Is there anyone out there who likes their storage heaters?

Flibertigibit

A._Badger wrote: »

I realise the OP has made up his/her mind and doesn't want to hear negative comments, but I'm not going to let the 'they don't know how to use them' camp get away with it

Sorry - only just seen this post, some time after it was written! As I am the OP I can say that I have far from made my mind up, even though my choices are more limited by not having gas in my flat. This is not the only thread I've started on the subject and I have read LOADS of negative stuff on here and elsewhere. THAT is why I didn't want more, I was just curious to see if there were any people out there who had used them and didn't hate them I wanted to find out if they could be positive. After all, if you're backed into a corner as I seem to be, it's nice to hear it might not all be bad. AND there are lots of people who don't understand how to use them properly and indeed they often use this forum to admit it and find out what they should be doing to get the maximum out of them.

Ada3050

You have the answer in your post (9) by installing a storage rad in the hall and living room. Keep your panel heaters in the bedrooms on timers. As you are home in the day time you will benefit from the released heat.

Flibertigibit

Thanks Ada3050, but since I wrote post 9 I have realised a slight problem with my "solution", which is that if I do use the panel heaters in the bedrooms from time to time they will cost more because my storage heaters will be on economy 7 and the daytime rate on that is higher than on a standard tariff. Still, can't have everything and to be honest so long as I long as I still have my electric blanket (which can be left on all night if necessary, and cost hardly anything) I'm not bothered about heat in the bedrooms. I still think that will be the option I'll go for because it will cut down the initial expense as well.

Davidboy

What some of you have failed to mention is there are different tarriffs. For example I am with SSE and on a tarriff called "Superdeal" which means mine come on at 11pm til 1pm, then 3am to 7am, then 2pm til 4pm, which means they are always being topped up and don't realy lose much heat. They always use the cheap electric as thats all that is supplying them. The best way to get the best out of them is to experiment, what works for some may not work for you. So try different settings until you get the right heat and ok bils.

I am sure there are many different tarriffs and maybe better to enquire with which supplier you are with to find out if you are on the right one or can change to a better one. Often it mean a meter change.

HTH

D

Cardew

Davidboy wrote: »

What some of you have failed to mention is there are different tarriffs. For example I am with SSE and on a tarriff called "Superdeal" which means mine come on at 11pm til 1pm, then 3am to 7am, then 2pm til 4pm, which means they are always being topped up and don't realy lose much heat. They always use the cheap electric as thats all that is supplying them. The best way to get the best out of them is to experiment, what works for some may not work for you. So try different settings until you get the right heat and ok bils.

I am sure there are many different tarriffs and maybe better to enquire with which supplier you are with to find out if you are on the right one or can change to a better one. Often it mean a meter change.

HTH

D

There are many variations of 'economy 10'(particulary in Scotland) and on older properties in the rest of UK.

However people have reported that even electricity companies whose accounting systems can cater for those 'unusual' tariffs, will not fit the meters for new customers.

On the Economy 7 versus a 'normal' 24/7 tariff debate, there is a huge difference between different companies. Some have a modest 'premium' for the 17 hours of daytime electricity, with others it can be 50% higher than a normal daytime tariff.

There is unfortunately no 'one size fits all solution' for customers as it depends on individual circumstances.

The one undeniable disadvantage of storage heaters is their lack of flexibility in comparison to other forms of electrical heating.

Mankysteve

There's always a wet system with a immersion on economy seven if you've got room for a tank.

aurion22

I have to comment on storage heaters. I found them strange when I bought this house in December 2007 after living with gas central heating for three years and just a gas fire before that. I like the fact that they are quiet .. I can hear my neighbours' gas boiler starting up. Mine are old and presumable less efficient than modern ones but I've got to grips with using them now.

