Kalirel heaters

Hi everyone

I thought I would start this thread as I have found next to no reviews on the internet about this "revolutionary" heating system from France.

My experience has been that they are not the energy-efficient, low-running-cost heating system that I was mislead to believe. Indeed my energy bill has soared in the last 2 years since I had them installed.

Obviously there have been price increases in that time, but my actual consumption has risen by 50% from 6,660kWhs per annum to 9,660kWhs per annum. In 2005-6 my average monthly usage was £33; now it is £103. Not all of it is down to price increases!

So has anyone else installed these heaters and found them good? Or found them bad like me? Maybe they work best on a specific tariff or maybe I would be better with a different meter?

What is your experience or opinion of Kalirel?

Isobel :rotfl:
«134

Comments

  • What make's them special Isobel?

    I've been trying to find out more info about the German "Elka" heaters which sound remarkably similar. The websites advertising them don't give any indication of price.....
  • They're basically like central heating but without the boiler and pipes etc etc. You just have to mount them on the wall and then plug them in. They are filled with "thermodynamic gel". They have a thermostat and keep the property at a constant temp, heating up when it's cold and turning off when it's not. Sounds good!

    They are advertised as being cost-efficient and energy efficient. Even better.

    Unfortunately this is not reflected in my electricity bill! I was much better off with my old gas heaters before one of them decided to break. I wish I had just had it repaired...
  • all electric heaters (convectors/radiants/fans) are 100% efficient - and KW for KW they all give out the same heat. So an oil filled radiator plugged in with a thermostat will give out the same heat and any other (cheap or expensive!) plug in heater
    You might as well pop to Argos and buy slimline panel heaters - mount them on the wall - plug them in and the you will get the same useable heat ( dare I say expensive useable heat!) as any other similar radiant/convector type

    Although.... they may not look as stylish?
  • Everyone who installs these heaters seem to expect some sort of miracle cheap electrical heating , well wise up this is not going to happen.
    If you already have gas/oil fired heating then this is not the cheapest option for you.
    Where these heaters will help is if you are in the same situation as me, keep reading.
    I own a 3 bed bungalow, we don't have oil or piped gas available so the only heating is electric storage heaters. Storage heaters do take the edge of the cold and are supposed to be cheap to run if you use economy 7 etc, but the reality is they over heat your home in the morning, then you go to work, by the time you return they have lost most of their heat so you end up using a secondry heating source, ie fan heater etc.
    So I have bought a 1750watt Kalirel heater for the living room , these heaters are perfect for the one room where you spend most of your time, you can plug it in on a timer plug, and it will keep you room cosy all day and night, and you will have complete flexabilty with very good economy.
    So basically try one before you go mad, don't spend thousands then moan about it.
    I have bought one and am very happy with it, so I am going to purchase another one for our kitchen, but I will not be replacing the bedroom storage heaters as I don't want the bedrooms that hot.
    So to sum up, I would give these heaters 10 out of 10 for heat output , 9/10 for controlability and 9/10 for simplicity, and finally 8/10 for running costs, but only in the room you sit and watch tv in, as no one wants to be cold watching tele.
  • stevehead
    stevehead Posts: 215 Forumite
    If you want to see somebody really taken in by the Kalirel snake-oil website, check out this well meaning young lady on YouTube
    http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=6Vzff9T-aTY

