Would I be better turning off the storage heaters and buying some oil heaters?

Breadrun_2

Hi All

I've just moved in to a 1 bed house and it currently has 2 storage heaters, I just can not get on with them and my house is constantly cold, I have tested them and it seems even if i leave them on charge for the longest amount of time and leave the output on 1 the moderate warmth will be gone by about 6pm (earlier on a cold day)

The house is also a really low energy rating (wooden floors, no insulation, half glazed etc)

So my question is this.....

Will I be better off turning the storage heaters off and switching to one of those oil heaters (like the electric heaters), I'm heard they are quite cheap as oil holds heat better and it would use less electric as it would just need to top it up to the required temp

Or is there another option that i havent thought of? the thing is money is unbelievably tight at the moment and along with trying to stay warm im also trying to lower the electric bill

Its really bad, some nights i go to sleep shivering and it isnt doing my health any good (considering my body is adjusting from living in a lovely GS heated house lol)

spinningsheep

Are you charging the heaters overnight on E7? If so, set the input to max and the output to minimum, then, when you need the heat most in the evening when you're at home, whack the output up to max or to the level you need. Oil filled radiators etc will be no more efficient, as electric heat is 100% efficient ie 3kw consumed = 3kw heat output unlike gas which loses efficiency in heat transfer, but electric is the most expensive form of domestic heating, almost 3 times the cost of gas in some cases, and if you are on Economy 7/10, you are charging your heaters on the cheapest rates, with a standard electric heater, no heat storage is taking place, so when you are consuming electricity to heat your home, you would be doing so at the peak rates, so would cost more. Have you thought about extra curtains, door curtains, fleecy throws from Primark on the sofa? My mate lives in a cold draughty student house and he recently bought an electric blanket for £20 from Argos, and he says it keeps his bed so warm and toasty and costs pence to run, may be worth looking into. On the upside, spring is almost upon us and it will certainly get warmer.

Breadrun_2

I think something is wrong with my storage heaters then, even with the setting on 6 for input and 1 for output it is freezing come afternoon/ night, for instance now I can feel the slightest of heat about 6inches from the top but lower than that the bricks are freezing

Also I'm not on economy 7

Andy_WSM

Breadrun wrote: »

I think something is wrong with my storage heaters then, even with the setting on 6 for input and 1 for output it is freezing come afternoon/ night, for instance now I can feel the slightest of heat about 6inches from the top but lower than that the bricks are freezing

Also I'm not on economy 7

If you are not on economy 7 - do you still have an economy 7 meter & timer? If not, it may be that the heaters are disconnected?

You really SHOULD be on economy 7 for storage heaters, otherwise there is no advantage at all in using this type of heater and you would indeed be better off using an oil filled radiator as and when you need it.

Owain_Moneysaver

If you are not on Economy 7 then there is no point in having storage heaters, but it would be worth checking your timeswitch (with the fusebox, you might have a teleswitch instead) is set to allow the heaters to charge for the full 8 hours overnight.

tripled

If you aren't on economy 7, how do the heaters know when to come on and off? Or do you have an E7 meter on a standard tariff, in which case switch it pronto and your bills should come down. Sorry it doesn't solve the problem of being cold in the evenings though, perhaps you could get a super ser and a hot water bottle? It might be cheaper than ele heating in the evening, I'm sure someone else who knows more than me can come along and advise

Breadrun_2

Thanks for the replies,

As far as I know its not on E7 but there is a time switch i think as there are 2 boxes by the fusebox, I wouldnt know how to check its set up for the full 8hour charge,

As said I think oil filled heaters would be best because then i can turn off the storage heaters and just have the heater on for a couple of hours in the morning, afternoon, evening

albyota

fan heaters at low level would be better at directing heat accross the floor towards YOU rather than radiant panel oil type as heat rise's to the ceiling first before heating YOU so less efficient

albyota

if you have just moved in, did the previous occupant leave details of the energy supplier/tarrif?

Breadrun_2

No they didnt, I just rang up British Gas and got my electric thru them as they seem cheaper for a prepayment meter

I'm still trying to think of wether theres a possibility my storage heaters could be not fully working or need servicing as it seems rather stupid that on maximum input and minimum output its cold by 4pm

albyota

Storage heaters (depending on the size) have 2 or 3 seperate elements inside, which 1 or 2 can fail after a time, not too expensive to replace though. this may be the reason the units aren't getting as much heat input at night and will therefore lose it very quickly during the day in these cold weeks.