Pensioner with poor central heating. Tips?

tiddler

macman wrote: »

OP, you say 'electric central heating' and then refer to 'wall heaters'. Electric central heating means a wet system with conventional rads but an electrically -powered boiler, and is about the most expensive method of heating ever devised.
If the 'wall heaters' are independent electric heaters, then it's not electric central heating, but something else. Which is it?
Most unlikely that it would have an electric boiler if mains gas were available, as it's always been about 300% more expensive to run than gas CH.
So much more info need in order to give you meaningful advice. But if mains gas is not available, then NSH's running on E7 will be by far the cheapest way to heat. |In the meantime, get the 'wall heaters' operating properly.
Insulation: probably not got cavity walls by the sound of it, but that doesn't prevent proper double glazing and loft insulation being fitted.

There is no gas at the property.
Just an electric PAYG box she tops up with a key.
There are "radiators" on the wall with an electrical power cable.
Only half the radiators work.
There must be a electric boiler to give them hot water (to shower, etc).

macman

If the 'radiators' have a power cable then it is not a wet CH system with radiators, but some other form of electric heating, possibly night storage heaters, or standard wall mounted convectors. The hot water comes probably from an immersion heater (not from a boiler).
If this system is using NSH's running on Economy 7, then that is the cheapest all-electric system possible. To state the obvious, if half the heaters are not working then that is the first thing that needs to be attended to.
You need to find out if the sytsem is E7 or single rate metering: a glance at the meter will tell you this.