Storage Heaters

hmattingley

I have just had Free Solar Panels installed on my house and am getting Free Electricity during the day. Does anyone know if its possible to get Storage Heaters which work the opposite way to Economy 7 ? I am looking for a Heat Storage System that will allow me to store heat during the day whilst my electricity is free and let off the heat at night for Free !

chris1973

I am looking for a Heat Storage System that will allow me to store heat during the day whilst my electricity is free and let off the heat at night for Free

No offense, but that doesn't really make much sense . The time when you need the most amount of heat is normally in mid winter, when the days are shorter and the sun weaker.

I know that solar panels will generate power on a cloudy day, but its highly unlikely to be the full constant 2.55kw - 3.4kw required to 'charge' even a single average sized storage heater for seven hours

Remember that the output rating of your solar panels is under ideal conditions and not continuously produced at all times. The power that they produce is highly variable and likely to be far less in the winter months, when daylight is at a premium and we have much darker, overcast days.

A 2.55kw medium sized storage heater will require upto 17 kw/h worth of energy to charge fully from cold, are your panels producing this output consistantly every day?, and will they continue to produce it in November - February?.

Remember that any shortfall in current that the heater requires to charge, which isn't provided by the panels at any one time, will then be drawn from the grid and charged at your peak rate price by your electricity supplier.

penrhyn

You could switch your immersion heater on when the sun is shining although you would really need a low wattage one.