just me as opposed to £15-20/m in summer) so i was wondering if possibly they are coming on at the wrong time?

    Unlikely - you should hear a 'clunk' from your meter area at switch on/off time. And the neon in the wall switches should come on/off at the same time??
    They're not cheap devices to run, for example, at maximum, a 2.4kw model 'stores' 2.4kw per hour for each of the 7 hours. A total of 16.8kw each night. You can control them by using the 'input' control - which operates a very basic control and reduces the amount of energy stored. But, of course, that's less heat to give out.


    Is that even possible or if they have an internal timer does switching them off all summer mess up the timings?

    They don't have an internal timer. So you can happily switch them off at the wall socket over the Summer - and back on in the Autumn, with no problem

    Any advice on this subject is very welcome

    But you could have a look at switching energy supplier for one with a cheaper E7 tariff?

    Storage radiators are really only 'background' heating. But, for many years, we found them very good in a draughty farmhouse on top of a Yorks moor - but only when backed up by a couple of huge multi-fuel stoves.
    If you want to test the depth of the water .........don't use both feet !
  • Thanks everyone for the information, you've all been really helpful.
    I'm going to look for a supplier with better E7 rates to change to when winter comes around
    or possibly just not turn them on and just wrap myself up in a duvet instead!

    Thanks
  • tr3mor
    tr3mor Posts: 2,325 Forumite
    Are storage heaters thermostatic?

    If I use the highest setting will it just charge up at that setting all night? Or will it think "That's hot enough now"?

    I'm trying to work out the best way of using them in our flat!
  • I have an interesting dilemma. I just turned on our kitchen storage heater a few days ago at about 8pm and it started heating up straight away. I kept an eye on it and it appears it's running all the time. Yesterday I went out to the meter, which is a digital type with different rates for the day and night-time tariffs, and after checking it over a period of hours - including after midnight - found that the "low rate" i.e. the economy 7 meter is running all the time (the figures have changed) and not the "normal" day time meter during the day (the figures are staying the same).
    I guess this means that for as long as this has been going on we've been getting ALL our electricity at the economy 7 rate, which is good as we've got five kids and our rented house is extremely badly insulated.

    Do I tell the supplier? Yes, of course I do - in a bit!;)
  • basill
    basill Posts: 1,390
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    Hi,
    I`m a bit worried about Mikeyorks and GaryS replies to your questions, it is different in my house. Everything is connected to the same meter it is only the rate charged that changes during the economy 7 time.

    We dont have any automatic control of the storage heaters, instead there is a timer in the kitchen which controls the storage heaters and hot water cyclinder. This must be properly set for the cheap hours of the night.

    If this is the setup in your place it is very likely the heaters are on during the expensive daytime rate. A power cut could easily have this effect on your timer or it could be set to always on.

    I have gone a step further and use a timer for the tumble dryer and dishwasher to take advantage of the cheap rate.

    B
  • I'd take the £50-£60 per month if I were you. I've just had my latest electricity bill, for August, September and October, during that period I only used the two storage heaters for six weeks, one on high and one on low, with economy seven and overnight water heating - my bill for that period equates to just under £650! I just don't know what I'm going to do over the winter. It's a one bedroom flat with high ceilings and no gas in the village - I've had quotes for installing oil but, despite being three rooms and a hall and ground floor, it's coming in at £8500. Mind you, I don't feel like paying out for anymore electricity!
  • dandare
    dandare Posts: 311 Forumite
    Do they have an internal timer?

    No

    Does the change in electric supply for normal to ecomomy 7 trigger them?
    Yes (provided they're 'on' at the wall socket.)

    this is the way i thought it worked, but ive just been off the phone with scottish power and they say its nothing to do with them??
    sorry i have a similar problem to others that they are coming on during peak hours.
    in fairness to sp their explaination seems fair enough, they've recently fitted a new meter e7, i was on e10(equivalent) before and claim that the meter itself does not switch on the heaters at off peak, there should be timers for the heater.
    and by my unqualified electrical knowledge/guesswork i think as the heaters are ran off there own fusebox then into the new meter there is no timer anywhere in the circuit so when i put them on at the wall they draw lecy am/pm. sp gave the impression that the meter switches tariffs at the correct time but the storage heater will draw lecy as soon as they are turned on at the wall, you need the timer to have them go on at the cheap hours or manually do it yourself at those times, which is not goin to happen.
    or is there a feed out of the meter that is soley for storage heaters and only lets the lecy pass when the off peak hours are on.
    its all a bit conusing if anyone could shed some light on it i'd be grateful.
    brrrr its getting cold.
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