economy radiator company

Cardew

redkite89 wrote: »

I to live in a flat with electric heating as the only option. I have the older type storage heaters which do a reasonable job of heating the 2 bed flat. Usually it's only on the coldest days that I need extra heating.

A neighbour has just had the Economy Radiator Company panel radiators fitted to replace her storage heaters and they are certainly much more appealing on the eye. Let's face it, for many people design is an important element when choosing a product for the home, I'm afraid a £30 oil filled radiator just wouldn't cut the mustard. I've no idea what they cost the neighbour, but looking on the ERC website they appear to be in the £300+ range, which seem to compare with similar products from Argos.
http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/4110374.htm

The flat was certainly nice and warm when I visited, but of course it how much they cost to run that really matters and I have no information on that at the moment. They changed from economy 7 to a flat rate 24 hour tariff.

It's interesting that the Economy Radiator Company seem to imply that Economy 7 is a mathematical "sleight of hand" with the peak tariff being over inflated, to quote them, "Be under no illusion whatsoever this is a "mathematical sleight of hand", you will NOT save money using these types of tariffs.".

So there you go, I thought they looked great, they are certainly much more controllable and can be multi programmed but I have no idea what the running costs are, that will no doubt be found out in few months time. I like most people on this website would take with a pinch of salt all the claims on the sellers website.
http://www.economy-radiators.com/electric-tariffs.html

Storage heaters have their merit and demerits which have been discussed endlessly on MSE.

However this statement from the link you gave is both wrong and misleading:

Be under no illusion whatsoever this is a "mathematical sleight of hand", you will NOT save money using these types of tariffs.

Anyone advising you of such has failed junior school mathematics!

The misleading part is to give an example where the E7 daytime rate is 50% higher than the 24/7 tariff rate(12p/kWh and 8p/kWh)

A quick perusal of some of the major company tariffs showed a loading of about 3% to 25% on E7 daytime rates - with about 15% being typical.

The part where they are quite wrong is to say you will NOT save money using E7.

All you need to do is go to any comparison website and by altering the percentage of electricity used on E7 you can easily work out the 'break even' point at which E7 is cheaper.

On many of the tariffs you can come close to 'break even' with normal electricity usage(i.e. using gas or oil for heating).

With storage heating, hot water heating- let alone using appliances on a timer - it is a no-brainer as E7 is much cheaper.

However, the merits/demerits of storage heating is not the issue here. It is simply the claims, and implied claims of these companies that is the issue - even the very name 'Economy radiator company' sets the scene.

The only message that needs to be got over to people is there is no such thing as Economical electrical heating - it is the most expensive form of heating available.

Importantly these heaters or any other heater give out EXACTLY the same amount of heat for the running cost as any other electrical heater - and that includes a £10 fan heater or £30 oil filled radiator.

If people feel that the appearance of these radiators merits spending several hundred pounds each, so be it! As long as they are not under any illusion that they produce more heat for their bucks, it is their choice.

LittleVermin

bobmedley wrote: »

Highlight of their website;

“To date not one GENUINE complaint”……………………………………….

Apart from the two from the Advertising Standards Authority:p

Haha! Unlike Rointe which fought the complaints - and lost (see here), the (self-styled) Economy Radiator Company quietly withdrew - twice! - without a formal adjudication: see http://asa.org.uk/ASA-action/Adjudic...diator%22%20#2. (This means the public is not told the details, and the press has no 'meat' for a story, so usually ignores it).

So while the products from both Rointe and the (self-styled) Economy Radiator Company are equally economical/uneconomical (and both are, of course, 100% efficient at converting electrical energy into heat - just like all electrical heaters), the management at the (self-styled) Economy Radiator Company are (in my opinion) up to 100% smarter than Rointe's.

..

Cardew

LittleVermin wrote: »

Haha! Unlike Rointe which fought the complaints - and lost (see here), the (self-styled) Economy Radiator Company quietly withdrew - twice! - without a formal adjudication: see http://asa.org.uk/ASA-action/Adjudic...diator%22%20#2. (This means the public is not told the details).

So while the products from both Rointe and the (self-styled) Economy Radiator Company are equally economical/uneconomical (and both are, of course, 100% efficient at converting electrical energy into heat - just like all electrical heaters), the management at the (self-styled) Economy Radiator Company are (in my opinion) up to 100% smarter than Rointe's.

Have you seen what the Economy Radiator Company now have on their website to replace their claims of test results verified by XXXX

IMPORTANT STATEMENT
“All statements made are our “own opinion” based on the real life and published running costs of four test rooms which we measured on our own premises”.

You couldn't invent it;)

redkite89

OK just done a comparison of my annual usage, about 13,300kwh.

Currently on a fixed deal and paying approx £900pa on economy 7 tariff. Before prices went up was paying £750pa on economy 7.

