Electric radiators - Advice needed

Dollyfloss

I have a rural property. It is not practical to get oil or LPG so have to heat by electric.A woodburner is primary heating source I need something to tick over when I'm away, to stop house getting damp and to use in the winter as top up if v.cold. I will not be having a boiler so have the choice of electric radiators or freestanding oil filled radiators.

I've been looking at Haverland Wave or Cointra radiators vs. Delonghi dragon freestanding oil filled radiators and would really appreciate some advice/feedback as the outlay cost of the Haverland/Cointra is x3 that of the Delonghi.

1 - Does anyone have experience of Haverland/Cointra
2 - Are they worth the extra outlay?
3 - Is there any difference in running costs/heat output?
4 - advantages/disadvantages of both

It's really hard to find any authentic reviews of Haverland/Cointra, all seems to be sales blurb.

Thanks tons anyone that can help.

HappyMJ

1-They look very pretty.

2-They are expensive to buy. If the design is what you want then they are worth it. I don't care what a radiator looks like so for me no I wouldn't pay £370 for a radiator I can pick up for less than £50.

3-They are expensive to run. On the right tariff you will pay at least double what it costs to run a similarly sized economy 7 radiator.

4-They are smaller then economy 7 radiators.

Just get yourself E7 radiators. Charge them up overnight at a very cheap rate. Leave the output on the lowest and the amount of heat emitted will be enough to prevent the house from getting too cold.

You only really need economy 7 radiators in living rooms. Bedrooms will be okay with a normal radiator with a timer, set to low and used sparingly the room will be warm enough before you get into bed where your electric blanket will keep you warm throughout the night.

modsandmockers

It’s not immediately clear from their marketing blurb that there is any functional difference at all between Haverland radiators and any other electric radiators. Haverland are, apparently, ‘gel-filled’, but there is no explanation about the difference between gel-filled and oil-filled, so I suspect they are different words for very similar things.

Here is a link which gives the marketing department’s take on the pros and cons of electric radiators v an economy7 heat storage system - http://www.greenvisionradiators.co.uk/info/index.asp?page=replace-storage-heaters-45 - in the OP’s situation, I think the need for flexibility would trump the potential attractions of economy7.

The advantages of economy7 depend upon what percentage of the total electricity consumption takes place on the cheaper night-time rate. That would include water heating, washing machines/tumble driers, dishwashers. If you don’t use a dishwasher or a tumble drier and you do use an electric power shower (at daytime prices) then the benefits of economy7 are drastically reduced, especially if the electric heating is only a secondary form of heating.

I heat my one-bedroom flat with a variety of low wattage electric heaters which I switch on and off according to the immediate requirements. I think the positioning of the heaters is crucial - I place mine as close as possible to, and underneath, the source(s) of colder air. My theory is that the descending cold sits on the lighter-weight warmth and distributes it across and around the room. My son, however, thinks I am mad. His opinion is that I should place the heaters as far away as possible from the windows, but my experience is that his method results in a room of two halves - too cold on the window side and too hot on the opposite side.

You pays yer money and you takes yer choice - my energy costs, including cooking and hot water, are less than £325 pa.

Swipe

I only heat one room and use a desiccant-type dehumidifier (£140) in the hallway to keep the damp away which also puts out low level heat (3 bed detached rural bungalow). I can generally maintain 12C throughout the unheated rooms in winter this way unless it's really cold. I have fan heater in the bedroom which goes on for 15 min before bed when required. The oven keeps the kitchen warm.

macman

It doesn't matter if they are filled with water, oil, kryptonite or custard, the efficiency of all electric heaters is exactly the same: 100%. So buy the cheapest convectors you can find at Lidl etc and use them instead.
The only way to get 'cheap' (or less expensive) electric heating is to install NSH's running on E7, as about a third of the cost of single rate electricity.
The heat output is whatever is quoted on the rating plate: a 2kW heater outputs 2kW.

lstar337

Dollyfloss wrote: »

1 - Does anyone have experience of Haverland/Cointra
2 - Are they worth the extra outlay?
3 - Is there any difference in running costs/heat output?
4 - advantages/disadvantages of both

1 - They look like another company that take so-called German electric heaters filled with magical unicorn poo, and mark up the cost by roughly 10x. Their heaters are nothing more than a pretty version of the same heater you can by in Argos/Aldi/ScrewFix for between £30 & £50. An MSE would by the cheaper £30/50 heater.

2 - £30 or £300 it's up to you to decide if the aesthetics warrant the extra dosh.

3 - None whatsoever, yet they will of course try to tell you differently.

Dollyfloss wrote: »

It's really hard to find any authentic reviews of Haverland/Cointra, all seems to be sales blurb.

There's a reason for that, and it is one hell of a warning sign.

You would be better off (running costs) with E7 night storage from one of the proper manufacturers, or if you just want a cheap outlay then get some of the heaters (I would choose Oil filled) from one of the places I listed above for £30+

Good luck with your heating.

Dollyfloss

That's all really helpful. Thank you. I think either Economy 7 or portable heaters. The others seem an expensive outlay for not much return.

Thanks again.

modsandmockers

Dollyfloss wrote: »

That's all really helpful. Thank you. I think either Economy 7 or portable heaters. The others seem an expensive outlay for not much return.

Thanks again.

Dolly - E7 night storage heaters are intended to be an alternative to a gas central heating system. They weigh a ton, they need to be installed by a qualified electrician and the system requires your single rate meter to be replaced by a dual rate meter. You cannot simply pick up an E7 radiator at B&Q and plug it in when you get home!

pineapple

This is an interesting debate for me. Currently renovating a cottage where the only heating is a couple of old ugly storage heaters and a solid fuel stove. There is no gas in the village. The stove gets the whole house toasty - when it is on. So am looking for something to just fill in the gap before lighting or for unexpectedly chilly days.
I don't have a tank so it's instant (expensive hot water). Considering water or oil filled radiators and dispensing with E7 alltogether. Because it's not just a matter of heating costs is it. When on E7, the price of everything else you use during the day is hiked and in my case that includes hot water.
Plus - maybe because my heaters are old - they are inefficient and leak heat when I don't need it and sometimes have little heat left when I do need it!
For the moment I run round like an idiot late at night or early morning to do the washing up etc in the cheap time slot. I haven't had my first full quarter bill yet. I think some tough calculations are going to have to be made.

pineapple

modsandmockers wrote: »

The advantages of economy7 depend upon what percentage of the total electricity consumption takes place on the cheaper night-time rate. That would include water heating, washing machines/tumble driers, dishwashers. If you don’t use a dishwasher or a tumble drier and you do use an electric power shower (at daytime prices) then the benefits of economy7 are drastically reduced, especially if the electric heating is only a secondary form of heating.

Just what I am debating at the mo.

Richie-from-the-Boro

pineapple wrote: »

Just what I am debating at the mo.

You can buy ugly new storage heaters, and replace your ugly old storage heaters, a storage heater is still the same size for the same amount of storage. You can easily re-paint or even re-enamel them, painting them [any colour] is an easy and reasonably professional finish DIY job.

I don't have a tank

- then how do you heat your water ?
- a tank brimming with boiling E7 water costs less than half of what you are paying for day rate
- you are already wired and plumbed for it, where was the tank before it was removed ?

The cheap way with winter upon you is to install a hot water cylinder on E7, put an uprated storage heater or an extra small storage heater in the living area [where you spend 90% of your time] and see where you go from there.