Night Storage Heater or Electric Radiator?

Jerm_2

Hello,

My current heating set up is a very unique style of underfloor heating, where it is deeply set into a mass of a concrete floor - the idea that it is a storage style underfloor heating, installed when built in the 1970's - i am currently on an Eco10 tariff, paying £120 , but i am sure i need to up to £145 to cover myself. Expensive and we do not even turn it on during weekdays!

Obviously, i need a change, i am one of the only flats left in the block that still uses this (only moved in 1 year ago), but here is my conundrum;

1. Install Night storage heater's keeping my current Eco10 electricity tariff (using something like the new Dimplex Quantrun - expensive, but worth the investment? maybe this is another forum topic?)

2. Switch to a standard tariff and use electric radiator's such as products available from economy-radiators or southwestheatingsolutions - who website's claim to be more cost effective compared to night storage heating?

I am stuck, i will be honest and i think i am going to look at the maths heavily with what i would be expected to consume against price etc. But i would like to put this out there and hope for some good thoughtful feedback, potentially some first hand experience with a similar decision like this?

Thank you for reading and replaying.

Richie-from-the-Boro

Given that you are on E10, and already metered and wired for the Dimplex Quantum using E10 or the cheaper E7 how do the (1) final installed and working costs compare between the new non-storage German Storage Radiators and the Dimplex Quantum and (2) how do the running costs of both systems compare for a full 12 month cycle ?

macman

All electric heaters, of whatever type, have exactly the same efficiency (100%), so it makes no difference whether you use the cheapest or the most expensive. Switching to any system using a single rate tariff will simply push your heating bills up by around 250%.

lstar337

Forget any non-storage heating such as expensive electric radiators. Look around this site to see how many people think they are worth it, and find the posts of people who were unlucky enough to have them installed, and regretted that decision from day one.

Use storage heating, whether Quantumn or not. It is the cheapest form of electric heating. Quantumn will give you more control over your heat, but slim automatic storage heaters will also give good results with a little more effort.

lstar337

Seriously, read this: http://www.economy-radiators.com/replace-storage-heaters

You could say it has a similar quality of heat to a gas system (wet), similar if not lower running costs to gas and far superior controllability than gas.

Storage heaters are filled with bricks, they use what you are lead to believe is cheap rate off peak electricity to store up heat over night. Sadly this is a mathematical “sleight of hand” .

The heat given off by a storage heater is a dry heat, the air is actually physically burnt hence the carbon deposits, this is extremely bad for your health and incredibly hazardous for asthma suffers.

Some shocking misinformation there.

Richie-from-the-Boro

If you think that's shocking you should read the BSRIA [I did last night before I posted] on them.

lstar337

A poster on the 'in my home' board is asking the same question about storage vs german heaters.

I want to help stop as many of these people from falling into the traps of these super expensive, utterly pointless radiators as I can, but typing out the issues over and over is wearing out my keyboard!

I have seen you offer up amazing info over and over, how do you do it?

We need a sticky or something that we can direct people to.

But given MSE seems to buckle to the will of these shark companies, I can't see that being allowed.

I can't stand thinking about these companies making a packet out of vulnerable people who want to save on their bills!

Richie-from-the-Boro

lstar337 wrote: »

A poster on the 'in my home' board is asking the same question about storage vs german heaters.

I want to help stop as many of these people from falling into the traps of these super expensive, utterly pointless radiators as I can, but typing out the issues over and over is wearing out my keyboard!

I have seen you offer up amazing info over and over, how do you do it?

We need a sticky or something that we can direct people to.

But given MSE seems to buckle to the will of these shark companies, I can't see that being allowed.

I can't stand thinking about these companies making a packet out of vulnerable people who want to save on their bills!

HiYa lstar337,

- putting the word (1) snake or (2) oil into the search will find most of the posts on the subject
- or start here with this unfortunately well laundered [by MSE] thread for info and inspiration

Nada666

It depends on how much comfort it provides and if you use it. If you are out all day and out every other night and want to use heating only four or five weeks per year instead of four or five months per year then alternative heating should be considered.

However if you are at home often, have more than a single member in your household, then E10 underfloor is viable. Or if you are at home regularly and don't mind defaulting to heating the house regularly you may want to consider storage/E7 (although before any investment you should see if it is possible to only have the underfloor use the afternoon heat and not the overnight heat - three hours should be enough to last you all evening.)

lstar337

Nada666 wrote: »

It depends on how much comfort it provides and if you use it. If you are out all day and out every other night and want to use heating only four or five weeks per year instead of four or five months per year then alternative heating should be considered.

However if you are at home often, have more than a single member in your household, then E10 underfloor is viable. Or if you are at home regularly and don't mind defaulting to heating the house regularly you may want to consider storage/E7 (although before any investment you should see if it is possible to only have the underfloor use the afternoon heat and not the overnight heat - three hours should be enough to last you all evening.)

Yes, there are some situations where flat rate electrical heating would work, but you surely can't agree with these companies selling £3000 radiators which claim to lower your bills, without knowing any details about your lifestyle/building?

This is the issue.

Richie-from-the-Boro

In my opinion South West Heating Solutions, just like all the others that went before them sell a product with no name [the brand is a "German radiator system" - so its not a Fischer made product then !] and no price. In money saving expert terms you have no information to make any cost or other comparison , precisely the opposite of what Martin has been telling the users of this site and now all UK consumers to do. The very first time you have any idea of cost is the day their super-salesman is embedded in your home making the pitch, taking the deposit and committing you to a signed contract.

In my opinion it seems to me that the method employed by all sellers of these heating systems is the same, glossy adverts & brochures, iffy claims, iffy but legal advertising, and all contact & negotiation to completion behind closed doors.