electric boiler - please help

spadeboy

it has taken me a lot of courage to join a forum and post like this.

to begin with, i had better tell you all that i am autistic, dyslexic, i have adhd and ocd and some other learning difficulties. if i seem not to take information in very fast i am sorry if it winds anybody up.

so the story as it goes.

i have my own place but it has no gas main and my only fuel source is electricity. this is not a bad thing for me because i have quite serious asthma which is under control with meds and a lot of exercise to keep me in shape but places i have been where gas or oil power the heat and water seem to kick it off big time.

it has taken me a long time to get my act together with the house and get some heat in here. i had a new boiler installed before i moved in. i think this was just an immersion heater? i intended to have storage heaters fitted because i thought these would be better for me and require less maintenance but because i could not afford them all in one go i had an electric fire. big mistake. the first bill i got was over a grand.

anyway, i am going to have storage heaters fitted soon and this will help me i think. i am a big environment freak and try my hardest to do what i can to reduce carbon emissions and my energy intake. of course, it can be hard work, especially with electric. however i need some serious help with a new boiler.

now, at the moment the boiler i have is not very large and not sure why that one was fitted. i pre paid the plumber to get the place all sorted and i am not sure he did a very good job. i had to get somebody else in to sort some of the bathroom out anyway but the boiler he fitted is very small and can only store enough hot water for probably one bath tub full. it could no way do a bath and a bowl of hot water for washing up.

so i think the best next move for me would be to have a new boiler fitted but i am not sure what to do. people take advantage of me easily. i know that but when i go for advice anywhere i think i am just easy to sell to and not worth advising.

bear in mind i cant have gas here. i keep reading about condensing boilers. are these good and if so can i have one? what about the amptec electric flow boilers? does this mean that cold water enters them and comes out as hot? i did once have a boiler like that where i lived before. do they call them direct feed? not sure but it heated the water on the way through, something like that. would a boiler like that be right for me? would it be very expensive to run? is it switched on all the time or does it just come on when the hot tap is turned on? i only really use it at night and a little bit during the day so it might work out but not really sure.

i dont need a boiler to power radiators and i suppose i really do have to look at electric. eventually i will have a pellet stove in the living room which i think will pay off eventually because the house is only small and it would probably heat all through. at the moment i have no other heating bar the electric fire in the lounge so the house can get very cold in bedrooms and so on.

if anybody could help me and give me some advice without selling me anything i would be very grateful.;

incase it makes your reply different and you need this info. i have a 1 bedroom detached bungalow. its not that big. i have a 3rd pitch roof which is well insulated - i think it is but will get it checked anyway - double glazed not sure about draught excluded. i am not sure about room sizes or anything. there is just me here. i think it will probably be just me in the future.

please help me if you can and dont mind.

Cardew

Welcome to the forum.

Firstly we need to get the terminology correct or there will be some misunderstanding in your replies.

The term 'boiler' referes to the gas/oil/electric boiler that heats the water for central heating and the hot water for baths etc.

The immersion heater that you refer to in a 'boiler' is not the same. Many properties have a large Hot water tank(often in an airing cupboard) and this is heated by an immersion heater.

A condensing boiler is only used if you have a gas(or oil) supply.

If you have storage heaters, then you need to retain your Hot water tank as you will have an Economy 7 electricity supply and use this to heat your Hot Water overnight. (Economy 7 provides cheap electricity for 7 hours overnight and heats up your storage heaters)
You must ensure that you have Economy 7 electricity when you get storage heating.

You don't need an Amtec electric flow boiler.

The most important point is to ensure your bungalow is well insulated and there are grants available for everyone to get this.