Am I being charged too much with my Electramate 2000?

cozmonkey

Hi everyone, hope you can help!

I live in a two bed flat, and I have an Electramate 2000 storage heater, so everything in the flat is electric rather than gas.

I have the heating on for half an hour every morning, but never at night, and I have the switch on the Electramate switched to "Summer" (because putting the heating on with the winter setting uses up about £3 an hour.) I think we are on economy 7, but it might be economy 10.

I spend about £30 a week on electric, on a key rather than contract, which works out at about £120 a month. And I'm with Scottish Power.

I only live with one other person, we shower once a day, cook once a day and are out of the house most of the time as we both work 9-5 Monday-Friday.

I have noticed that after both showers in the morning, the water sometimes runs cold, meaning that the storage heater will be using electric to heat up the water storage again at peak time, which isn't ideal. But I don't think it should be costing as much as it does.

One other thing is that according to the front of the Electramate it hasn't been tested since 2005...

I'm just wondering if anyone had any knowledge on this or is/has been in the same boat and knows if I am being overcharged because of an issue with the Electramate (can't take the front off or anything as it'll void any service) or if this is just a terrible way to use electricity!

cozmonkey

Or, if anyone knows a link to information on here about Storage heaters etc. that would be useful. I've had a look around but can't find much. Sorry I'm new to this site!

penrhyn

Not a Storage heater as such but a weird electric boiler and thermal store.

http://www.gledhill-response.net/documents/ElectraMate2000_User.pdf

Looks like an expensive beast to run, hopefully someone may have running experience.

Old thread.

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/3614209

espresso

cozmonkey wrote: »

Or, if anyone knows a link to information on here about Storage heaters etc. that would be useful. I've had a look around but can't find much. Sorry I'm new to this site!

The Electramate 2000 is not a storage heater, it is a thermal store for hot water and central heating used on off peak electricity. It will be quite expensive to run as the heating element is rated at 9kWh - manual here.

Note: The appliance will only operate cost effectively when supplied with an unrestricted 24 hour supply which uses a low current off peak signal synchronised with the off peak tariff periods (such as Economy 10).

cozmonkey

Thanks guys,

I thought a storage heater was the same as a thermal store, thanks for the clarification! I'll get reading these links.

macman

A storage heater is a type of thermal store, your device is more complex than a simple NSH.
But still a very expensive means of heating and hot water when used on peak rates, as is any all-electric heating. £1,440 pa is not unduly high on such a system.

cozmonkey

Really? Ah that's depressing... It seems that the people who are on key meters and all electric systems like me, are also the ones who aren't that well off as they're renting low-ish price accommodation. And it's pretty much the most expensive way of acquiring electricity. Doesn't make sense to me.