Help with Storage Heaters & Economy 7

York_Fella

Hi all,

First post on MSE. Glad to be here.

Just moved into a new flat. It has 4 storage heaters. I didn't know how they operated until a few days ago.

I can confirm I am on Economy 7. My meter has two readings, R1 and R2, which correspond to day and night. So far, so good.

Now to the heaters... Am I correct in saying the idea is they heat up overnight, whilst electricity is cheaper, and then release the heat during the day? I understand this, but how do they know when its nighttime, i.e. between the 7 or so hours when the electric charge is cheaper? At the moment if I turn a storage heater on and just turn the output up to max, it just gets warm instantly? Should it not activate until midnight is reached? To me, they just seem like normal electric heaters, i.e. turn on when you want for an instant blast of hot air. I am aware day time electric is slightly higher if you are on Economy 7 so I am wondering if there is any point to these heaters if they are not linked up to some timed device?

Thanks and apologies for I am sounding stupid!

Gerry1

Welcome to the forum.

Sounds like they are not storage heaters, photo please.  If you could pick one up it's not a storage heater and you probably shouldn't be on Economy 7.

Simple 'box of bricks' storage heaters are on a circuit that's switched by the meter, clever ones such as Dimplex Quantum can work from a 24/7 circuit because they have an inbuilt clock.

York_Fella

Thank you. I think they are. I cannot pick it up, and its wired into the wall at two locations. Also has the classic input and output dials.

knightstyle

Those are probably old storage rads. and not very effective. They will cost a lot more than gas central heating.  So best to use them to keep the place warm and use an electric fire or similar in the room you in when you need it.  First turn the boost knob to off, this closes a flap inside the heater so they stay warm longer. Next look at where they are, do you need the on in a bedroom on? We just had the hall one and sitting room one on, with the rest switched off. Open the bedroom door to allow heat from the hallway in.
Next turn them down on the input control and increase slowly till you are happy.
Never cover them at all, to dry towels or similar as there is a link or cutout that will blow and need repairing.
Hope that helps.

knightstyle

Plus check what electric tariff you are on and ring the supplier to check if it is the best deal, comparison sites do not allow for storage heater tariffs so do not rely on them!

Gerry1

Looks like one outlet is E7 and should be left on.  The other will be 24/7 and should be left off unless you need a dollop  of expensive daytime heat because you've guessed the weather incorrectly or have been away.

Same logic applies to your immersion heater(s).  Lower one should be on an E7 circuit and left on, switch for the upper one (possibly labelled 'Boost') should be left off.

Gerry1

knightstyle said:

Plus check what electric tariff you are on and ring the supplier to check if it is the best deal, comparison sites do not allow for storage heater tariffs so do not rely on them!

Nope.  The supplier won't advise of better deals from other companies.  They may not even know their best rates, e.g. the British Gas call centre won't tell you about British Gas X, they've even been telling people it's a scam !

Comparison sites will advise of the best E7 deals.  Some will recognise that you have an E7 meter by checking your address, others ask you to declare.  Just give your annual usage in kWh from actual meter readings.  Sometimes it can be worth saying that you don't have E7 because single rate can be cheaper if your E7 usage is low.  Many companies will happily charge at single rate without needing a meter change.

York_Fella

Gerry1 said:

Looks like one outlet is E7 and should be left on.  The other will be 24/7 and should be left off unless you need a dollop  of expensive daytime heat because you've guessed the weather incorrectly or have been away.

Same logic applies to your immersion heater(s).  Lower one should be on an E7 circuit and left on, switch for the upper one (possibly labelled 'Boost') should be left off.

This makes sense and appears to work. The heater doesn't seem to 'switch on'/make a noise if one of the switches is turned off! I will try tonight. Thank you!

Two of the storage heaters indeed have 2 outlets. However, the other two storage heaters only have 1 outlet each at the wall and seem to act like a 'normal' heater, i.e. instant switched on. I guess I have no choice but to treat these like normal heaters? I can probably live without using those two heaters, if I stay on Economy 7.

And have already looked at comparison sites. They do indeed ask me to confirm I am on Economy 7, it seems they can know from the address.

Gerry1

If there's only one outlet, leave it on when the weather is cold.  Make sure you include Citizens Advice and 'Switch with Which?' in your comparisons.  Make sure you know your exact E7 switching times so that you can use the tumble dryer etc when it's cheaper (but don't leave it unattended !).  Look at the meter to confirm the times, and beware of a possible two hour peak rate gap after two hours.

Gerry1

knightstyle said:

use an electric fire or similar in the room you in when you need it.

Why?  They have a peak rate built-in heater - the clue is in the 'Combi' name.

It may be cost effective for the occasional chilly evening in autumn and spring, or for occupants who are out all day, but in winter it makes sense to use the storage facility on the E7 cheap rate.  If the storage facility is little used then a single rate supply should be investigated because the E7 day rate is usually higher, ditto the standing charge.

[Deleted User]

Hi,

think this is what you've got,

The Supaslim Combi heater is designed to combine economic and low-cost storage heating with an independently thermostat-controlled fan heater. Effectively two heaters in one, the built-in fan can provide heat on its own or in combination with the storage heater for a rapid boost to room temperature.

As Gerry1 says avoid using the expensive daytime fan.

Here's a wee video explaining how to get the best from the storage option.

Take daily meter readings until you get an idea of usage, then at least once a month and always provide readings to your supplier.

Good idea to set up a wee spreadsheet to keep eye on usage and cost.