Electric Heating - Storage / Wet Central Heating

tommy-g_3

My husband and I have recently bought a 20 year old "All Electric" flat. It currently has a combination of 4 storage heaters, 2 panel heaters and 2 fan heaters

We are looking at changing the heating to something that can at least be centrally controlled on a thermostat possibly a combination of the dimplex duoheat and panel heaters.

But we are also toying with the idea of electric wet heating which might be more costly to install but more attractive when we eventully come to sell.

Anybody got any experience of these systems and would they be better than what we currently have?

Man_Overboard_2

tommy-g wrote: »

My husband and I have recently bought a 20 year old "All Electric" flat. It currently has a combination of 4 storage heaters, 2 panel heaters and 2 fan heaters

We are looking at changing the heating to something that can at least be centrally controlled on a thermostat possibly a combination of the dimplex duoheat and panel heaters.

But we are also toying with the idea of electric wet heating which might be more costly to install but more attractive when we eventully come to sell.

Anybody got any experience of these systems and would they be better than what we currently have?

You probably need a whole load of professional technical advice/surveys etc, but my gut reaction is why would you heat water by electricity when you can feed electricity directly to each individual heater?

Gas central heating is based on the difficulty of providing a gas supply to each separate room

I am willing to be proved totally wrong!

YoYoY

tommy-g wrote: »

My husband and I have recently bought a 20 year old "All Electric" flat. It currently has a combination of 4 storage heaters, 2 panel heaters and 2 fan heaters

We are looking at changing the heating to something that can at least be centrally controlled on a thermostat possibly a combination of the dimplex duoheat and panel heaters.

But we are also toying with the idea of electric wet heating which might be more costly to install but more attractive when we eventully come to sell.

Anybody got any experience of these systems and would they be better than what we currently have?

I'm not sure why you think an electric powered wet central heating system would be attractive to any buyer.

All the disadvantages of high cost electricity coupled with all the disadvantages of a wet system. Can't really think of a more unattractive system.

If you want to spend some serious money on an electric powered, attractive (to a prospective buyer) heating system, look for an efficient, heat pump based system.

tommy-g_3

I can't find much out on heat pumps, ground source are out as we only have common areas out side. And im struggling for info on air source.

Cardew

Why would the Dimplex Duoheat system be any better. All they are is a storage heater with a 'panel heater' combined in the one appliance. You have that 'system' already.

Totally agree with the post above, an electric wet system combines the worst of both worlds.

Unless you live in a ground floor flat, I think you will have problems with an Air Source Heat Pump(ASHP). They are noisy(and very expensive - £10.000+ is not unusual) and I doubt if you will be allowed to install one. Even on the ground floor other occupants might object.

It seems to me that in an all electric flat, you have probably got the best solution already.

tommy-g_3

Can you fit a central control unit to the existing system? Other than duo heat what storage heaters can be controled by thermostat with heat emitted at set times rather than manually adjusting the output

Richie-from-the-Boro

- wet/electric heating thread here
- duo heat thread here
- heat recovery thread here

Richie-from-the-Boro

tommy-g wrote: »

I can't find much out on heat pumps, ground source are out as we only have common areas out side. And im struggling for info on air source.

- if you go this route and are 'off gas' attend to Phase 1 & 2 of the RHPP

Pincher

By wet system, were you thinking in terms of under floor heating (UFH) using a central manifold? Five core cables (hate wireless) to shoulder height room thermostats (per room) on the wall ?

It requires ripping out the whole apartment to do, but you do indeed end up with NO radiators, with all wall space reclaimed for furniture. No gurgling radiator, and very quiet, except for the low hum of the manifold pump.

UFH is particularly suited to the lower temperature flow of the heat pump.

Always remember it's better to prevent heat loss by maxing on insulation.

tommy-g_3

When I was thinking about a wet system I was thinking, big tank or thermal store as they call it which heats up over night then gets pumped round the radiators like a gas system would.

We had the 2 panel heaters on last night before bed and neither bedroom seamed to warm at all. I'm starting to wonder if the elements or what ever within them has broken.

I'm working on getting the windows and door replaced too. That needs done ASAP. Just about ready to place the order for them once I decide on a front door.

Pincher

tommy-g wrote: »

When I was thinking about a wet system I was thinking, big tank or thermal store as they call it which heats up over night then gets pumped round the radiators like a gas system would.

Storage density problem, just like the electric car.

It will work if you lose a room to 2,000 litres worth of thermal stores, having first re-inforced it to take two tonnes.