storage heaters/electric central heating or gas?

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  • Freezing_student
    Freezing_student Posts: 2 Newbie
    Hi,

    I'm a student and live in a flat that's owned by my sister who's also a student but my dad is the guarantor. We have storage heaters and they are hopeless. Their relatively new but still do not hold the heat for the times we need it i.e after 7pm. My dad's been discussing gettin GCH (we have a gas supply). We'll probably sell the flat within 5 years. It's a 2 bedroom flat so i'm guessing £3000 should cover it but i was wandering if anyone knows how much value this would add to the flat. As it is freezing and uncomfortable in the flat just now (in Glasgow) something has to be changed and GCH would be an option if the value of the flat would also increase by a few £1000.

    Also, as the flat was bought in my sisters name and she doesn't work, she's also a student, would we be able to get a grant for heating? or does it depend on the guarantor, my dad.

    Any help would be much appreciated.
  • Cardew
    Cardew Posts: 29,036 Forumite
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    Freezing_student wrote: »
    Hi,

    I'm a student and live in a flat that's owned by my sister who's also a student but my dad is the guarantor. We have storage heaters and they are hopeless. Their relatively new but still do not hold the heat for the times we need it i.e after 7pm. My dad's been discussing gettin GCH (we have a gas supply). We'll probably sell the flat within 5 years. It's a 2 bedroom flat so i'm guessing £3000 should cover it but i was wandering if anyone knows how much value this would add to the flat. As it is freezing and uncomfortable in the flat just now (in Glasgow) something has to be changed and GCH would be an option if the value of the flat would also increase by a few £1000.

    Also, as the flat was bought in my sisters name and she doesn't work, she's also a student, would we be able to get a grant for heating? or does it depend on the guarantor, my dad.

    Any help would be much appreciated.

    If the flat is in her name, any grants will be for her. I assume you mean grants for heating installation as opposed to help with fuel bills?

    Being in Glasgow, the rules for Scotland on grants etc are different to the rest of UK - and usually more generous.

    However you have CH, albeit not very satisfactory CH, so that may be a problem in getting any grant. There also may be a provision that you will have to payback if you sell within X years.

    P.S.
    You are sure you are operating the storage heating correctly?
  • Freezing_student
    Freezing_student Posts: 2 Newbie
    Yer i'm pretty sure we are using it right but the problem in our flat is that it's drafty and because the storage heaters store heat i'm guessing that a drafty flat kind of acts like a forced convection to take the heat away from the storage heater. The flat is not well insulated so the storage heaters seem to just lose the heat in the day time even when we put them on full and close the vents completely. I have a suspicion that 1 of the elements has gone in one of them but i'm pretty sure the others work.

    Never thought about the fact that if we sold the flat we'd have to pay the grant back, if we did get one. Thanks for pointing that out. Do you know anything bout GCH adding value to the property?

    Thanks for your help
  • Cardew
    Cardew Posts: 29,036 Forumite
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    Freezing_student wrote: »
    Never thought about the fact that if we sold the flat we'd have to pay the grant back, if we did get one. Thanks for pointing that out. Do you know anything bout GCH adding value to the property?

    Thanks for your help

    It is not a 'fact' but a possibility!

    I saw a programme on TV about the intent of the Scottish Government to have CH installed free in all pensioner's properties, and there was something about preventing people profiting from the taxpayer's generosity.

    A phone call to your local authority/CAB will get the information for you.

    Without doubt GCH will add to the vaue of the property.

    Almost any simple measure to improve insulation will pay for itself. Lag tank, roof insulation if you are in top flat, thick curtains/secondry glazing, draft proofingetc etc.
  • Electrorad
    Electrorad Posts: 10 Forumite
    At Electrorad U.K. Ltd we market a 'dynamic storage heater' from Germany, trademark Aeroflow. They offer radiant and convection heat, and very low running costs.
    Yes, I know you've heard this before about low running costs, but the difference is that we have documentary evidence to prove how cheap these heaters are to run, please read on.

    They are 100% efficient at turning electricity into heat, just like all other electric heaters, but the generated heat goes into fireclay heat plates that act as a storage core and reduces the use of electricity. They also distribute the heat into the room very efficiently with the optimum mix of radiant and convection heat.

    We commisssioned 120 hours of testing in a detached house on site of a world renowned UKAS regulated product efficiency testing centre. Their report shows that:

    A 2.0kw heater in a Living room 4.6m x 4.om x 2.4m maintaining an internal temp of 21 deg c with external temp. of 1 deg c. for 48 hours used 27kwh. Based on economy 10 tariff(average 7.25p/kwh) that's a cost of £1.96 or 4.1p per hour

    A 1.5kw heater in a Bedroom 4.6m x 2.4m x 2.4m maintaining an internal temp. of 18 deg c with external temp of 1 deg c. for 72 hours used 17kwh. Based on economy 10 tariff(ave. 7.25p/kwh) that's a cost of £1.23 or 1.7p per hour.

