Switching from storage heaters with economy 10 to panel heaters

littlebigp

Hi,

I live in a 2 bedroom flat that currently only has 2 heaters - 1 in the hallway and 1 in the livingroom. I want to install additional heating and the electrician that was recommended to me by a friend of a friend wants to remove the storage heaters and put a panel heater in every room (so i would have to switch my tariff from economy 10 to a flat rate). I was freezing last winter and am definitely tempted by the prospect of instant heat but really worried about my bills going through the roof. Does anyone else heat their flat using only panel heaters and if so please could you give me an indication of your bills? Also, do you leave them on a low setting 24/7 or only turn them on when you're at home?

Any advice would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance :-)

jalexa

littlebigp wrote: »

I was freezing last winter and am definitely tempted by the prospect of instant heat but really worried about my bills going through the roof.

Welcome to the forum.

To get meaningful advice you need to provide more information. Are you in or out during the working day? How is your water heated? Is it practicable to improve insulation levels?

What was your electricity bill last year?

Cardew

Welcome to the forum.

If you get panel heaters then it is very easy and cheap to have them on timers and even remote control.

There are pros and cons to getting rid of storage heaters and E10. The downside is that you will be heating water at daytime rates and of course most of your heating will also be at cheap rate.

The advantage is that your daytime tariff will not have the premium it does with an E10 tariff and you will have a much wider choice of tariff.

The big disadvantage of storage heaters is they can leak heat during the day and run out in the evening, and you have to plan ahead to program your heating.

If you are out at work all day, then the panel heater solution is likely to be a better bet.

littlebigp

Hi both, thanks for your replies.

Cardew - I am definitely leaning towards panel heaters, I just wish I could work out the running costs if I had them on a low temperature.

Jalexa - Very sensible questions sorry for omitting so much information!

I'm out during the day. Some people have told me it's better to have a low level of heat on during the day but I think this will be really expensive with panel heaters. I've also thought about keeping the storage heaters with my current tariff and adding panel heaters but the panel heaters would run off my very expensive day rate which is 28.4p/kWh for the first 900kWh and I never seem to break through to the lower rate, which is 14.4p/kWh.

I think I have an immersion heater for the water, it comes on automatically like the storage heaters but I only use it to wash up and have a dishwasher so only wash up pans every 2 - 3 days. The electrician said if I swap to panel heaters and swap my tariff he will fit a timer to the water tank.

I'm on the middle floor and I don't think there is a cavity wall so don't think extra insulation is an option.

I really appreciate all information and advice :-)

Cardew

You don't need heat whilst you are out of flat. You set the timers and thermostats to come on so the rooms are at an adequate temperature when you return.

Don't be seduced into buying expensive heating systems or radiators that imply they give more heat than other electrical heaters - they don't! and can't!

A £10 fan heater can always be used for a quick boost if the room is not warm enough.

littlebigp

Thanks Cardew. I'm just worried about that damp feeling you get in the walls when they've not had any heat all day but I guess it's better for the environment if I'm only heating the flat when I'm home. The electrician is recommending dimplex plx heaters - they're not particularly attractive but look like they'll do the job :-)

jalexa

littlebigp wrote: »

I really appreciate all information and advice :-)

I'm a little concerned this is all win/win for the electrician, with you picking up the tab, not just for the work but the consequencies of the work. Full price electricity is not cheap heat. Is it being cold last winter which has prompted this?

OK, I don't understand why you have E10 (and not E7). Modern storage heaters are designed for E7 (not E10). An advantage of E7 (over E10) is that E7 tariffs appear on comparison websites (and are switchable), E10 isn't.

Are you satisfied you have up to date storage heaters, at least in the livingroom (why heat a hallway?).

I don't think you need to go to panel heaters in one stage. Any electrical heater plugged into a socket (preferably on a timer) is just as effective (and just as expensive unfortunately). Panel heaters heat up quickly, oil-filled radiators more slowly but give out a good background heat.