    She's gonna get a shock with this winter bill!
  • davemorton
    davemorton Posts: 29,066
    Name Dropper First Post First Anniversary Car Insurance Carver!
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    Just how many plugs can this woman fit in her plug sockets, suprised she has a fuse box left!!
    “Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?”
    Juvenal, The Sixteen Satires
  • Cardew
    Cardew Posts: 29,036
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    cricky wrote: »
    Everyone who installs these heaters seem to expect some sort of miracle cheap electrical heating , well wise up this is not going to happen.
    If you already have gas/oil fired heating then this is not the cheapest option for you.
    Where these heaters will help is if you are in the same situation as me, keep reading.
    I own a 3 bed bungalow, we don't have oil or piped gas available so the only heating is electric storage heaters. Storage heaters do take the edge of the cold and are supposed to be cheap to run if you use economy 7 etc, but the reality is they over heat your home in the morning, then you go to work, by the time you return they have lost most of their heat so you end up using a secondry heating source, ie fan heater etc.
    So I have bought a 1750watt Kalirel heater for the living room , these heaters are perfect for the one room where you spend most of your time, you can plug it in on a timer plug, and it will keep you room cosy all day and night, and you will have complete flexabilty with very good economy.
    So basically try one before you go mad, don't spend thousands then moan about it.
    I have bought one and am very happy with it, so I am going to purchase another one for our kitchen, but I will not be replacing the bedroom storage heaters as I don't want the bedrooms that hot.
    So to sum up, I would give these heaters 10 out of 10 for heat output , 9/10 for controlability and 9/10 for simplicity, and finally 8/10 for running costs, but only in the room you sit and watch tv in, as no one wants to be cold watching tele.


    These Kalirel heaters produce EXACTLY the same amount of heat at EXACTLY the same cost as a £20 fan heater, oil filled radiator or granny's old 1/2/3 bar fire.

    Their website is a masterpiece! It really does fool the gullible into thinking that they produce heat at a cheaper rate than any other electrical heater - and they simply do not and can not.

    Their is no more expensive way of producing heat than an electrical heater on a daytime tariff - and that includes Kalirel.

    If you decide you have no other option than electricity then get a £20 oil filled radiator or fan(convector) heater and do not be fooled by their adverts.
  • moonrakerz
    moonrakerz Posts: 8,650
    First Anniversary Combo Breaker First Post
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    Cardew wrote: »
    These Kalirel heaters produce EXACTLY the same amount of heat at EXACTLY the same cost as a £20 fan heater, oil filled radiator or granny's old 1/2/3 bar fire.

    You forgot my £16 3kW convector from Focus !
  • You have to be realistic. All source of heat are expensive these days and with Kalirel control of cost is at your fingertips.

    My quote for installing gas central heating in one bedroom flat was £2400. This would involve lot of mess, pipes, knocking the hole thro' outside wall for venting the boiler, time off work, rearangement of the kitchen/cupboard etc.

    I've decided to go all electric and remove gas from my flat. First - I save on not paying gas standing charge, next - to install Kalirel will cost me only £1100 with remote controller. No mess, no internal pipes, no leaks, no annual boiler inspection, no gas certificates if I decide to rent my flat. Installation will take 1-2 hours. I can set the thermostat to times/temperatures required, as oposed to storage heaters.The radiators look good. You get what you are paying for. What is there to moan about?
  • albyota
    albyota Posts: 1,106 Forumite
    tobefair wrote: »
    You have to be realistic. All source of heat are expensive these days and with Kalirel control of cost is at your fingertips.

    My quote for installing gas central heating in one bedroom flat was £2400. This would involve lot of mess, pipes, knocking the hole thro' outside wall for venting the boiler, time off work, rearangement of the kitchen/cupboard etc.

    I've decided to go all electric and remove gas from my flat. First - I save on not paying gas standing charge, next - to install Kalirel will cost me only £1100 with remote controller. No mess, no internal pipes, no leaks, no annual boiler inspection, no gas certificates if I decide to rent my flat. Installation will take 1-2 hours. I can set the thermostat to times/temperatures required, as oposed to storage heaters.The radiators look good. You get what you are paying for. What is there to moan about?


    The Bill when you get it...! As with any heat source, heat rises.... it has to heat the ceiling first, then the outer walls, floor mounted fan heaters are slightly better at warming YOU.. first! before the ceiling....but not everybody likes blown air. storage heaters are Ok if they have been sized correctly for the room, are controlled properly, the room is well insulated, and are on the correct tarriff, a good percentage of the cases Ive seen, haven't applied all of the above, and are set up incorrectly, law of thermodynamics will naturally move warm air to a colder area....
    There are three types of people in this world...those that can count ...and those that can't! ;)

    * The Bitterness of Low Quality is Long Remembered after the Sweetness of Low Price is Forgotten!
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