Storage heaters or dual fuel stove ? 6 February 2022 at 9:48PM in LPG, heating oil, solid & other fuels 14 replies 422 views

Rosie1001

My bill for heat only  in  2021 was £1400 on economy 7 , using two dimplex X-Large storage  heaters , these are at least 25 years old …

question is … do I upgrade to the new quantum storage heaters … ?? Or get a dual fuel stove fitted for approx same cost ??

also ..would the new dimplex heaters use the existing wiring , if not , that’s additional cost I’d have to factor in 

thanks in advance 

Reed_Richards

Old storage heaters might be large but they won't be much different in performance to the newer ones.   If you live in the right part of the country Storm Arwen just created a huge quantity of fallen trees which, once they are chopped up and seasoned, can be burnt as firewood.  There is bound to be an over-supply, you might even be able to get the logs for free if you know someone with more than they can use. 

lohr500

Daft question, but would the heat from a dual fuel stove reach the room/rooms currently heated by the storage heaters?
And although you say your bill for heat only was £1200, does this include heating your hot water? If not, how do you currently heat the water?

I used to live in a small one bedroom cottage that was heated by a dual fuel stove with a back boiler. It kept the open plan downstairs warm, powered a couple of radiators upstairs and did the hot water. But it was hard work keeping it lit, emptying the ashes and stocking up with wood, especially through the winter. I worked full time so it needed stoking up and banking down in the morning if I wanted to return to a warm house in the evening.

In the end I switched to Economy 7 storage heaters and also heated the hot water on Economy 7 through the week, only using the stove over the weekends. But that was when electricity costs were significantly less than today 
 

matelodave

Bear in mind that with a stove you'll have to find somewhere under cover to store the fuel and if it's your only form of heating then there'll be quite a lot. Wood is bulky and solid fuel can be heavy as as said above there's a fair amount of work involved in lugging it all in and getting rid of the ash. It also creates  a lot more dust around the place than leccy.

Wood and solid fuel aren't everso cheap either (unless you know of a source) and you'll need to get the flue checked and swpt every year.

Effician

matelodave said:

Bear in mind that with a stove you'll have to find somewhere under cover to store the fuel and if it's your only form of heating then there'll be quite a lot. Wood is bulky and solid fuel can be heavy as as said above there's a fair amount of work involved in lugging it all in and getting rid of the ash. It also creates  a lot more dust around the place than leccy.

Wood and solid fuel aren't everso cheap either (unless you know of a source) and you'll need to get the flue checked and swpt every year.

100% agree, and to me that's the appeal.

I do enjoy the opportunity to wield a chainsaw & axe ( not at the same time though) , the workout at this time of year is better than going to a gym, & who does't like to admire a well filled log store?, as for ash deposits these all go  into the compost heap.

I expect those who pay for their kiln dried logs may be in for a shock come next winter as folks flood to stoves thinking of them as a cheap heat alternative.

coffeehound

Rosie1001 said:

My bill for heat only  in  2021 was £1400 on economy 7 , using two dimplex X-Large storage  heaters , these are at least 25 years old …

question is … do I upgrade to the new quantum storage heaters … ?? 
also ..would the new dimplex heaters use the existing wiring , if not , that’s additional cost I’d have to factor in 

Are you usually out during the day, and do you find that you need to use extra heating in the evening?  

Those factors would point in favour of the newer 'high heat retention' storage heaters and would potentially save on electricity.

Yes, the modern storage heaters do need a continuous electricity supply in addition to the E7 feed, but this can be spurred off the ring main, so might not be a big extra expense.

-- should add that you *can* have the existing electrical supplies made permanent instead of adding the secondary supply, but then you lose the automatic operation and have to rely on the heaters timers instead.

Rosie1001

im out all day … need a warm house through the day for my elderly cat …. 

I like the storage heaters to be honest ..it just the cost , it’s getting too much 

a few family members have dual stoves , they said that the heat from them  , heats every room 

I have concerns regarding the daily upkeep of keeping a stove going … do I want to do this when  I’m older and less able ?. I’m not sure 

FreeBear

Rosie1001 said: I'm out all day … need a warm house through the day for my elderly cat ….

Mine spent last winter under the duvet at the bottom of the bed. Only came out for food and use the litter tray. The summer was spent out on the shed roof in all weathers.. She has now spent the last 3 months curled up on a cushion in the lounge.

Cats are pretty hardy little animals and will make the most of a spot. If you need to provide a warm spot, a heated pad will work as well and be cheaper to run.

Rosie1001

He’s 19.5 years old …. He hates to snuggle . .and prefers his donut bed next to storage heaters ,with his heat pad  

my other two are very hardy .. they couldn’t care less If heating not on 

FreeBear

Rosie1001 said: He’s 19.5 years old …. He hates to snuggle . .

About the same age as my little furball. She likes lap time when it suits her (usually when she wants food).

coffeehound

@Rosie1001 do you find you need extra heating in the evenings, or do the storage heaters stay warm all evening?