Holiday let heating

zaax

Storage heaters all the way.

Missyhenry

zaax wrote: »

Storage heaters all the way.

Not in a bedroom though - not everybody wants the room where they're sleeping to be uncontrollably warm at night and IME storage heaters do just that, even when taking in electricity.

HappyMJ

73Jonathan123 wrote: »

I am doing up a small cottage as a holiday let. It will have a solid fuel stove that when going will heat up the whole cottage. However I will also need to put in some other heating.

It is a very small two bedroom cottage. There is no gas or oil so electric is the only option.

I'm worried if I put in panel heaters that guests will take advantage and leave them on all the time, however I'm told that storage heaters are not really for bedrooms and can see why. No point in having them warm during the day. There is definately not room for a storage heater in the living room/kitchen area.

Ideas? Anyone know anything about getting a coin meter put in? Would that have to be done by the supplier or can it get wired in by an electrician?

Any advice - what have others done? What have others experienced in holiday lets that have a solid fuel stove?

You've had some replies already but I'll offer my opinion.

Do not install storage heating in bedrooms. I wouldn't even consider them in the living areas of a guest house. Just normal electric heaters...yes they cost 3 times as much as a NSH but switch the tariff to a normal rate 24/7 and they can be twice as much. Storage heating will have to be left on every day of the winter just in case a guest books for that night. Put timers on the heaters so they only run for an hour before switching off. Install plenty of them so they get lots of instant heat. They can heat a room quite quickly....don't install any of those low powered oil things claiming to save you loads of money. Those things need to be on 24/7 to get and keep the place warm.

Do not install a coin/prepayment meter.

Do consider installing a switch that you can turn off remotely from your house when the guests have left. If you have internet there's some tech that can do that.

As posters have said if the place isn't warm enough for me I'll just go and buy a cheap heater from the local shop and leave it on 24/7 anyway.

Pincher

Free firewood? Solid fuel? Obviously it would all be used up by the time I turn up. If it's free, I would just keep the fire going for the week.

Torry_Quine

I regularly stay in a holiday cottage and see no problem with a meter for paying for my electricity. Storage heaters are fine in the living area but not the bedroom which only needs heat for the coldest of weather which is not when most people are staying.

owlet

We stayed in a cottage this year that had the heating pre set to certain times. It was generous & we could turn it off completely or use a 1 hour boost to top up at any time. This worked well & meant that we weren't cold but at the same time it didn't get left on for long periods to waste. This was gas heating but there must be similar ways with electric heating.

At Easter we stayed in a holiday let and that was heated with convector type heaters fixed to the wall, which we turned on and off as required. No restrictions.

I certainly would not look twice at renting a cottage where it was restricted or I had to pay extra.

One place that had a solid wood stove provided a generous quantity of fuel for the week but if anyone wanted more they could purchase locally & the owner had done a deal with a local person to provide. We didn't need any extra though and it was winter.

owlet

Are you going top notch with the cottage? 4* plus or are you going basic/ budget?

4* plus would expect unrestricted heating
Basic/budget you can use meters

Just my take on it!

CKhalvashi

owlet wrote: »

One place that had a solid wood stove provided a generous quantity of fuel for the week but if anyone wanted more they could purchase locally & the owner had done a deal with a local person to provide. We didn't need any extra though and it was winter.

This is a good holiday let.

If paying a premium price for somewhere to stay, even short-term, heating should be expected.

I'd refuse to pay extra on it, as long as I hadn't taken the mick.