    They are considerably cheaper to run than night storage heaters and offer full controllability with both thermostat and time control.
    Further info. can be found at www.electrorad.co.uk
  • Cardew
    Cardew Posts: 29,036 Forumite
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    Electrorad wrote: »
    Yes, I know you've heard this before about low running costs, but the difference is that we have documentary evidence to prove how cheap these heaters are to run, please read on.

    They are considerably cheaper to run than night storage heaters and offer full controllability with both thermostat and time control.

    Apart from being spam and not allowed on this site this is the usual rubbish and the figures above are totally meaningless; simply designed to obfuscate and convince those with little electrical/heating knowledge to waste their money.

    All electrical heating is 100% efficient - be it your granny's old 2 bar fire, fan heaters, oil fired heaters etc etc or your fancy systems.

    Whatever electrical heating system you use - including yours - you get exactly the same amount of heat output for your money.

    To claim they are "considerably cheaper to run than night storage heaters" is absolutely not true(for the same heat output); and in any other media than the Internet the Advertising Standards Authority would be on you like a ton of bricks.

    I am a chartered electrical engineer and have some knowledge of this subject, as do many others on this board - doubtless you are a salesman?

    I suggest you go peddle your wares elsewhere to a more gullible audience.
  • Electrorad
    Electrorad Posts: 10 Forumite
    Actually, the Advertising Standards Authority have queried these figures already, but having seen the evidence from a UKAS regulated testing centre they have approved our media advertising of less than 3p per hour running costs. As an electrical engineer, your knowledge is sadly lacking. Both BRE (Building Research Establishment) BSI and the ASA recognise the test data. This is scientific data not guesswork. Do you purport to know more than the experts at all these organisations?
    Take a look at the website and maybe you will understand more about the product before commenting further.
  • dubsey
    dubsey Posts: 357 Forumite
    I'm really sorry to intrude on someone else's thread, but we too have economy seven storage heaters in our current home. We bought this house nearly two years ago and are paying £125 a month gas and electric. Only thing we have gas is a fire in the lounge which is very rarely used. It's a three bed detached (but quite a large size three bed) and it just seems excessive to us. Everyone we speak to has told us to get rid of the heaters asap because that's where the money is going, but surely there must be some sort of comparison with GFCH or else no-one would want electric. More importantly are we doing something terribly wrong with them to incur such enormous costs? Although I am very aware of the increase in fuel bills we have never paid anything like this much.
  • basill
    basill Posts: 1,391 Forumite
    Name Dropper Combo Breaker First Post First Anniversary
    Dubsey, The first thing to do is check the timer is set properly and your heaters are only powered and storing heat during the cheap electricity hours at night. Make sure the hot water immersion heater is timed for these hours too.
    I also run the dishwasher, tumble and washing machine at night to take advantage of the cheap rate.
    Seems alot of people on this thread have some form of automatic switching for their economy 7 devices, I have only mechanical timers and check they are working every now ant then.

    Hope this helps,

    B
  • Cardew
    Cardew Posts: 29,036 Forumite
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    Electrorad wrote: »
    Actually, the Advertising Standards Authority have queried these figures already, but having seen the evidence from a UKAS regulated testing centre they have approved our media advertising of less than 3p per hour running costs. As an electrical engineer, your knowledge is sadly lacking. Both BRE (Building Research Establishment) BSI and the ASA recognise the test data. This is scientific data not guesswork. Do you purport to know more than the experts at all these organisations?
    Take a look at the website and maybe you will understand more about the product before commenting further.

    You very obviously are a salesman and you patently cannot read, or perhaps cannot understand what is written.

    I said your figures are meaningless; absolutely meaningless!

    Your system produces exactly the same amount of heat, for a given cost, as my Granny’s 1/2/3 bar electric fire. Any ‘expert’ in any organisation will agree with that statement.

    Your post and website is designed to obfuscate and confuse and convey the impression that they do produce more heat and are thus cheaper to heat a house.

    I bet with absolute certainty that the ASA have not approved you stating your system is “considerably cheaper to run than night storage heaters”. Even your website is not stupid enough to make that claim. Or perhaps you might enlighten us with some figures to support that claim.

    The principle of your radiators is similar to simple free standing oil filled radiators, with a thermostat, costing £30 or so. However your website states:

    "The cost of installing the Electrorad system is likely to be similar to the cost of installing a natural gas wet central heating system,


    Unbelievable; quite unbelievable! and on a Money Saving Site!

    Frankly I get fed up with salesmen joining this website to sell their products at inflated prices using these disgraceful tactics. They make the double glazing salesmen of yesteryear seem paragons of virtue.

    Anyone reading this and wanting a second opinion on running costs, compared to any other form of electrical heating, contact the Energy Saving Trust for advice.







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