Thinking of buying an electric only flat - advise needed

Sarah_81

Hi

I recently moved into an all electric flat as a renter and I love it. I have had notice my landlord is selling - after I've only been here a month, it is a forced sale. I am considering buying it as it is my perfect flat, in the right area, and I can buy for a VERY reasonable price. It is all electric however, and I've lived in 2 flats before that were all electric; one was awful - cold, damp and expensive. The other, warm and efficient on costs. My last rental was GCH and I had issues from the start. So I rented this flat because it was electric with having such an awful experience with the gas.

The apartment in question is 2006 built, double glazed and is ground floor. I don't want to live high up due to my parents being physically disabled and myself having another phobia of lifts! Anyway, the apartment has halogen lights in most rooms, electric storage heaters (Dimplex and Tesy) and a Pulsor electric immersion heater. I've not lived here long enough for my first bill so I could do with advice about my usage.

Admittedly I have been indulging in the heating lately, and have worked out I have used on average 24 units a day. It is a 2 bed apartment and I live on my own. I have my immersion set to come on between 3am-6am since I am on Economy 7 so is cheaper to run overnight. The timer was already set to these times, I haven't changed it. I get a bath on a night time and the water is still piping hot 12-13 hours after the immersion was heated. My electric heaters do not come on overnight, I just turn them on when I need them, to about halfway (they go to heat setting 6, I normally have them on at 3) I use 1 or 2 a time mainly my hallway one with all doors open to let the heat circulate, and my bedroom one with the door closed for maybe an hour or so before I go to bed.

I was wondering if the usage and what I have been doing sound OK or if I'm way overdoing it? It is the coldest month and I have had a lot of annual leave lately so been at home a lot.

Sorry this post is so long! Just wanted to get in as much info as possible

[Deleted User]

Hi,

your average usage of 24 units needs to be split in 2, as you are on E7 your meter will have 2 readings, day/high and night/low, then find out what tariff you are on and calculate cost.

Don't understand why your storage heaters don't come on at night to store the heat as that is the idea of E7, are you sure they are storage heaters and not panel heaters?

Sarah_81

The control panel on my wall only seems to control the water heater (A class), which as I say is still piping hot a good 13 hours after the timer turned off. My heaters are all independent of each other and the only thing that seems to control them is a wall switch next to each and an on/off button. There is a round dial on the Tesy heaters that goes from 1-6. The Dimplex heaters DO have a program setting but this is only working on 1 of the 2. The rest are the simplistic Tesy versions, that do heat up quicker it seems.

They lay flat to the wall and don't seem to have room to store anything, if that makes sense? I have checked my usage for today so far, and I have used 8 units. I have only just turned the heating on (1 heater on medium), cooked tea (30 mins oven and 10 mins microwave), the TV has been on for a few hours. It still seems high since it's only 6.30pm and I've only been in since 2pm.

[Deleted User]

Hi,

storage heater, contains bricks, stores up overnight on cheap rate,



panel heater, instant heat,



do you have a two rate meter, as using heaters on day rate will be expensive.

PasturesNew

As an owner, electric's got bad press....
As a renter, electric's more expensive....

If a flat you own has a gas boiler it's lifespan is likely to be less than an electrical system - and give you more issues along its life. Indeed, you might opt for an insurance plan for that, costing you £20-30/month. Then there's the servicing... and cost of repairs if you don't insure. Then, every 10-20 years you'll be looking at £2-4k for a complete new system.

Electric costs more per unit, but you don't have those servicing and replacement costs.

So don't just think "ooh electric, expensive" as it's not just the unit cost of electricity you have to think about.

boliston

I think I would prefer panel heaters to storage ones as storage heaters made the flat very hot at night - EXACTLY the time when you DONT want it hot!

Richie-from-the-Boro

My annual [summer+winter] split is +60% night -40% day and my winter average is ≈ in a 22°C day & night dwelling @ £731.69pa on E7 with SP. I've used NSCH in 3 different dwellings I've owned since 1980 and like & prefer it. Adequate stored cheap heat is one of the secrets, the only other one is never open the 'output damper'.

Panel heaters for short 'on demand' periods are fine and the most economic use of all electric providing the 1st 'adequate stored cheap heat' rule is applied. I'm 10kW standard shower only @ about 30 litres of water and indeed the cost of a 100 litre bath seems expensive but your 1/2 price heated PartL system HW cylinder is stored @ 60°C but your bath is @ a mixed water 40°C so while its cheaper by shower its not worth fretting over.

Adequate stored cheap heat and never open the 'output damper'. Best of luck.

Richie-from-the-Boro

boliston wrote: »

I think I would prefer panel heaters to storage ones as storage heaters made the flat very hot at night - EXACTLY the time when you DONT want it hot!

Then use them and pay very very considerably more [MSE] my friend.

Sarah_81

Hi

Thank you for the replies - I have the panel heaters. Apologies, the agent described them as storage heaters. I turn them on as and when I need them and they pump out heat.

I have rented electric only and GCH places before; one flat was built in the 60 and had shoddy windows, poor electric heaters directly under the shoddy windows and it was impossible to heat up. My old flat was also electric only but that was central heated electric, with separate water heaters. My bills were fine there. I then moved into the house with GCH and nothing worked, the system was old and I was using a halogen heater and hot water bottle most nights. Radiators constantly leaked and the boiler leaked. The landlady went mad at all the costs to sort things, and it was still dodgy when I moved out into here. That is exactly what puts me off GCH.

I have tried to be sparing with the electric today and have only been in the flat for 6 hours so far today, yet managed to get through 11 units since I took the reading at lunch time. I've not even run the washer, dishwasher, etc so that still seems like a lot.

Sarah_81

Ps, Yes, I am on a 2 rate system, but as I now know I have panel, not storage, heaters I can't get them to store heat overnight so have to have them on 'on peak'

My last all electric flat had central heating and normal radiators - and the running costs were reasonable, but this is the first time I've had these kind of heaters. I'm sat fairly cold at the moment as I don't want to turn another heater on, or the current one up when I've already used 11 units so far and there are another 3 hours until bedtime. I do normally turn the bedroom heater on with the door shut for an hour or so before bed but re-considering that tonight.

I don't want to buy anywhere where I am sitting cold but I also need to allow that it is January and it won't always be this cold!

[Deleted User]

Hi,

as you havn't said what your day/night usage is or what tariff you are on difficult to work out cost, though if you've been using the heaters merrily during the winter I would think that cost will be high.

At a very rough guess day units could be 15p, night 6p, daily standing charge 20p then vat @5% to add.