Storage heater problem

Connie

I live in a bungalow which only has electric storage heating. There is no mains gas in this rural area.
I am retired, and usually at home during the day.

The open-plan living/dining/kitchen is warm enough.
However, there is only one large storage heater to heat the hall/bathroom/3 bedrooms. It is situated at one end of this area, and the heat doesn't reach to the other end, so the bedrooms are very cold in winter.
The bedrooms do have panel heaters, and the bathroom a fan heater, but they are too expensive to use for more than short-term quick heat during the day, as they're using full-rate daytime electricity.

I use the smallest bedroom as an office, and it's very cold in winter unless I switch on the expensive panel heater.

For adequate and economical background heat during the day, throughout the hall/bedroom area, my plan is to instal a storage heater in the spare bedroom, which is farthest away from the heater in the hall. This bedroom is seldom used, and I would normally leave the door open, so that the heat would spread throughout the area.

My problem is to know what is best for those occasions when the spare bedroom is in use.
The storage heater would make the bedroom too warm at night, as the door would be shut.

My present thought is that if it was a storage heater with a convector facility, the storage part could be switched off on those few nights when someone is using the room, and they could use the convector part as required for bedroom heat.

Does anyone have any other bright ideas, please?

I can't put a storage heater at the bedroom end of the hall, as it's too narrow.

footyguy

Connie wrote: »

I live in a bungalow which only has electric storage heating. There is no mains gas in this rural area.
I am retired, and usually at home during the day.

The open-plan living/dining/kitchen is warm enough.
However, there is only one large storage heater to heat the hall/bathroom/3 bedrooms. It is situated at one end of this area, and the heat doesn't reach to the other end, so the bedrooms are very cold in winter.
The bedrooms do have panel heaters, and the bathroom a fan heater, but they are too expensive to use for more than short-term quick heat during the day, as they're using full-rate daytime electricity.

I use the smallest bedroom as an office, and it's very cold in winter unless I switch on the expensive panel heater.

For adequate and economical background heat during the day, throughout the hall/bedroom area, my plan is to instal a storage heater in the spare bedroom, which is farthest away from the heater in the hall. This bedroom is seldom used, and I would normally leave the door open, so that the heat would spread throughout the area.

My problem is to know what is best for those occasions when the spare bedroom is in use.
The storage heater would make the bedroom too warm at night, as the door would be shut.

My present thought is that if it was a storage heater with a convector facility, the storage part could be switched off on those few nights when someone is using the room, and they could use the convector part as required for bedroom heat.

Does anyone have any other bright ideas, please?

I can't put a storage heater at the bedroom end of the hall, as it's too narrow.

I have lived in many flats with a storage heaters in the bedrooms, and I must say I have never experiienced it ever being too warm ... once you get used to controlling it properly.

But don't go getting storage heaters and installing them willy-nilly.

Get a professional around who will do the calculations and ensure you have a decent set up, properly sized, etc.

Connie

Thanks for your reply, footyguy.

Yes, I suppose if input and output were both at minimum, it probably wouldn't become too hot.

Sorry, I wasn't clear enough!
When I said "I" would install the heater, I didn't mean I'd do it personally. I would certainly have it done properly by a professional.

lstar337

Connie wrote: »

My problem is to know what is best for those occasions when the spare bedroom is in use.
The storage heater would make the bedroom too warm at night, as the door would be shut.

The storage heater wouldn't charge properly either. Well actually it would, but not for how you want to use it. With the door closed the small room would quickly get up to temp and the heater would stop charging.

Can you leave the door open?

Connie wrote: »

My present thought is that if it was a storage heater with a convector facility, the storage part could be switched off on those few nights when someone is using the room, and they could use the convector part as required for bedroom heat.

You could use a Dimplex Duo for that.

Connie wrote: »

I can't put a storage heater at the bedroom end of the hall, as it's too narrow.

How narrow?

It is hard to imagine the space, is there any way you could draw it and upload as an image?

Connie

Thanks, lstar37. Sorry for the delay in replying - I've been away for a couple of days.

I don't see any way to insert an image into a reply.
The hall is roughly L-shaped, with the existing heater at the foot of the L. The door to the spare bedroom is at the top of the long leg of the L, approx 16 ' away from the heater, (and the bedroom itself extends another 10' beyond that) and at that point the hall is only 33" wide.

The existing heater doesn't put out enough heat for the whole hall/bedroom area.
Having thought about it a bit more, I think the best thing will be to put the new heater (just a basic one, not with added convector facility) just inside the office/small bedroom door, which is just beside the spare bedroom door, at the far end of the left-hand side of the long leg of the L shape.

The office is in use for part of every day, so should be the main focus of the extra heat. The office and bedroom doors are usually open, so heat would spread around the bedroom end of the hall.

My main requirement is to add adequate background heat for the bedroom end of the house all winter, with the doors open. On the odd occasion when there are visitors using the spare bedroom, they can use the panel heater if they need to boost the temperature for a while when going to bed or getting up, if they have shut the bedroom door and are therefore not benefiting from the storage heater.

Thanks for replies - they've concentrated my mind on the problem, and I think that's the answer.