So my action plan, and you will need the electrician for this, is convert E10 to E7, keep the living room storage heater, modernised if necessary, definately timed water heating. Proper E7 water heating should have the main heating element on cheap rate with a timed day-time boost. There is a standard E7 water heating timer available.

Over the winter try out a couple of panel or oil-filled radiators on timers. If you need "instant heat" get a radiant heater. They are just plug-in and don't need the electrician.

Monitor your costs and compare E7 tariffs online.

dunloadin

Are you sure your have eco10? It's not meant for storage heaters....perhaps you have a heatwise/THTC system.

If you have true eco10 your storage heaters will be charging up for 5 hours at night (early morning) with a further 2 hours in the afternoon and 3 hours in the evening....in which case they should provide plenty of heat. If this is the case it may be more beneficial to get new storage heaters if the ones you have are not up to the job.....and perhaps think about getting an extra one fitted if more are needed.

Check the type of metering and tariff you have......if you do have heatwise/THTC panel heaters will cost a fortune to run, as they'll be on the more expensive rate during the times you'll be wanting to use them.

MrsBartolozzi

dunloadin wrote: »

Check the type of metering and tariff you have......if you do have heatwise/THTC panel heaters will cost a fortune to run, as they'll be on the more expensive rate during the times you'll be wanting to use them.[/QUOTE]


I don't know about heatwise, but this is not true for THTC. All heaters wired into the system of THTC are cheap rate all the time (obviously the storage heaters only get power periodically). That was the selling point of THTC.

dunloadin

MrsBartolozzi wrote: »

dunloadin wrote: »

Check the type of metering and tariff you have......if you do have heatwise/THTC panel heaters will cost a fortune to run, as they'll be on the more expensive rate during the times you'll be wanting to use them.[/QUOTE]


I don't know about heatwise, but this is not true for THTC. All heaters wired into the system of THTC are cheap rate all the time (obviously the storage heaters only get power periodically). That was the selling point of THTC.

True....but panel heaters will be wired in on the general load side, so they will be on the higher rate, unless you only want them to come on in the middle of the night that is!

Also to have THTC a minimum of 60% of the heating load HAS to be storage heaters.

Richie-from-the-Boro

littlebigp wrote: »

Hi,

I live in a 2 bedroom flat that currently only has 2 heaters - 1 in the hallway and 1 in the livingroom. I want to install additional heating and the electrician that was recommended to me by a friend of a friend wants to remove the storage heaters and put a panel heater in every room (so i would have to switch my tariff from economy 10 to a flat rate). I was freezing last winter and am definitely tempted by the prospect of instant heat but really worried about my bills going through the roof. Does anyone else heat their flat using only panel heaters and if so please could you give me an indication of your bills? Also, do you leave them on a low setting 24/7 or only turn them on when you're at home?

Any advice would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance :-)

Come off your current rate & night~store to a flat rate tariff and go to 2 or more electric panels at £100 + installation for a crappy 3/4 kWh panel nearer to £150 for a usable 3kWh. In addition you pay 3 or more times than your current rate for your water heating costs.

My three suggestions :

Come off E10 and go to E7, then ;

[ option 1 ] change the living room storage rad for one with a 30% or more kWh bigger storage capacity, and re-plumb the old living room in the hallway and the old hallway in the kitchen.

[ option 2 ] treat yourself to a 3kWh panel with your desired timer as an addition to your living room and keep the benefit of cheap water & cheap night-rate stored heat.


PLX500 - -0.50kW
PLX750 - -0.75kW
PLX1000 - 1000W
PLX1250 - 1250W
PLX1500 - 1500W
PLX2000 - 2000W
PLX3000 - 3000W

NOTE : option 1 or 2 make sure the damper is closed on all E7 storage rads at all times if you work. Use a supplementary heater in your living room if you need one when you are home after work and at weekends.