what is night storage heating?

alizee

Hello everyone.

my husband and i are moving into our first rented flat soon. it has night storage heating. now, i don't know what that means, is it more expensive?I know we only have electricity and not gas and have budgeted £100 per month for the 2 of us.

Is that a reasonable amount for 2 adults living in a 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom flat working pretty much full time ?

i have also noticed the shower in the en-suite has an on/off switch.

sorry about the silly questions, we're trying to work out a budget but have no idea if the amount we put towards electricity is realistic.

ty in advance

Garz

Otherwise known as Economy 7. This basically translates to seven hours of 'off peak' rate used to heat up slow releasing energy bricks. You will be billed on two rates on your electricity meter, a day rate and a night rate. The night rate typically kicks in around midnight till seven in the morning however this is staggered slightly depending on what region you live in.

It can be a more expensive way of heating your home compared directly to gas however if you use more than 20% of energy in the 'off peak' rate then it can work out okay.

[Deleted User]

Hi,

have a wee read here.

ailuro2

it's not the best method to heat a home if you're out all day...

it is storing heat that was produced during the night (using the cheaper Economy 7 electricity) then releasing it during the day.

I'd start looking into alternative means of heating the house...;)

spiro

Personally if its not too late I would look for somewhere else to rent. You dont have any of the flexibility of gas.

Shower will be elec so using 'expensive' day rate elec. Only use washing machine/tumble drier overnight (during cheap rate hours).

alizee

We don't have the posibility to rent elsewhere. Does the cheaper rate apply to everything in the house at night?

Sublime_2

I found it very expensive when I rented a flat. Its also hard to predict sometimes when whether you want the heating on or not the day before, so I found storage heaters frustrating and wasteful.

Might be a good idea to buy a separate heater for your main room.

alizee

Well, what if i want to switch to a normal rate?

Sublime_2

Not a good idea with storage heaters, unless you don't plan on using them.

alizee

What about the estimate of £100? Is that not going to be enough on e7 with reaonable use?

spiro

alizee wrote: »

What about the estimate of £100? Is that not going to be enough on e7 with reaonable use?

Its difficult to say because lots of factors will impact it; double glazing? good loft insulation? cavity wall insulation? time of year, weather. From other posts £1200 pa appears common.

Yes cheap rate applies to everything during the cheap rate hours hence my previous comment about using the washing machine etc overnight.