Electric Storage Heaters

welshgaz

Hi guys,

I've just moved into a new flat that has these guys and I understand how they work but no idea how to work it... Let me explain...

Can you leave the heater switch on and it automatically sorts itself out based on the time of day it is ? Or do you have to switch it on and off yourself based on the times where you get cheaper electricity ?

I don't see how it 'knows' what time of day it is ?

Basically I don't know the best way of operating it, certainly not without manual intervention ?

Thanks

Magentasue

They should be wired into your off peak meter. If they're 'on', they should use off peak electricity to store heat at night and then you adjust how much they input and output by the dials on each heater. Sometimes they have a boost option which will use full price electricity unless you're on an Economy 7 tariff. Be warned - they eat electricity and generate huge bills.

welshgaz

So you wouldn't recommend leaving the power switched on 24/7 ?

I was expecting that if I left it on all night and all day the electricity it uses should be more or less exectly the same as if I was switching it off throughout the day ?

mcmn18

You should have control knobs on them, one should be input and output, at night I would turn the input one to max and the output to low and then in the morning increase your output and thus get heat, if you go out turn the output down and up again when you get in. If you leave it on max all the time it will have discharged all the heat throughout the day and nothing left for at night. I wouldn't recommend using the boost button unless absolutely essential as it is very expensive

Be_Happy

Don't turn the input to max unless it is the middle of winter. Our 5 heaters are now at 1 on a 1 - 5 scale, although might have to increase to 2 if this colder spell continues. Keep the output as low as possible if you want to save stored heat until later in the day.

You shouldn't have to do anything to the controls once set unless weather changes, so leave them alone. Heaters are left switched on at all times and should be wired into a time clock near your meter which controls when they take in power ie the off-peak rate times.

If your heaters have a boost control this can be seen by an additional numbered dial and a switch beside the input and output controls. Don't confuse with the older heaters which called the output control knob the 'boost'. The modern boost is a convector heater inside the storage heater and uses full price electricity during the day, so the cost when using it soon mounts up.

Come the summer, hopefully, switch the heaters off either individually at each socket or the control switch beside your meter if you have one. I switch mine off at each socket but came a cropper once when I must have knocked the socket with the vacuum cleaner and switched on the heater so used up unnecessary power.

[Deleted User]

I have just moved into a property which has these type of heaters, without knowing anything about it I contacted uSwitch and looked top switch from nPower to EDF but they have advised me I can't do this due to having Economy 10 metres (2 of) installed and that nPower are the only company who can supply me.

The above clears up quite a bit on how to use them but can people advise if my only supplier is actually nPower, if moving to Eco7 would be at all cheaper and bear in mind I have no history of past consumption as I have only just moved into the house.

Personally I very rarely use the heaters even come winter, but my other flat mates may be more inclined to do so. We have a few PC's, Plasma TV's, Electric cooker (no gas at all in the property) and there is also underfloor heating in the bathroom. We work mainly 8am-5pm so mon-fri so no electrical devices are usually needed during those periods... so does Economoy 10 fit with our lifestyles or what would be better?