Advice required on electric central heating please

jamiev

Hello

I would appreciate some advice on our current configuration and options please.

I currently own a 3 bed semi-det bungalow, built approx 1960s. We live in a small village in Suffolk with no mains gas supply, We currently have storage heaters in place that pre date the jurrasic era.

We are looking to replace them with an electric heating system. We have no interest moving to oil as have nowhere to store the tank dont want to use fossil fuels.

We are on economy 7 tarriff put are looking to move back onto a standard tarriff in a few months (we both work shifts so are about during the day and our son uses electricity like it is oxygen). We have a woodburner in the living room which can pretty much heat the whole house when we are about to use it in the winter.

I would like suggestions on options to replace our storage heaters please. I have looked at the fischer storage heater range and they seem quite good but have no idea on price as of yet. We would like something that offers a good degree of control, instant (or near as) heat when required and something that would quite appeal should we sell the house within a few years.

Your thoughts would be appreciated

sheffield_lad

Hi Jamie, unfortunately there is not a simple solution to your query.

Any electric heating (other than night storage), is going to be very costly. You currently benefit from off peak cheaper rate electric around 6p ish moving to most other electric heating will cost you around double your current costs (average unit rate circa 12p). Forget the Fisher heaters they really are snake oil as your using them at peak rate (although they look good), they are no better than a £20 Argos heater.

The only other option that may work out cheaper is using a thermal store and rads which heats on off peak. If you also got the wood burner connected this could provide you with a cheap ish electric heating option.


GL

jamiev

Thanks for the reply, would it be better off then sticking with the eco 7 tarriff and still getting the fischers as they can function on eco 7?

I thick our current heaters are very inefficient and dated, hence the requirement to replace

lstar337

jamiev wrote: »

Thanks for the reply, would it be better off then sticking with the eco 7 tarriff and still getting the fischers as they can function on eco 7?

Absolutely not. Saying that they function on E7 is the same as saying they function on electric. On day rate electric they will cost 3x as much to run as a NSH.

Anything more said about Fischer results in emails designed to silence.

jamiev wrote: »

I thick our current heaters are very inefficient and dated, hence the requirement to replace

Then replace them with an actual storage heater, not an impostor.

nidoking

A decent option would be to look at an electric central heating. I know you can buy an all in one system from electrorad which has wireless control/thermostats which should allow you to minimize usage.
Take a look at economy 10 too, as you might find better times for cheaper units depending on when you get up/go to bed.

lstar337

nidoking wrote: »

A decent option would be to look at an electric central heating.

Still 300% more expensive than NSH

nidoking wrote: »

I know you can buy an all in one system from electrorad which has wireless control/thermostats which should allow you to minimize usage.

Only by minimizing heat output.

nidoking wrote: »

Take a look at economy 10 too, as you might find better times for cheaper units depending on when you get up/go to bed.

E10 is generally more expensive, but useful to some.

nidoking

Having fitted this in a couple of houses, I haven't found this to be the case. 300% seems a bit on the ridiculous side, although kw for kw it is maybe twice as expensive. OP said that E7 was not being used well by them working and son using expensive day Tarriff? The advantage over storage is the control (for shift workers), and the change with the weather, not just pump out heat when they are out working. Modern storage heaters aren't bad, just very expensive for the decent ones like dimplex quantum. Also a nightmare to fit!

Richie-from-the-Boro

jamiev wrote: »

Hello

I would appreciate some advice on our current configuration and options please.

I currently own a 3 bed semi-det bungalow, built approx 1960s. We live in a small village in Suffolk with no mains gas supply, We currently have storage heaters in place that pre date the jurrasic era.

We are looking to replace them with an electric heating system. We have no interest moving to oil as have nowhere to store the tank dont want to use fossil fuels.

We are on economy 7 tarriff put are looking to move back onto a standard tarriff in a few months (we both work shifts so are about during the day and our son uses electricity like it is oxygen). We have a woodburner in the living room which can pretty much heat the whole house when we are about to use it in the winter.

I would like suggestions on options to replace our storage heaters please. I have looked at the fischer storage heater range and they seem quite good but have no idea on price as of yet. We would like something that offers a good degree of control, instant (or near as) heat when required and something that would quite appeal should we sell the house within a few years.

Your thoughts would be appreciated

Modern storage heater systems are indeed not like the old ones in almost every way, it would be a big mistake to make the assumption that the DUO or Quantum are even remotely like the the old ones. Modern ones create a tailored room by room profile automatically raising and lowering the temp from about 16°C to 21°C on any selected days as many times per day as you want. They of course run on cheap rate not core rate prices.

[Deleted User]

Change the wood burner for a multi fuel stove and have it connected to a central heating system to heat radiators and hot water up also.

What have you got against fossil fuels, most electricity is still generated by fossil fuels anyway.

Rolandtheroadie

Have you looked at air source heat pumps?

Possibly an interest free loan avaliable for installation and you get paid money for having them installed? (RHI).

http://www.which.co.uk/energy/creating-an-energy-saving-home/guides/air-source-heat-pumps-explained/

stator

Look into biomass boilers. These systems can replicate a normal central heating system but using wood pellets or similar to burn instead of gas. Check if there are still grants available, you might even consider the green deal.
Any electric system risks increasing costs as the price of electricity may rise the more coal and gas power stations are shut down.