Buying new storage heaters

macman

I purchased one of the recon NSH's linked to above and can confirm that they are reputable. I visited their site to collect (they will also deliver on a pallet if you are buying several) and it's quite a large scale operation. 

deadwoodftuo

Hi Susan, be very careful before making a move. I have the old style brick storage heaters, it is very important to try and make sure the heater new or old is as insulated as it can be at the rear and is not leeching heat through the back into the wall, especially an outside wall. 
I don't know what energy provider you are with, but again be very careful, I moved from npower to EDF earlier this year because the 2 hour pm charge was the same cost as the 5 hour overnight charge with EDF.  
EDF increased this pm charge in October by 111% and I am now in a worse situation than I was with npower, EDF did not inform me which I reckon is a change of tariff as well as unit price without notification 
If world gas prices plummet in January the companies will still look to hammer us in April, not too helpful an answer maybe but reality in my view based on experience. Good Luck.

EssexHebridean

Storage heaters all work on the same principle of heating bricks which then retain the heat for slow release through the day - but the new ones are massively more insulated than previous versions and lose almost no heat while charging. 

Also Economy 7 is only cheap power overnight, it will presumably be Economy 10 that you are on. 

Susan1942

Thank you all for your responses. I have decorators here for the past 9 days.  So been trying to keep ahead of things.  I am totally confused so going to get my daughter to look at the advice given here. I have an electrician coming next week to.put up new light fittings. I am concerned about having something that might be too expensive.  I am on a fixed income so don't want to install something that is going to be just too expensive.
My living/dining heaters are fine. But thinking of replacing hall and my own bedroom as they are pretty old.  There is a spare room but didn't have that heater on at all last year. I kept the door open at times and the heat from the hall seemed to be acceptable.  
I am still trying. In my head trying to make sense of it all. 
Thanks again 
Sue 

wittynamegoeshere

Don't worry, there probably isn't a simple right or wrong answer, just differing opinions.

If they are mounted on external walls then it might be more worthwhile to upgrade.  If mounted on an internal wall then even the most terrible heater is not going to waste any heat, the worst outcome is that you'll get the heat at the wrong time of the day.

All electric heaters are 100% efficient, the only variables are whether it wastes this heat through an outside wall or it gets released into the room (or the adjoining room) while you're not there.

rp1974

Having previously been cursed living in an all electric property I feel for you,wasn't a pleasant or an inexpensive experience all round tbh.

Lived there for just over five years,first three with conventional storage heaters which it sounds like your using at present.
Last two when landlord had the heaters replaced with Quantum versions,did notice a bit of a drop in the usage amount and therefore bills,wasn't a huge amount though.

Biggest difference though was better all round comfort,if that makes sense,for instance hardly ever needed to use the boost function and didn't feel that sorta stuffy way because of heat leakage from the old heaters during the night charging period.

Having said that,the Quantums are relatively expensive,the cost difference of retaining existing heaters or repairing them if necessary will buy a lot of electricity particularly at present prices.

Susan1942

Thank you again for your responses.
Been looking at the position of my heaters ..My bedroom.it in on the wall.where ensuite is . Hall is on the wall where the public area leading to the door...I never use the door as there is a private lift..The door is used when deliveries are made living /dining there are 2 heaters one on a wall that backs on to small bedroom.and cloak room.The  second is on an outside wall as I moved it from.a wall.thst was next to kitchen

Because I live on the top in a building of 3 floors I have ,the top.floor. There are some areas there are sloping ceiling..I has a corner in not and the only place it could go was that one So that heater is on an outside wall as is another spare room.
So I have a mixture. The thought that position of heaters would not have occurred to me.

.

Reed_Richards

rp1974 said:

...Last two when landlord had the heaters replaced with Quantum versions,did notice a bit of a drop in the usage amount and therefore bills,wasn't a huge amount though.......hardly ever needed to use the boost function 

Hardly ever needing to use the boost function might well account for why there was that bit of a drop in usage.

rp1974 said:

Having said that,the Quantums are relatively expensive,the cost difference of retaining existing heaters or repairing them if necessary will buy a lot of electricity particularly at present prices.

No, that's topsy-turvy.  At present prices for electricity, a given amount of money will buy you less electricity than it used to.  So any savings you can make in electricity usage are more worthwhile. 

rp1974

Reed_Richards said:

rp1974 said:

Having said that,the Quantums are relatively expensive,the cost difference of retaining existing heaters or repairing them if necessary will buy a lot of electricity particularly at present prices.

No, that's topsy-turvy.  At present prices for electricity, a given amount of money will buy you less electricity than it used to.  So any savings you can make in electricity usage are more worthwhile. 

My point,possibly not well made is that multiple hundreds of pounds spent buying and installing Quantum heaters will buy a lot of electricity,yes it'll buy a lot less than it would've done in normal circumstances.

macman

OP, I can still see no real reason for you to change your existing NSH's, other than for cosmetic reasons. New ones will be no more efficient than the old ones (which are already 100% efficient), and more expensive to run, since they need a peak rate supply. New ones may however be more controllable. 
Any other sort of electric heaters, of any kind, will run on peak rate and cost you about 300% more to run.
If you fit new Lot 20 ones, you will now incur possible additional decorating costs to make the peak rate connections: if you wanted to do this, the time to do it was before decorating.