Electric Heating - Solution?

MADMagic

I live in a small retirement flat. My main heating is a small storage radiator in the hall ( The previous occupant had the storage radiator in the living room removed.)

Although there is ambient heating from the other flats my problem is that my living room is not warm enough for me - about 18 degrees I think, unless I use the fixed fireplace fan heater which I'm sure is expensive.

During the week I'm not in my flat during the day and get home at around 7pm. However I expect to stop work in a couple of years.

Possible solutions are 1) I could put a storage heater back in the living room but as I'm out all day I'm not sure whether that is the best solution.

2) I could switch to the Rointe system or perhaps Intelli Heat which provides thermodynamic filled radiators and come off Economy 7
In addition I could switch over to Economy 10.


I just don't know which way to jump. Please help!:eek:

Cardew

I can't think of any more expensive system to buy than a Rointe system - £600 for a single 2kW heater - giving out exactly the same heat as a £10 2kW heater.

If you want to have non-storage electrical heating, then a simple oil filled rad will give to same heat for the same running cost for a fraction of the cost to buy of these overpriced systems that imply they give more heat.

markharding557

A storage heater in the living room will be cheaper to run because it uses e7,all other electric heaters will run on your high day rate.
Being out all day is not a problem with storage heaters just turn it's output down until you get in.
E10 is just an alternative to e7 and i don't think it is available from some suppliers

MADMagic

Thanks both! E10 might be more flexible particularly for boosting heat as it provides low priced hours in the afternoon and evening.

On the one storage heater I do have, I have input at max and output at min. However it is still cool by the evening.

Premier_2

MADMagic wrote: »

...On the one storage heater I do have, I have input at max and output at min. However it is still cool by the evening.

That's probably because you only have one now, and so it is expected to heat the entire flat. You probably need to replace the one that was taken out. When storage heaters are professionally installed, they are sized based on the requirements they are expected to handle - the previous occupant removed half the system

macman

Pretty idiotic of the previous owner to remove the one in the living room and leave the one in the hall! Unless they lived in the hall...
As a temporary measure you could move the hall one back to the living room, assuming that's the room where you spend most of your time.

dunloadin

Fitting a new storage heater in the sitting room will certainly be the cheaper option, particulary if the wiring and spur for the original heater is still there. Moving the heater from the hall will do little, as it's probably just a small one. As for the bedroom invest it an electric blanket.

Eco7 should be all you need, Eco10 is for use with underfloor/wet central heating, not storage heaters. Tarrifs for systems with storage heaters with 10 hours of cheap rate are available, such as Heatwise/Comfort Plus/THTC; these systems normally have panel/convector heaters which use the 3 extra hours. Availability in the area you live in will be the problem here, plus there will be fewer (if any) suppliers you will be able to switch to to get better/cheaper deals.