Cheapest deal for the same usage on a 24 hour tariff comes to £1460pa. That was £130 standing charge and 10p per kwh.

(figures have been rounded up)

So for same usage economy 7 much cheaper. No mathematical sleight of hand there.

lucylocket22

I really am at a loss what kind of heating to use. I have just bought an ex council flat for my daughter and it has old storage heaters in it. I wish to put in a new heating system and there is only electricity supplied. Do I buy new storage heaters, economy radiators, I am at a loss what to do for the best. Please advise me what would be the best course of action. My budget for this is around £1300

Cardew

lucylocket22 wrote: »

I really am at a loss what kind of heating to use. I have just bought an ex council flat for my daughter and it has old storage heaters in it. I wish to put in a new heating system and there is only electricity supplied. Do I buy new storage heaters, economy radiators, I am at a loss what to do for the best. Please advise me what would be the best course of action. My budget for this is around £1300

Unfortunately there is no 'best course of action!

It depends to a certain extent on your daughters lifestyle i.e. is she a stay at home Mum, or out at work all day and only in evenings etc.

Assuming the flat is on an Economy 7 tariff, don't forget that the hot water will be heated with cheap rate electricity.

The important point to note that there is no such thing as an Economy electrical heater. Used on daytime electricity it is the most expensive form of heating in UK.

The whole point of this particular thread is to make people like yourself aware that the radiators from Economy Radiator Company(which cost several hundred pounds each) give out no more heat for the same running cost than a £10 fan heater or £30 oil filled radiator from Argos.

There are other threads where the merits/demerits of storage heaters are discussed. Or start a new one yourself - giving size of flat and daughter's 'lifestyle' etc.

If you do decide to dispose of the storage heaters and get 'normal' electrical heaters, I suggest you look around and see what is available.

I do appreciate the style and appearance of panel heaters/radiators matters and that will have an important bearing on your choice. However don't believe the claims made so often on the internet that Radiator X is super-economical - cos they ain't!

deeday_3

Would just like to to thank cardew and fellow posters on this subject. I am not the sharpest knife in the draw!!! And look to sites like this for help in understanding the technical side of things. I was looking to the economy radiator company for two of there rads to complement my gas central heating in the bedrooms but now i have more of an understanding on said subject i will dig my electric oil filled rad out of the shed. Please keep up the good work and don't be deterred by people like Tim.

Cardew

deeday wrote: »

Would just like to to thank cardew and fellow posters on this subject. I am not the sharpest knife in the draw!!! And look to sites like this for help in understanding the technical side of things. I was looking to the economy radiator company for two of there rads to complement my gas central heating in the bedrooms but now i have more of an understanding on said subject i will dig my electric oil filled rad out of the shed. Please keep up the good work and don't be deterred by people like Tim.

Welcome to the Forum and thanks for the comments.

Your post illustrates why several of us post the same points again and again(no doubt to the annoyance of some regular posters).

It is simply that there are always new readers of this forum, many brought here by 'Mr Google' who want up to date information on these branded products.

Over the past few years there have been lots of systems marketed with extravagent claims and even more extravagent prices. Many of these are the same products imported and given a new name.

These firms have slowly learnt how to make statements that 'imply' they have magical properties without breaking the Law. For instance it is perfectly in order to say an electrical heater with 'low running costs' - if you have a low heat output that will be accurate.

Up until a year or two ago there usually was a claim that the product had be tested by XXX Laboratory. Now we have this for example by the Economy Radiator Company

IMPORTANT STATEMENT
“All statements made are our “own opinion” based on the real life and published running costs of four test rooms which we measured on our own premises”.

lucylocket22

Ihave a budget of £1300 to put storage heaters into a two bed flat. Do you know which are most efficient i.e. Dimplex, Creda etc? Or do you know of a website that compares efficiency on these?

Also would you only have the fan assisted ones only in the main bedroom and living room (small bedroom not in regular use).

HappyMJ

lucylocket22 wrote: »

Ihave a budget of £1300 to put storage heaters into a two bed flat. Do you know which are most efficient i.e. Dimplex, Creda etc? Or do you know of a website that compares efficiency on these?

Also would you only have the fan assisted ones only in the main bedroom and living room (small bedroom not in regular use).

All electric heaters are 100% efficient whether they are unbranded value ones or top of the range. Don't install storage heating in bedrooms all the heat will be emitted during the day when you aren't in the room. Just use normal cheap convector heaters and rarely use them. You only need 10-15 minutes in the morning to take the chill off the air. You can time that to be before your E7 time finishes. In the evening the heat from the storage heaters would have run out anyway so a quick 10-15 burst from a convector heater would be cheaper. Storage heaters are best suited for rooms occupied during the day. If you are out at work all day they aren't very good.