Renting a room with a convector heater - what can I do to keep costs down?

Naf

hazyjo wrote: »

Never heard of that... I've lived in two places with storage heaters, both had one in the bedroom.

So long as you're not mis-using the storge heater (leaving the heat-release dial open and putting the overnight charge one up too high), it shouldn't be chucking out too much heat overnight.

Jx

Depends how old the heater is. Ours can be on & closed and it still heats the room quite dramatically overnight.

povertytrap

I'm realising that this is a bit more complicated than I had hoped. Given that I have just a two bedroomed flat and will be renting one bedroom and there's only me - could I just charge them for half the total electricity bill? There's one storage heater in the hall & another in the living room which I just switch on in winter months - the flat is sandwiched between others so it doesn't get as cold as a house would. I currently pay about £61 per month, so the bill could go up to £122 per month with their electricity use and I would still be ok.

Werdnal

Owain_Moneysaver wrote: »

Storage heaters aren't usually used for bedrooms - they can make the bedroom too hot when charging up at night, and it's assumed that bedrooms won't be used much during the day.

When the bedroom is heated overnight it's cheap rate electricity anyway.

Only if you use them incorrectly! The idea is to turn the "output" down at night, so the E7 power is stored and not released until later in the day/evening when required. I know a lot of homes with E7 in the bedrooms. The art is reading the instructions and knowing how to use them effectively and ensuring they do not give out excessive heat overnight, but store it efficiently instead.

Werdnal

Naf wrote: »

Depends how old the heater is. Ours can be on & closed and it still heats the room quite dramatically overnight.

Then perhaps it needs dismantling to check the insulation is still OK. The old style ones had a panel front and back, which was basically a flat "pouch" filled with a clay type powder. This degrades over time and can fall to the bottom of the heater, meaning the top has no protection. I have just had the one in my rental property serviced, and the insulation replaced. Makes sense as it keeps the valuable stored heat in for longer too!

Also, the older models have a "see saw" type vent mechanism in the stop which can jam up and not close completely, or get wedged open with fluff and dust. There is usually an adjustment screw on them to ensure they will shut tight when the output is set low.

olly300

povertytrap wrote: »

I'm realising that this is a bit more complicated than I had hoped. Given that I have just a two bedroomed flat and will be renting one bedroom and there's only me - could I just charge them for half the total electricity bill? There's one storage heater in the hall & another in the living room which I just switch on in winter months - the flat is sandwiched between others so it doesn't get as cold as a house would. I currently pay about £61 per month, so the bill could go up to £122 per month with their electricity use and I would still be ok.

You could charge them half the electricity bill but you may have a lodger who has deeper pockets than your or relies on their parents to bail them out.

Naf

Werdnal wrote: »

Then perhaps it needs dismantling to check the insulation is still OK. The old style ones had a panel front and back, which was basically a flat "pouch" filled with a clay type powder. This degrades over time and can fall to the bottom of the heater, meaning the top has no protection. I have just had the one in my rental property serviced, and the insulation replaced. Makes sense as it keeps the valuable stored heat in for longer too!

Also, the older models have a "see saw" type vent mechanism in the stop which can jam up and not close completely, or get wedged open with fluff and dust. There is usually an adjustment screw on them to ensure they will shut tight when the output is set low.

Who would I call about such a service, and how much would I expect to pay?

Werdnal

Naf wrote: »

Who would I call about such a service, and how much would I expect to pay?

Speak to an electrician. TBH night storage heaters are pretty "agricultural" - all that is inside are a few electrical controls, some large aggregate "blocks" that store the heat, and 2 or 3 elements which look like larger versions of the elements in the bottom of an old electric kettle. I am still awaiting bill from my "leccie" as he did some other work for me (Pat testing etc) but get a couple of quotes.

The insulation panels are available, but cost about £60 each (depending on the size and type of heater). Worth it though if they are not doing what they should!

The heaters I have are atleast 15 years old, but according to leccie, the basic design has not changed since they first came out years ago!

Brallaqueen

I think renting a bedroom without a fixed heating system will put a lot of people off. A good proportion will be used to a gch rad in their bedroom, and you may need to check local guidance about heating provision (our EHO officer was very clear on plug in rads not being suitable in student HMOs for example)