storage or panel heater's

nappyshock1

I've moved into a 1980's two bed flat that has old storage heaters which i can't get on with, they only are controlled by a economy 7 supply activation and by the time i get home from work have little heat in them so i am using a fan heater as backup.
I'm thinking of changing them to a more modern setup possibly with panel heaters where i can have the heaters in the rooms controlled seperatly with thermostats in each room. I can then have the heaters come on for a short time in the morning and then the living room in the evening followed by the bedroom all at different times. They will be using peak time electricity but will be using it alot more efficently, the flat being fairly modern has double glazing and insulation. Does anyone else use electric heaters in this way and is it a comparable cost wise to using storage heaters.

Premier_2

Off peak electricity - typically about 4-6p per unit

Normal/day rate electricity - typically about 10-15p per unit.

The choice is yours.

Whilst panel heaters have their purpose, as a source of constant heating thoughout a building they will be expensive to operate.
If you don't plan to use them continuously, or at least for many hours during the day, how do you plan to avoid frost damage during the winter months when external temperatures may well be continously below zero for many days?

Modern storage heaters (anything about 25 years old or younger) are far better to control and insulated (to retain their heat when you don't need it) than the early, original ones, as well as being more aesthetically pleasing.

An hour or two in the morning plus perhaps from 4pm to midnight in the winter (you don't want to come home to a freezing cold property do you) would mean 10 hours per day at the higher rate.

Weekends, I guess you will be at home all day, so probably want heating the whole day. That accounts for almost 30% of the week alone ! :eek:

Edit: just read the post again. It appears this is a new appartment so the existing storage heaters should be ok.
Get the operating instructions, read them and follow them.
(and make sure you use all the storage heaters - if the installation was professionally done, it would have been correctly sized. If you don't use all the heaters, the others will have to work harder which may explain why they can't cope.
(It's like tryng to fly a plane with an engine out to save fuel - it's not designed to be used that way)