Problems heating my home

flashrabbit

I live in a 3 storey block, with 15 flats in total. My main heating source is storage heaters on economy 7. My living room/flat has 2 external walls.

Over the last 3-4 years I have noticed that it is cold, particularly during the winter months. Up until now I have put up with it but it's got to an unbearable level. In addition my wife is pregnant so her and baby's health are paramount.

Recently the maximum temerature in my living room has been 18 degrees C using only the storage heater to heat the room, which as you can imagine is cold. If we're lucky we might get to 20 degrees C.

So, we have to have to use an electric heater to bump up the temperature. We have taken to spending our evenings in the bedroom watchin TV because it is a smaller room to heat and has the benefit of the quilt but this can't carry on.

As far as I can tell, the storage heaters are the original ones that would have been installed during the early 70's when the block was built, with the exception of the living room heater which was replaced a few years ago.

I just need to check my logic with you guys because yesterday I had the electrician out to check everything was ok. He gave me a lesson in how to operate a storage heater, said there was nothing more he could do and left.

I deliberately left the heater on full input and full output, so that when he arrived in the morning he would have an accurate maximum room temperature to gauge. The temp was 18 degrees C. My veiw is the room should be nice and warm in the morning/afternoon, then perhaps lose heat early mid evening.

He suggested turning the output down to 2 overnight and increase through the day but my point is the maximum temp will STILL only be 18 Degrees C!

My conclusion is one of two things, either the main source of heating is inadequate or we are losing heat at a colossal rate. What do you think?

Any help or advice will be welcomed, is there any legislation that obliges housing associations to provide warm, energy efficient homes?

Sorry for the long tale

daggy

I'm not sure if thye are obliged to, but it's encouraged.

Not sure how insulation factos in, that partly depends on your flats position? Do you have any drafty windows? My uncle and aunty got their HA to inject insulation into the walls.

WestonDave

I wonder if your operating technique is adding to your problems. To me it seems logical that if you minimise the output from the storage heaters whilst they are in the "input" phase overnight, you will have more heat stored in them to release during the day. So by having them on full input and output overnight, you are starting the day with less stored heat than you could be. This will have a knock on effect in that by evening the reduced amount of stored heat will be exhausted so the flat will be colder in the evenings.

At this point to put in some perspective we only tend to heat our house to 18C as we find that plenty warm enough - the thermostat is set for that level, and various thermometers around the place - e.g. the clock things - suggest that this is roughly how warm the house gets. We don't heat overnight unless the house temperature drops below 14C - which due to good insulation happens a couple of times a year. So on that basis you seem to feel the cold more but even so you should be able to reduce the heat you use overnight - thicker duvet etc - and thereby maybe have more for the rest of the day.

The other thing to check is whether you are getting draughts - either under the doors or around the windows as these will make you feel cold even if the room temperature is acceptable. Doors can have draught excluders put around them, and gaps around windows can either be taped over or new seals added.

flashrabbit

Thanks for your reply, I appreciate it.

I have tried different settings on the heaters to see if that affects the room temp but it makes no difference. Ordinarily I do turn the heaters down overnight, however this means the room is even colder in the mornings and still when I turn it up the max temp is 18.

I realise that room temperature is a sbjective thing, however after canvassing neighbours today I have found that it's not only me feeling the cold and others agree that the storage heaters are insufficient alone.

I don't have any noticable drafts but when I place the room thermometer on the window sill it is 2-3 degrees colder than the middle of the room even with double glazing. I don't know if it is normal to expect this.

WestonDave wrote: »

I wonder if your operating technique is adding to your problems. To me it seems logical that if you minimise the output from the storage heaters whilst they are in the "input" phase overnight, you will have more heat stored in them to release during the day. So by having them on full input and output overnight, you are starting the day with less stored heat than you could be. This will have a knock on effect in that by evening the reduced amount of stored heat will be exhausted so the flat will be colder in the evenings.

At this point to put in some perspective we only tend to heat our house to 18C as we find that plenty warm enough - the thermostat is set for that level, and various thermometers around the place - e.g. the clock things - suggest that this is roughly how warm the house gets. We don't heat overnight unless the house temperature drops below 14C - which due to good insulation happens a couple of times a year. So on that basis you seem to feel the cold more but even so you should be able to reduce the heat you use overnight - thicker duvet etc - and thereby maybe have more for the rest of the day.

The other thing to check is whether you are getting draughts - either under the doors or around the windows as these will make you feel cold even if the room temperature is acceptable. Doors can have draught excluders put around them, and gaps around windows can either be taped over or new seals added.

Suzy_M

Have you checked your double glazing thoroughly?

We had a 'mystery' cold spot in one room for some time and was eventually traced to the double glazed window having dropped on its hinge.

It was only identified in the end by a paper test - close and lock the window on to a sheet of paper - if you can pull the paper out after the window is closed you have a problem - either the draught seals have gone or the window is out of shape. - And use the paper test all the way around the opening edges of the window.