Rental Property - Alternatives to Storage Heaters

OceanBlue

Hi All,

I'm about to move into a rental property which has storage heaters (one of the old fashioned types with only two dials, input and output). I'm wary of using them for two reasons:

1. It is difficult to control the amount of heat released.
2. It doesn't make sense to have an Economy 7 tariff when the only benefit of cheaper nighttime prices would be to allow said storage heater to run. It would be a waste of money in the warmer months.

As such I'm wondering whether it's a sensible idea to not use the storage heaters at all and get my own (oil-filled, halogen, etc).

The property is a one bed ground floor flat with carpeting , and a neighbour on one side.

Advice would be much appreciated, thanks!

greatcrested

Post on the energy forum.

Note that you can't remove the storage heaters without the (written) landlord's permission. Nor can you install an alternative if it involves structural changes or causes damage. Just saying....

theartfullodger

Why are you moving into somewhere you're clearly unhappy with? Just asking....

luvchocolate

If you post on the energy board you will get plenty of useful advice 
I never had a problem in 8 years of renting with storage heaters they are the cheapest form of electric heating and if you use the timer on hot water to heat during off peak...also use washing machine off peak. 
I paid £40 a month for my fuel in a 2 bedroom ground floor flat. 
Search for threads on the energy board

hazyjo

People often use storage heaters incorrectly. Keep them closed overnight when charging and during the day for as long as possible. Open at night and make sure they're closed again for charging on Economy 7 from around 11pm (check tariff, could be an hour either side).

They're usually fine in small spaces. If it was a house or big open plan area with no doors and high ceilings, they're not so effective.

Use washing machine on a timer. Charge gadgets overnight.

davidmcn

I've lived in one flat with storage heaters, and it was fine. As above, I think it really depends on what the insulation is like, and whether the heaters are powerful enough to heat the place.
And the tariff makes sense given the bulk of your electricity usage is going to be for heating.

hazyjo said:

Use washing machine on a timer.

Might be antisocial in a flat to have a nocturnal spin cycle though!

hazyjo

davidmcn said:

hazyjo said:

Use washing machine on a timer.

Might be antisocial in a flat to have a nocturnal spin cycle though!

Fair point. Would depend on where it was located and no soundproofing I suppose.

Mutton_Geoff

OceanBlue said:

Hi All,

I'm about to move into a rental property which has storage heaters (one of the old fashioned types with only two dials, input and output). I'm wary of using them for two reasons:

1. It is difficult to control the amount of heat released.
2. It doesn't make sense to have an Economy 7 tariff when the only benefit of cheaper nighttime prices would be to allow said storage heater to run. It would be a waste of money in the warmer months.

As such I'm wondering whether it's a sensible idea to not use the storage heaters at all and get my own (oil-filled, halogen, etc).

The property is a one bed ground floor flat with carpeting , and a neighbour on one side.

Advice would be much appreciated, thanks!

Night rate electricity is usually less than half the cost of normal rates, so the heavy storage heaters make sense. All electric heaters are 100% efficient (ie all energy used converted to heat). It will be the same with any heater you buy except using it other than during the night will cost you at least double that of the storage heater.

See if you can download the instructions (or follow advice above) on the best use of these. By all means get a supplementary heater but still use the storage heaters as a primary source of heat.

If it doesn't disturb your neighbours, use the washing machine at night but I'd be concerned about hanging wet laundry up inside as this is a typical cause of damp (see many other complaints about black mould on this forum).