Buying new storage heaters

ChaunceyGardiner

macman said:

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.

I agree, it probably doesn't make financial sense. OP states that she is elderly, so it's not as if she's at work when the bulk of the heat is being released. Plus, it may take years to recoup the cost of installing the new heaters, by which time she may not necessarily still be around.

Swipe

Also probably not worth having a quantum installed in the bedroom.

coffeehound

macman said:

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.

Cobblers.  

The HHR storage heaters will be specified to store enough heat for the anticipated worst day of the year, and should not rely on the use of the peak boost, other than in exceptional weather.

Older heaters are more hit-and-miss with settings and can end up taking more heat than required - hence lower efficiency.

Older heaters let the heat out at times when it is not required.  HHR hold onto the heat much better and let it out in a controlled way.

Dimplex's own testing showed a 27% saving over old storage heaters - and that included the assumption of 10% peak-rate usage, so was carried out as an unfavourable scenario

ChaunceyGardiner

Dimplex's own testing showed a 27% saving over old storage heaters

I'll bet it did.

Gerry1

macman said:

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.

Wrong, wrong, wrong...

New NSHs shouldn't be more expensive to run, quite the opposite.  IF correctly dimensioned and programmed. there should seldom, if ever, be any need to use the peak time boost at expensive day rates.  It should only be used if a really unexpected sudden cold snap means that the overnight charge turns out to have been insufficient, or perhaps by someone in spring or autumn who is out all day and may find it cheaper to use only the boost facility, very briefly, in the evening rather than use overnight storage.  However, the OP is not in this category.

The savings for the OP will be that far less heat is wasted at times when it's not needed.  Quantums use a fan to blow out the heat only at times when it's required, so they won't be wasting money leaking all night.  Think of an old NSH as a water bottle, think of a Quantum as a vacuum flask.  The only problem is that the electricity savings many not be sufficient to justify the high capital cost, especially if it's a rented property.  Provided that the old heaters are large enough to keep the property sufficiently warm during a cold winter, the OP's best option may be to do nothing.

As I've previously stated, Quantums can run on a single supply, so the OP shouldn't need to install another supply and redecorate.  Unless @macman has evidence to the contrary e.g. that Dimplex have changed the design recently?

Susan1942

Gosh that put the cat amongst the pigeons!! You are correct I will be 80 in February. On the whole I am pretty comfortable with the level of heating in my apartment.  I don't have a fire of any sort of fire or fireplace. I have never had my heaters turned on full ever. If it's cold I open up the vents in the evening..Taking everything that has been discussed I think.I will just continue with my current heaters. Should I have a breakdown then I would have to reconsider. 
I appreciate the input from everyone.In winters past I would often be in Australia for maybe 6 weeks or on a prolonged cruise but always left my heating on at a low level. I was fortunate to o being away in the winter where it was exceptionally cold with a lot of snow but my neighbour turned the heating up during .that time 
Once again many thank everyone 
Sue 

PZ19

Susan1942 said:

Gosh that put the cat amongst the pigeons!! You are correct I will be 80 in February. On the whole I am pretty comfortable with the level of heating in my apartment.  I don't have a fire of any sort of fire or fireplace. I have never had my heaters turned on full ever. If it's cold I open up the vents in the evening..Taking everything that has been discussed I think.I will just continue with my current heaters. Should I have a breakdown then I would have to reconsider. 
I appreciate the input from everyone.In winters past I would often be in Australia for maybe 6 weeks or on a prolonged cruise but always left my heating on at a low level. I was fortunate to o being away in the winter where it was exceptionally cold with a lot of snow but my neighbour turned the heating up during .that time 
Once again many thank everyone 
Sue 

A sensible decision

wittynamegoeshere

Ah yes, there was a clue in your username!  I think most people here enjoy a good old debate/argie-bargie so it's good to have something new to argue about!

I don't think anyone could say for certain what the right answer is without doing lots a measurements.  But I'd say you've probably come to a sensible conclusion.

I used to know someone who had a flat that was surrounded by retired people.  He almost never put his heating on, the neighbours kept his flat warm enough with their heating.  I suppose he probably owed them some money thinking about it, they probably all got an icy chill from his cold walls.

EssexHebridean

macman said:

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.

Sorry Macman but you’re wrong on several counts here. If the heaters Susan currently has are as old as she suggests they will be highly inefficient by now - with the best will in the world storage heaters DO degrade in efficiency over time. The peak rate supply for the new ones is irrelevant as it only comes into play to any extent at all if using the boost function, and even then it costs in the region of 20p an hour, so not bank-breaking for an odd hour here or there - the key thing here is to be aware of that cost, not just throwing on Boost whenever the whim takes you.

 Reed_Richards said:

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

Probably not as generally speaking the heaters most folks will be replacing now are less likely to have had a boost function in the first place. 

Susan, I’m glad the discussion here as helped. In your circumstances (the comfort level rather than age!) it does sound as though if your current heaters are doing the job for you, and you’re able to heat your home sufficiently using them, replacements would be an unnecessary expense.

Susan1942

Thanks again to everyone.  I don't know what I would do with out you very kind people