Storage Heaters - Any advice?!

Sunshine_of_your_Dyf

Reed_Richards said:

Your best hope of having it not run out in the evening is to turn the input up to the maximum setting.  

Good point. I'm still not sure about the 'Outputer/Room Temperature Boost' option - is this the dial I need to control how quickly the stored energy is released throughout the day? At the moment it says 1) No boost 2) Late Boost and 9) Early Boost, so I suppose if I stuck it on 2, the boost would come on later in the day?

I still don't even know if I need an Economy 7 meter to make this whole storage heater thing worthwhile or not

shinytop

Sunshine_of_your_Dyf said:

Reed_Richards said:

Your best hope of having it not run out in the evening is to turn the input up to the maximum setting.  

Good point. I'm still not sure about the 'Outputer/Room Temperature Boost' option - is this the dial I need to control how quickly the stored energy is released throughout the day? At the moment it says 1) No boost 2) Late Boost and 9) Early Boost, so I suppose if I stuck it on 2, the boost would come on later in the day?

I still don't even know if I need an Economy 7 meter to make this whole storage heater thing worthwhile or not

I don't know how your heaters work but with ours it just moves a mechanical flap when you move the dial. Unless yours has an electric motor that does this automatically it will be the same, i.e. nothing will change unless you move the dial.

If you are using the bulk of your electricity at night then you really should check you're on the best E7 tariff you can find.   

[Deleted User]

Hi,

here's a wee video 'how to use storage heaters', it doesn't cover the boost function, but hopefully you wont use that as it can be expensive on daytime rate, and keep the output flap shut.

Gerry1

With the 'old and simple' NSHs the output flap would be kept closed by a bi-metallic strip when the bricks were very hot.  It would gradually open automatically as the bricks cooled, thereby giving a more consistent output. 

The output control works by mechanically opposing the bimetallic strip's efforts to open the flap.  You can make it conserve heat by only opening it later in the day, or you can keep it shut all the time (No Boost).

The word 'Boost' is slightly confusing because no extra heat is generated, it just allows the stored heat to be released a bit faster, just like taking a woolly cosy off a hot water bottle when the water has become lukewarm.  Note that for this NSH, 'Boost' does not refer to the separate convector element which can be switched on (at expensive daytime rates) if the bricks have become too cool or if the heater has not been left charging up overnight.

For maximum Boost effect switch it to 1 (No Boost) before going to bed and then to 9 when it gets too cool in the evening.  It's well described in the manual for which @Rodders53 provided the link.

Sunshine_of_your_Dyf

Gerry1 said:

With the 'old and simple' NSHs the output flap would be kept closed by a bi-metallic strip when the bricks were very hot.  It would gradually open automatically as the bricks cooled, thereby giving a more consistent output. 

The output control works by mechanically opposing the bimetallic strip's efforts to open the flap.  You can make it conserve heat by only opening it later in the day, or you can keep it shut all the time (No Boost).

The word 'Boost' is slightly confusing because no extra heat is generated, it just allows the stored heat to be released a bit faster, just like taking a woolly cosy off a hot water bottle when the water has become lukewarm.  Note that for this NSH, 'Boost' does not refer to the separate convector element which can be switched on (at expensive daytime rates) if the bricks have become too cool or if the heater has not been left charging up overnight.

For maximum Boost effect switch it to 1 (No Boost) before going to bed and then to 9 when it gets too cool in the evening.  It's well described in the manual for which @Rodders53 provided the link.

Thanks Gerry! I'm still unsure as to why my storage heater doesn't have an 'Output' Dial like every other one appears to have? Is the 'Room Temperature Boost' the same as what 'Output' is on other storage heaters? Otherwise, it seems odd to have a storage heater which has both a 'boosting' function AND a convex heater for additional 24 hour warmth

Gerry1

Yes, the Room Boost is just another name for Output Control.

Basic NSHs don't have many variations on a theme; just like a hot water bottle, you can decide how much heat to put in, and once you've done that you can determine how fast it comes out by removing the woolly cover or allowing more air to flow through.  If all else fails, you can switch on the real time convector or throw the hot water bottle out of the bed and plug the electric blanket into the wall socket.  (Obviously not in reality as it's unsafe to mix HWBs and electric blankets.)

The clever NSHs still follow the same basic principles except that as the insulation is far better, air has to be blown through whenever heat is needed.  There are also some bells and whistles such as programmable timers and weather sensors to minimise wastage by controlling the charging and heat release parameters.  Some can even work on a single 24h circuit by using a timer slaved to the E7 cheap rate periods, and they can maintain a lower temperature when you are away on holiday.