Electric Heating Help

markrhos

Hi

I'm in the process of renovating and am wandering if anyone here has installed electric radiators.

Need to know what sort of heat they give out and on average how much it will cost per month.

moonrakerz

The Good News: Electric radiators are 100% efficient, if it is rated at 3kW, it will give out 3kW.
The Bad News: Electricity is VERY expensive. 10 -15p per kWh.

Your 3kW fire will cost 30 -45p per hour to run if on continuously.

markrhos

Your 3kW fire will cost 30 -45p per hour to run if on continuously.

I'd better start saving then!!!! :-)


I was thinking of installing 3 electric radiators, 1 large in living room / bedroom, 1 small in 2nd bedroom. All 3 will be running on economy 7. Have heard on the that the new storage heaters give out a lot of heat and are cheaper to run than the old ones if used correctly.

Haven't got access to gas mains, or able to install an oil boiler (not enough room for tank), so the only option i have is electric. I will have multi fuel burner in the living room, this will hopefully throw out enough heat to warm the house a bit (it is a small terraced house), so the heaters wont be on constantly (i hope!!!)

has anyone used one of these new types of storage heater, or can recommend any sort of electric radiators

mark

Owain_Moneysaver

Storage heaters and electric radiators are not the same thing.

It is usual to put storage heaters in lounge, hall, kitchen and other rooms used during the day and evening, and panel heaters (or oil-filled electric radiators or similar) in bedrooms where the only heating requirement is assumed to be late evening or overnight.

This is because storage heaters will be at their coldest at 11.30pm when heat is usually required in bedrooms.

As peak electricity is more expensive with an E7 tariff you need to work out the balance of peak vs off-peak units. If you work during the day, or work shifts, then E7 may not be the best choice for you.

Newer storage heaters may be better insulated than older ones, meaning they store the heat better so there is still some heat left by the evening instead of 'running out' by mid afternoon, and there may be a saving of a few % on running costs through more accurate controls, but basically any electric heater costs the same to run per kW regardless of type. Storage heaters just charge up on cheaper overnight leccy and let the heat out during the day.