Maybe my system is more controllable as a previous owner put in a timer. Calculating that daytime electricity costs about three times the night rate (I'm on E7) I put the timer on to heat up the storage heaters for about four hours overnight and then for another hour in the early evening. That keeps the temperature fairly constant .. fortunately, I don't like the house to be hot and I'm always amazed that people expect to be able to walk around in tee shirts in the middle of winter.

I've just had an extension built but apparently can't have another storage heater in there without putting in a whole new board for the E7 electricity. I'd have been happy to have another storage heater in there. I'm looking at getting a convector heater.

I did explore getting an ASHP but wasn't convinced that the outlay would be worth it for my small house. I'm about to have a survey done for the installation of PV solar panels .. by Tesco, amazingly .. is there anything they don't sell? Watch this space.

:-)

Happi

One good thing about night storage heaters is that house is warmest when temps are at lowest.

However i've been using them 25 yrs now both old fashioned and modern ish and by tea time when most people getting home from work or school they are only moderatley warm, in next month i'm getting new ones so will let you know what they are like.

MyLittleEye

Interesting figures BeenieCat and a good point about maintenance from i8change.

I pay a similar £75/month for Duel Fuel with GCH in an old Victorian non cavity wall 2 bed semi. In addition to that I "Self Insure" my boiler MSE style. Glow-worm would offer me boiler cover for £15/month but instead I put that away in a special savings account in anticipation of the inevitable emergency.
Thus effectively I'm budgeting £90/ month (1080/yr) for energy and in anticipation of future maintenance...

Also might be worth noting I run my house at a coolish 18'C plus sweaters, adding a degree if ever I feel chilly... which isn't as often as one might imagine. - Originally I decided to economise by dropping room temp from 20' to 19'C but it's surprising what one becomes accustomed to. My Victorian predecessors were a hardy bunch to be sure!

So, do similar sized properties with storage heating compare so unfavourably?

BeenieCat wrote: »

I am about to move from a 2 bed terrace with GCH to a 3 bed semi all electric with storage heating.

I currently pay £70 pm for both G+E, i guess by reading this thread i am going to be crippled by the difference in cost

I have no idea how it works so thanks for this thread.

i8change wrote: »

I am considering getting Economy 7 heating when I retire and get a smaller house, especially if any GCH installed is old/ready for replacement.

The reasons are:-

Cheap to install compared to Full GCH or new boiler.

I will be at home in the day more, so need the heat then.

Better reliability and virtually no servicing costs.

Modern Gas boilers are a lot more complicated than their older counterparts and are not as reliable, have more expensive parts and are expensive to install, with an expected lifetime of only 10-15 years, wereas old Gas boilers were very simple and tended to last ages. The servicing/repair costs are high, not good when you get older and tend to worry more (I am told.)

Condensing boilers are now, to all intents and purposes, compulsary when replacing your boiler, therefore more reliability problems and expense.

The future (my retirement period) predictions for Gas supplies are: getting scarcer and more expensive due to demand.


The future (my retirement period) predictions for Economy 7 (night time generated) electric supplies are: becoming abundant and therefore cheaper due to all those, green lobby enforced, Nuclear Power Stations coming online, that cannot be shut down overnight when demand is low. Therefore there will be plenty of cheap Economy 7 electric looking for a home.

Will not be looking to sell my retirement house so not as bothered about resale value as I am now.

All in all I think Economy 7 is a decent possibilty for my retirement, if perhaps not now.

Now I must get that rusty bathroom radiator replaced. Who shall I get ripped off by this time?.....and also that boiler auto airvent has not leaked/been replaced for a while and must be ready to go again soon , wonder when I will next come home to a wet floor?

dekaspace

Ugh horrible things but better than nothing.

Parents had them for years and were paying huge amounts for them, last year changed to proper heaters and their bills have dropped hugely.

I was in a property for a few months at beginning of year and tried heating for a few days and it gobbled up the electricity and seemed to give off no heat at all or if it did it was for a utterly short period in morning.

Added to the fact I paid about double the standing charge I would of done if I didnt have them per week they were useless to me and I was paying for the privelidge of not using them!