what is night storage heating?

alizee

The apartament is newlyvrefurbished with double glazing and has 2 flats above and 1 underneath. The reason why im not sure about switching is because the only things we'd use duribg the night would be heating & water.

grahamc2003

Alizee, most people seem to like to have a good knock at storage heaters, probably because the old ones weren't very good.

If yours are modern, then they work reasonably well, certainly not worth moving flat for! If they are old, then expect a few drawbacks, if they are modern, then they're OK. They are simple to use properly, but I suspect those reporting problems with new ones simply don't control them well.

One main advanyage is the lack of maintenance - but as a renter, you'd don't see that advantage. Without that, then I'd say they are slightly more expensive and quite a bit less flexible than gas heating.

My son is in a flat with 2 others, they have really ancient storage heaters, and they are quite happy with them and their running costs (which surprised me, but dividing a bill by 3 eases the pain). I have several modern ones and no gas, and I'm quite happy.

macman

alizee wrote: »

The apartament is newlyvrefurbished with double glazing and has 2 flats above and 1 underneath. The reason why im not sure about switching is because the only things we'd use duribg the night would be heating & water.

Maybe, but those two things are the ones that consume most of your electricity.
Switching away from E7 may require a meter change, which can be chargeable-and your tenancy may not allow it.

Be_Happy

Don't let all the scaremongering panic you.

We have 6 storage heaters in end-terrace 3 bed house. In the evenings when sitting watching TV we top up with a coal effect heater with fan on thermostat. This quickly brings up temperature. Overnight we have water heating, dishwasher, washing machine and any mobile, etc, charging that needs done. I consider myself a fairly high user eg tumble dry regularly, bake quite a bit, heavy computer usage, etc.

We've been paying £90 per month DD since April, and having just had the latest bill, covering the coldest winter I've known, we are still £160 in credit. We are also in Scotland and our electricity rates are usually higher than elsewhere, approx 5p night and 12p day.

Your bill will depend on how well you control the storage heater usage. Yes I will admit that these are not very flexible when weather changes, but this is a small price to pay for convenience.

[Deleted User]

Hi,

oh, and this would be a good time to set up a Direct Debit, same amount every month, as hopefully worst of winter is past.

Will allow you to build up a nice wee balance over the summer months, then you are not hit with big bills in the winter.