What size quantum night storage heater do I need?

diane_babbage

I am looking to use night storage heaters as a supplementary heating system. The main heating is by wood burning stoves. I have 3 large rooms - one of 30m2 and 2 of 42m2 each. On the Dimplex calculator it advises a heater of 5-7kw but the quantum heaters which I would like to install only go up to 1.5kw maximum.
Does anyone have experience of using these heaters in large rooms as supplementary heating and can advise me on which heaters to install. I live in France and have tried to email Dimplex with no reply and there is no international telephone number for them!

matelodave

To phone Dimplex from abroad just remove the zero from their UK number and add +44

Dimplex will be quoting the heating requirement assuming that the storage heater is your main form of heating rather than supplementary.

Their calculation will also be based on a rough estimate. To establish your actual heat requirement you need to do a proper calculation based on room size, wall, floor & ceiling construction, insulation values and required temperature.

For larger rooms a couple of smaller heaters one at each end for instance would be a lot for effective than one big one in the middle as the heat would be distributed more evenly

Can you get off peak electricity in France? otherwise storage heaters could work out quite expensive to run

System

In my lounge/dinning room is have 2 dimpled xl5n both 3.5kw and they are great i never need to open the vent to let the heat as they store so much heat better than the old type in had.

My sitting room is 20,2 x 12,10.

I always hated NHS as they used to be cold by late afternoon but these Dimplex are the best.

I would say get bigger than what you need just in case it ever gets really cold as I can always turn mine up when needed.

I never need to use any other source of heating with these new dimplex and prefer these better than gas as I am warm all day and night.

Hope it helps

lstar337

Not sure Quantum is the way for you to go.

They are an excellent heater for sure, but I would thought you log burners will screw with the Quantum's heating algorithm. Unless the log burners are not in the same room as the Quantums, or the burners are out and cold before the 7 hour charge period starts.

I could be wrong, but I think the Quantum system is designed to be the main and possibly only heating system in a property.

Richie-from-the-Boro

diane babbage ,

- see here for the background
- see here for the easy to understand Dimplex Online Calculator

In terms of domestic heat calculator don't get too consumed with the minutia, its a guesstimate at best, Wall Fabric & Roof U value, windows doors and floors all play a part but the room size is the most important. For myself I always considered one thing lacking when individuals calculate domestic heating needs that of occupancy comfort conditions and lifestyle needs such as retired and in need of all day heat and comfort for example.

The Quantum is as far as I'm aware are the only UK GOV approved energy performance assessment method designated 'high heat retention' storage heater'. Because you use the word 'supplementary' be aware as lstar337 points out that 'supplementary' is not what this expensive and excellent system is designed to provide and as such there are other alternative cheaper workable solutions. I would always recommend a storage of more than the minimum, its a bank of less than 40% of the standard electricity tariff unit price heat [see Sutherland tables - April 2014 ] you don't have to use it but you should have to have it 'banked' and available.

The XL / XLS 24 manually charged single storage 3.4kW 16 brick heater will store 23.8kWh at the point it switches off usually 7am [ish] of course in the proceeding 7 hours the heater will already have served you well by cheaply pre-heating your living area. It is not a High Heat Retention type like the Quantum but should provide enough comfort for a UK average size & insulated 21°C main living area. The 'heures creuses' applies in France for both E7 and the more complex E10 and is almost identical to the UK.

Best of luck.