New storage heater?

Kadoogan

Hi,

I have recently bought a flat which has a Dimplex CXLN storage heater (not sure what kW rating) in the living room (panel heaters in the two bedrooms). The storage heater is 17 or 18 years old. I haven't moved in yet as the place is having to be done up first.

It has been suggested to me that it may be worth replacing the storage heater with the latest 3.4kW model. Partly due to new models having thermostat controls which means less manual intervention, but mainly as the bricks used in these heaters lose their effectiveness after so many years, so I should find that a new heater (with new bricks) will retain heat better.

I have tried searching on Google but have been unable to find an answer to this point. Is it really worth replacing the heater, or is there little or no advantage in doing so?

Thanks for any advice!

andyrpsmith

Not heard of the issue with the brick you mention before. However new storage heaters can be bought with automatic temperature control which sets the charge based on the environmental temperature. Supposed to make them more efficient. I have disconnected mine and use oil filled radiators where I can set the time on and the room temp via the thermostat. (if you do this make sure you change to a suitable tariff as E10 and E7 have lower unit cost for the heating and higher unit costs for all other use.)

Owain_Moneysaver

Bricks don't lose their effectiveness, but modern storage heaters may be better insulated so less of the heat leaks out during the day (leaving more available for the evening)

Unless you are finding the stored heat insufficient with the input dial on Max, there seems little point in going for a new higher rated heater (unless the old one is really manky - you'll soon find out if the previous occupant smoked)

You can pick up used storage heaters in good condition on ebay if you can collect them yourself (they're very heavy)

Kadoogan

Thanks for the reply.

What did you find happening to your electricity bills after you changed to oil filled radiators? I have read about some cases where bills rose astronomically after replacing storage heaters with these. Perhaps that was due to some forgetting to change tariffs from E7.

I'm unsure about what to do at the moment. The flat will be empty between 8am and 5pm most days as I'l be at work. I understand the concept of how storage heaters work, and that I should therefore leave the output at minimum until I return home. I may still find though that I run out of heat late in the evenings, especially days when I am home and need more heat during the day.

Was also looking at Dimplex's FXL storage heaters, which are fan assisted and contain much more insulation. Claims to be 25% cheaper to run, presumably because of reduced requirement for top-up heating on cold days because it can retain heat longer for use in the evenings. Anyone out there familar with these?

Cheers!

Kadoogan

Owain:

Thanks for your reply. I am considering just leaving the current one for this winter and seeing how things go, then maybe look to replace it next year if I find it to be a problem.

That said if anyone has any experience with the Dimplex FXL range I'd be interested in any comments you about how well they work.

[Deleted User]

Hi,

Kadoogan wrote: »

Hi,

I have recently bought a flat which has a Dimplex CXLN storage heater (not sure what kW rating)

There should be a wee sticker on the heater telling you what the rating is, though a 1.7kw = 565mm/22", 2.55kw = 793mm/31", 3.4kw = 1021mm/40", roughly.

andyrpsmith

[FONT=&quot]This is my experience. Southern Elec E10 tariff = Peak 12.10p Off peak = 8.64p
2008/09 Heating (storage heaters) 13382KWH = £1183
2008/09 All other electric 15271 = £1847
Total for year £3030

Change to OVO fixed tariff for everything 8.61p

2009/10 23232 KWH total for year £2000.28p

Saving £1030 all inc vat

[/FONT]

Kadoogan

andyrpsmith: Thanks for those figures. Very impressive reduction in cost! I think I'm just going to leave things as they are for this winter, and see how things go in terms of having enough heat, and what my bills are. If I'm not happy with the result I'll look to do something for the following year, and will definitely check out the option of replacing the heater with an oil-filled radiator.

frugalmacdugal: The existing storage heater must be the 3.4kW version in that case. In that case I can't see the point in spending the money to replace it with a newer version of the same model. It might gain me the option of automatic controls but as long as I remember to adjust the input myself as needed, that doesn't seem worth the cost.

My options as I see them, should the existing heater prove to be insufficient, is to replace with an oil-filled radiator (changing my electricity tariff at the same time), or replace with a fan-assisted storage heater with the extra insulation to retain more heat for the evenings.

Thanks for the advice!

Oldernotwiser

You could look at a storage heater that's also a convector if you want to be sure the heat doesn't run out in the evening.

http://www.google.co.uk/products/catalog?hl=en&q=storage+heater+convector&um=1&ie=UTF-8&cid=13482966278587550158&ei=xqT7TM

Kadoogan

Hi Oldernotwiser,

The existing heater seems to be the older (non-automatic) version of the one you linked to. It has a convector heater built in. Problem with those is of course that using it could be expensive unless the night rate has kicked in. Nice to have it to fall back on though.

I have had new double-glazing fitted which should help retain heat better in the flat (the existing double-glazing was poor quality and most of the seals had gone). Coupled with using common sense (having a blanket or two put by for the coldest evenings and not letting heat escape through doors etc) I hope I won't have too many problems keeping the place at a comfortable temperature. If I find the bills too high I will then look at the oil-filled radiator option, with a change of electricity tariff.

Owain_Moneysaver

The fan assisted storage heaters are very good, but considerably more expensive to buy and also rather bulkier.

Usually it is assumed that evening heating with storage heaters needs a bit of a boost from eg a focal point electric fire, or using storage heaters that have some form of boost heater, either convector or fan. But if you aren't using the heat output during the day then a modern storage heater should be acceptable in a well insulated flat most of the year.