Night storage heaters - any good?

tomstickland

I've got electric storage heating and get on with it fine. I pay an annual average of £38 pcm for all of my electricity (cooking, heating, shower, lights etc) which I consider to be cheap enough.

eco-friendly_2

Astara wrote: »

Thanks everyone! That's a shame as I liked the flat but I also like being warm!

Might be worth checking if there's gas in the building, you would have to knock off a couple of grand from the 'asking price' though, to help pay for the install.


I'm in the middle of a refurb at the moment, it was white meter (storage) the new gas supply cost £1,040. The boiler etc, will be around £2,300, this is a property which will be rented out. I could have probably rented it with the storage heating, but I wouldn't wish it on anyone. I once lived in a property with electric storage heating.

Vibrant

I've had storage heaters for years, originally the very old ones that used a white meter and topped up the heat in the afternoon (they were the best).

The modern ones are alright, but should be used on a low setting as background heat, you will need an oil filled radiator, convector, or similar (not a fan heater they are rubbish), for extra heat in the evenings, or very cold days if home during the daytime.
They take a few days to warm the fabric of the building up and settle down, but are not bad after that.
My Creda one is the best, the Dimplex I have is okay, but does need a good dust out every year. Don't buy one with a built in convector or fan, they are much bulkier and don't work very well.
Cost wise they seem reasonable compared to what other people seem to pay. There are no servicing charges like gas and I pay £26 per month for my electric (I have no gas), in a 2 bed bungalow.

Astara

Bikertov wrote: »

Does the flat have ANY gas, or is it all electric ?

I had a flat a while ago, with gas water heater, but no heating at all. It was too expensive at the time to install Gas Central Heating, so I put in stroage heaters. After about 8 years, I got fed up, ripped them out and went for a new boiler, and full central heating.

The problem is, as others have said, you can't really control them, and have no 'instant' heat in the evening when you really need it. Some storage heaters have a 'day' setting, but that is just a convector-type heater built in.

Storage heaters can be expensive to run, but if yo uget a good deal on the flat, it can be offset.

So remember, if there is gas in the flat, you can upgrade the heating later if you want ...

It's an upstairs flat 2 flights up from an optician's and doesn't have any gas and I doubt that you could have gas there.

baldelectrician

I install electris for gas, oil and electric heating and they all have their own benefits

The newer Dimplex Duoheat storage heaters seem good, as they have a storage eliment and a convector part.
This is combined with electronics that automatically switch off the convector if the off peak supply fires up (as it sometimes does at 8pm)

They have the facility to be linked together to a central time clock for rogramming and temperature settings

Time will tell

Inactive

Torry_Quine wrote: »

Am I the only one who likes them, finds them very easy to use and always have enough heat to last for the full day and evening. Wouldn't ever consider having gas installed as I know where I am with electricity.

Same here, and no service charges, no ugly pipework.:)

Kirri

tomstickland wrote: »

I've got electric storage heating and get on with it fine. I pay an annual average of £38 pcm for all of my electricity (cooking, heating, shower, lights etc) which I consider to be cheap enough.

Much the same here, £40 ish a month and that is for all electric in the flat with storage heaters. I don't actually find them too bad in a flat and certainly wouldn't dismiss a flat because of it as they tended to be more common in flats than gas central heating when I was looking.

crystaltips_68

I have recently moved from a 3 bed semi with gas to a 4 bed detached with storage heaters. My combined gas/leccy bill in my old house was £85 a month. My leccy bill now, with 3 storage heaters and convector heaters as and when in other rooms, is now £160. And we are still colder than in the previous house. Yes, its a detached, older house, and it's been very cold over the last 2 months,but i am still disgusted with the difference in my bills. I am having gas fitted asap, and luckily qualify for a warm front grant, and there is gas in the road.:T

tomstickland

It'll be interesting to see what difference going to gas makes. I'd expect a 4 bed detached to be worse than a 3 bed semi for heat loss.

Inactive

tomstickland wrote: »

It'll be interesting to see what difference going to gas makes. I'd expect a 4 bed detached to be worse than a 3 bed semi for heat loss.

Indeed, of course it is all dependent on how well the property is insulated as well.