night storage heaters

bs0u0128

what are these? how do they differ compared to normal gas heating? and economy 7 electric, any ideaS??

Gorgeous_George

They contain special bricks that are heated by standard electric heating elements.

They only work out reasonably priced because they are heated at night on a special tariff (less than 3p per kwh). The stored heat is then released during the day. Used correctly they can be quite good.

My folks have this form of haeating and it works out quite well. They also get a 2 hour re-charge during the afternoon at the cheap rate.


They make sense to me because they are simple whereas gas central heating uses gas to het water and electric to pump it around the house. Night storage heaters are much simpler and rarely go wrong.

One downside is that you have to guess what the weather will be like tomorrow.



GG

sarah_elton

The downside is you have to have your heating blasting out all night, then it dissipates slowly during the day. I prefer a cool house while I'm asleep but have to have it hot. I then go out to work, and by the time it gets to about 9pm it's starting to get chilly (I don't get the afternoon re-charge). In fact as a temporary solution I've got an additional free standing electric heater I put on on particularly cool nights. At the weekends, it's really too hot in here during the morning, but by evening it's cool again.

I'm not a fan of mine, and am looking to replace even if it ends up costing more. The only real benefit is the cost, as electric heating ain't cheap.

The point re the weather is also true - the last month when it's been swinging between mild and wet, and clear and freezing, has meant I've had to open windows some evenings where I've heated too much, and other times I turned it down and found myself cold.

Gorgeous_George

There are two controls, One sets the input level and determines the amount of heat that will be 'loaded' into the bricks.

The other opens a vent to allow heat to escape. This must be closed if you want to have some heat left at night.

Clearly, they are not as convenient as gas central heating but they can be comparable on price - especially if you consider servicing and repair costs when working out the comparison (and not just the energy bills).



GG

poppyolivia

Our last house had these and we didn't like them. The living room was only 4x4m and we had a large storage heater against one wall. I used to sit with my back up to it trying to get a heat! I was always cold. We got someone out and he said the heater was working fine and if anything it was too big for the room! I wouldn't on purpose go out and buy these. In saying that i'm cursed with getting cold hole houses!!!! The one we have now has gas heating through the radiators and i'm still frozen the worst is the gas heating was one of the reasons we bought the house after living with the storage heaters. Our heating bills were well cheap though so that was good... we could buy extra jumpers! Seriously though I have heard quite alot of people liking them but it just wasn't for us.

tomstickland

Just a pile of bricks in a box with an electric heating element.
Use night time electric to charge (2.5p per KwH versus 12p daytime).
Two controls: input and output
input controls the heater element temperature
output operates a flap inside the heater that allows air to pass through it

I've got Econ 7 and find it OK. I keep my flat quite cold, so it's fine for me.
I'd prefer better insulated heaters so they could hold the heat during the day ready for when I come home from work.

They cheap to run though. In my 1 bed flat I use about 8 units per day on heating. That's 20p max per day. Say I use it for half a year, it's about £30.
ie: one tank of petrol to heat my flat for 6 months.

Gorgeous_George

Yes Tom, I find that they are not for thick people.



GG