Help, heating confusion!

Eyes1000

Hi there,
I’m a complete newbie to writing on the forum (but have read a lot of really useful threads over the years).

I’m buying a fairly small 1 bedroom cottage (middle of three cottages in a row).

There is no gas in the village and currently the cottage has Dimplex storage heaters in the living room and bedroom, an electric radiator in the kirchen and a radiator towel warmer thing in the bathroom. It has an immersion tank for water and is double glazed.

To work out if I can basically leave things as they are (maybe add in a pellet stove to the living room for cosiness in the winter) or whether I should make some or lots of changes, I have researched the storage heaters, lpg, heat pumps, solar panels, biomass pellet stoves and boilers, electric combi boilers etc and I am totally lost.

Obviously there are pros and cons to everything plus there are lots of vastly different opinions out there (some say storage fine, others say its awful and so on - with every option) :eek:

From what I’ve read, the cottage is too small for a heat pump - and I’m not sure I can afford to have a biomass boiler and radiator system as well as a stove...plus I am not sure whether it would be overkill for one person....the Renewable Heating Incentive appeals though...

Mon to Fri - I will be out of the house 3 days a week, working from home 2 days a week.
And I should add that I like warmth so will need heat in the mornings, evenings/nights and during days I am at home (when it isn’t summer). I think this mixed bag in terms of when I’m in and not might mean I don’t fit into economy 7 or standard!

Sorry for such a long post but can anyone help?? I could really do with some sound advice :j

Thanks in advance!
Elle

[Deleted User]

Trust me LPG can be expensive, especially bottled, personally I don't like storage heaters and like you said E7 might not be best for you anyway, I would stick with what you have for now see how you get on with it and what the bills are before making any decisions you might later regret.
Good luck in your new home

Eyes1000

Thanks venison - and that’s very useful to know about lpg.

Yes maybe you’re right - I guess I just wasn’t too keen to head into my first winter there with just storage heaters if they are really useless but then again, you’re right I don’t want to make any decisions I might later regret.

Thinking about the hot water - I don’t suppose you have any thoughts on ‘electric’ combi boilers? Or maybe I should stick wih the immersion to see how I get in with that too?

FreeBear

How much storage do you have for fuel ?


A small multifuel stove fitted with a back boiler may suit you - The back boiler could heat your hot water tank along with three or four radiators (depending on size). Multifuel capability would give you the option of using wood, pellets, or smokeless coal.

A pellet only stove is a complex piece of kit that will need regular servicing and ties you to only burning pellets - The price of these is variable and is quite possible the cost will rise over the next few months.

[Deleted User]

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Hi,[/FONT]


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]You don't need to use the storage heater in the bedroom, no point having it churning out heat during the day.[/FONT]


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]If you need heat in the bedroom then a panel heater with a timer to go on half an hour before you go to bed, get up in morning, to take chill off the room.[/FONT]


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]You say you have an electric radiator (panel heater?) in the kitchen, you could move that to the bedroom, you shouldn't need a lot of heat in the kitchen.[/FONT]


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]You could also get an electric blanket.[/FONT]


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]You don't need to use heated towel rail.[/FONT]


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]When you start using storage heater in living room turn input to 2 and gradually increase, keep the output closed.[/FONT]


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]If immersion heater on a timer then set it to come on last 1-2hrs of cheap rate, will give you hot water in morning and if tank well insulated should be enough to last the day.[/FONT]


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]See how it goes this winter.[/FONT]


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Good luck.[/FONT]

coffeehound

[Deleted User] wrote:

You don't need to use heated towel rail.

If it’s the only heat source in the bathroom you’d probably want that on for three hours before morning!

[Deleted User]

Hi,


not for a 10 minute shower?

coffeehound

Oh yes.

Eyes1000

Thanks so much for all the advice :T

(Freebear) - There’s storage for fuel (an old outside toilet that is now a cupboard/shed - but would need to get it fixed up so definately waterproof) — so are you saying pellets not best option as price set to rise? Was hoping not to use coal (unsustainable?) and thought wood might be harder to manage if using it to heat whole house and water (just in terms of getting it started and then leaving for work etc)?

(Frugalmacdugal) - yes good point about the storage heater in the bedroom, will having that taken out and away and a new eletric radiator installed offset savings on electric do you think? I am a someone who needs warmth so need to do someone about the bathroom (which has a bath and hand held showerhead at the moment) as not sure the heated towel rails will do the trick?
- thanks for the tip re: setting the storage heaters!
- not sure of the immersion has a timer (will check) but has no insulation on the outside from what I could see (in the corner of bathroom cupboard behind shelves) - hope so, otherwise should I get another immersion with timer, or perhaps an electric combi boiler (wonder if better as heats as you go along so you only heat what you need).
- also not sure about economy 7 — as I will be out all day (12 hours) at least 3 days a week ?

(Coffeehound) - yes, am worried the heated towel rail won’t be enough....would rather pay the extra and have the warmth when I need it...

Can I ask all of you, is the feeling storage heaters not a good option long term??
(I had wondered if a pellet stove in the sitting room and good electric radiators everywhere else might be an option? With perhaps an electric combi boiler for water?) - it leaves me almost fully with electric,.,but people seem to be saying lpg and pellets too expensive for heating whole house and hot water?)

:eek:

coffeehound

Hiya. Storage heaters could suit your lifestyle quite well since you may be at home four days out of seven. You will probably need top-up heating in the evenings as you say, but being warm all day from the SHs would be ideal. Newer SHs (like Dimplex Quantum) are better insulated and so hold their heat for longer, so might make a good upgrade in future.

If your hot water cylinder is uninsulated, then it could be worth looking to upgrade that in future. That said, if you only need hot water first thing in the morning, then it might be okay as is -- it could also act as a heater for the bathroom using off-peak rate electricity.

As others have said, you could try it this winter and see how you get on, and then be in a good position to judge what changes you want to make next year.

coffeehound

Was the hot water tank white? If so, it probably is insulated, just with the insulation hidden inside a plastic case.

Towel rails vary greatly in heat output so yours might be enough to warm the bathroom if run for several hours. If you need additional heating, there are small simple storage heaters designed for the purpose. These can often be bought inexpensively on eBay if you want to minimise outlay.

.