recommendations for heating small house 26 September 2020 at 6:21PM in LPG, heating oil, solid & other fuels 40 replies 1.2K views

Pennylane

We have a small house which we rent out. tenants leaving and we plan to replace heating system.   Currently electric storage heaters but They are quite old and the tenants said they were expensive to run.  We have cavity wall insulation, loft insulation and its all double glazed.  there is no gas to the property.  At the same time we would like to add heating to the conservatory there.  So basically one bedroom, lounge, kitchen and conservatory.  Bathroom has a wall heater which I think is sufficient as its very small.  We think we might let it out for holidays now instead of long term tenants.  All ideas much appreciated and if anybody can recommend a good electric system that that would be great. I am guessing oil Central heating would be too much of a faff. 

Gerry1

Non-storage electric heating will always be even more expensive than storage radiators, so any new tenants will be even more unhappy.  It's less important if it's for holiday lets, unless it's a ski resort or whatever, but of course you still need background heating in the winter if it's unoccupied, so you'll also face bigger bills.  Non-storage electric heating will also make the property slow and difficult to sell.

A heat pump might theoretically be worth considering, but the high capital cost and very long time to heat up would rule it out unless you intend to live there for many years.

If you don't want to go for LPG or oil, then your best bet would be clever storage heaters such as Dimplex Quantum.  They'd be a bit more efficient because their improved insulation means less heat is wasted overnight, and the ability to use the fan to provide instant 'live' heat as required (e.g. on chilly evenings, but at daytime rates) would make it suitable for holiday lets.

It really all depends on how much time it will be empty or used by yourselves, and how long you intend to keep it.

theoretica

You have probably thought of this, but expensive heating in a short term let could rapidly eat into your profit unless it had some limitations on it. 

Lmc74

Google slim Jim its an electric wet central heating system. I have one on economy 10 it's quite expensive to run I am £130 a month but I do have a fire too.

Gerry1

An electric wet central heating system is about the most expensive heating you can possibly have.  Tariffs such as E10 are being phased out, so the use of electricity at daytime rates will make it even more expensive.  Definitely not a good move.

Lmc74

I agree Gerry1 its pricey  but its difficult when options are limited I am hoping for some wonderful solution to non gas heating! Wet electric central heating's advantage is it heats instantly at the touch of a button BUT the down side is its price but maybe in a small well insulated property it may manageable.  Next door have the heat pump you mention but the initial outlay is huge and it's fairly ugly. The other next door has gas bottles like you would have in a caravan.  I have had coal fired central heating which was awful, dirty,  expensive, a lot of work and virtually uncontrollable if you are out at work all day.  I wish they had put gas in!  Still searching for the perfect non gas heating solution!

danrv

Lmc74 said:

Still searching for the perfect non gas heating solution!

Same here. I have Economy 10 and electric warm air storage heating from the 1970’s.
I’ve looked into all options - storage, air to air mini/multi split heat pump, direct electric inc. infra red panels, oil wet system.
Storage wins with oil/LPG WCH a close second.

There’s pros and cons with all types but I think I’ll go with Dimplex Quantums for main living space.
Relatively easy fitting, clean and hopefully, maintenance free. 

Gerry1

danrv said:

Lmc74 said:

Still searching for the perfect non gas heating solution!

I think I’ll go with Dimplex Quantums for main living space.

Make sure they're correctly dimensioned for E7 rather than E10 and then you'll be free to choose a competitive tariff from any supplier.

danrv

Gerry1 said:.

Make sure they're correctly dimensioned for E7 rather than E10 and then you'll be free to choose a competitive tariff from any supplier.

Yes. Not sure yet what will need to change meter or wiring wise. The warm air heater is on a seperate timed circuit with the wiring to a central location.
It may be possible to use the heaters on a ring main to save rewiring. 

matelodave

As Gerry says, makes sure that the storage capacity is correctly dimensioned to suit the heating requirements of the room.house. I've noticed that there seems to be a tendency to under dimension them because they have the back-up capability of the auxiliary heater which uses peak rate leccy. There's no point in installing a storage heater that's undersized and then having to top up your heating at peak rates.
Also bear in mid that you may need to have additional wiring or the existing wiring reconfigured. These heaters either need dual power feeds  - a dedicated off-peak supply for the storage element and an always on for the thermostat/backup heater and fan or a single always on feed withe the off peak demand being controlled by the inbuilt timer. It will depend how your supplies are metered and controlled.
You'll also need to take into account how your hot water is supplied - has it got a dedicated off-peak supply or has it's own time switch.I'm guessing that you've got a dedicated off-peak supply for your heater and hot water (with a big time switch or contactor next to the main meter to control it)

Gerry1

danrv said:

Gerry1 said:.

Make sure they're correctly dimensioned for E7 rather than E10 and then you'll be free to choose a competitive tariff from any supplier.

It may be possible to use the heaters on a ring main to save rewiring. 

Surprisingly, although the Quantum has lots of clever programming, it doesn't seem to have this key feature, at least in the info I've seen.  Some German storage heaters can be operated from a 24/7 circuit, but the programming seems to be very limited, just a countdown duration starting from 0000 hours.  That would catch out many people in Britain who have cheap rate E7 from 2230 - 0030 and 0230 to 0730.