Electricaire R10 vs electric rads 8 August 2018 at 12:49PM in LPG, heating oil, solid & other fuels 26 replies 3.2K views

Gerry1

danrv said:

Gerry1 said:

I'd do some tests before spending £2400 on radiators that look under-dimensioned.  Buy some cheap fan heaters and set them and see how you get on with using them for only 20 minutes out of 60.  I suspect you may get a rude awakening !

I’d need to speak to Eon but I would like to try the cheapest possible standard rate

The cheapest possible standard rate won't be with E.On.

danrv

Gerry1 said:

The cheapest possible standard rate won't be with E.On.

Thanks. Yes, had an idea that would be the case.
Probably won’t be able to take up E10 again if I didn’t stay with them. Then again, it’s not a good deal anyway.
Not sure how much work is involved swapping companies and electricity rate/tariff.
I can easily turn off the storage heater but it obviously has it’s own circuit and time switch. Would be handy if I can still run it on standard rate if other options don’t work out. Eventually would like to get rid though.
General advice is keep using it as it’s quite efficient but it’s dated, tatty and I’m unable to 
clean the cupboard it’s in due to possibility of hazardous materials. 

Gerry1

Before spending a lot of money (and regretting it if you end up cold or bankrupt), I'd check to see whether the existing system would be beefy enough to be compatible with E7's reduced hours.  A zero cost test would be to manually switch it off at certain times so that it only charged for seven hours per day.  That may give a reasonable clue, but it may be slightly misleading if you can't mimic the E7 hours precisely.  Nevertheless, well worth trying.

A better test would be to rewire the existing unit onto a 24h circuit and use a timeswitch (sufficiently beefy) to mimic the E7 hours.  The work shouldn't be very expensive, far less than the £2400 you are proposing to gamble.

• If you're happy with the result then you can switch with confidence to an E7 meter and you'll be free to choose the best tariff from any supplier.  You can still replace the warm air system with Dimplex Quantum at a later date if you wish.
  
• If it gets too cool in the evenings, all is not necessarily lost.  As your existing rates are so extortionate, if you do the sums carefully you may find that a good E7 would still be cost effective even if you had to top up with day rate for limited periods.

danrv

Gerry1 said:

• You can still replace the warm air system with Dimplex Quantum at a later date if you wish.

Thanks. This is key as I’ve exhausted efforts to find a replacement central warm air storage heater. 
Only option is individual units.
Would need several for a three bed semi detached although I’ve read it’s better to have them downstairs and electric radiators upstairs. 
Not sure how much heat leakage there is with the Quantums. Just thinking of when a room is warm during the day and a bit chilly in the evening.

I’ve contacted Dimplex and Elnur about their storage heaters. Looks like the Elnurs can be
user programmed to switch charging on/off. I think the Dimplex work from the E7 times only.

Gerry1

IIRC the Quantum has a fan and can be topped up at day rate.  Storage radiators in bedrooms aren't a good idea, they're hottest when you're asleep so you'll cook.

danrv

Thanks. Pricey heaters individually but next best thing to the Electricaire.
They have a WiFi model now. Useful as I don’t suppose a single wall mounted thermostat can be used as per central heating.