Improve the efficiency of an all electric property?

BB-1965

Hi,

Looking for some advice please - apologies for the length of the post!

Recently purchased, so we've no idea of current running costs, one bedroom first floor flat (built 1987) in a 3 storey building located in NE Scotland.

Well insulated, small windows, good cold water pressure, all electric (mains gas not available at the location).

Off-peak immersion water heater which can be "boosted". Electric shower (8kW).

Room heating is using electric panel heaters (1 with timer (bedroom), 1 without timer (kitchen)), electric towel rail (water filled non-thermostatic, (bathroom)) and a storage heater (off peak) in the lounge.

Hot water cylinder (combination) is about 4 feet above floor level. Hot water pressure in bathroom is ok - adjacent to cupboard where tank is located - however kitchen pressure is abysmal . Think this is due to distance, the small bore of the pipes at the mixer tap and the small height differential between the tank and the kitchen sink.

We need to increase the hot water pressure at the kitchen sink but we're also keen to make the flat as efficient as possible.

We've come up with 2 possible options....

install an unvented HW tank (heated using off-peak power) to give mains pressure hot water, install a thermostatic mixer shower and replace the storage and panel heaters with radiators.

replace the panel heaters with new "controllable" storage heaters, keep the electric shower and fit an under sink water heater for the kitchen tap.

Does anyone have any recommendations or experience of a similar scenario?

Thanks.

Cardew

Welcome to the forum.

In principle get as much storage heating as possible.

I assume you have 'proper' Economy 7, where all electricity in house is at Off-Peak rates for 7 hours, and not the White Meter that is so common in Scotland(where only storage heaters and immersion are on off-peak for 7 hours)

It is possible to get and fit a booster pump to the hot water supply to kitchen which will overcome the problem with low pressure - look up Salamander pumps. I have one - demand driven - and easy to fit.