How can I upgrade my water boiler to save money?

maryjtzr

This is how the whole tank looks, so may be two separate ones there

EssexHebridean

Allowing for what you have said about the temperature of the water I'm going to suggest that until you can get things sorted you turn the immersion right off at the switch - just turn it back on for a known period each day to get the water to a sensible temperature - it looks like  fairly well insulated tank so it should hold it's temperature through the day. That in itself should reduce your energy use - but more importantly if the thermostat IS failing - which certainly seems likely - and there is no functioning cut-out - also a strong possibility -  it reduces the possibility of  catastrophic fail occurring perhaps overnight or while you are out. 

QrizB

maryjtzr said:

Yes, we removed the storage heaters and had them replaced with electric oil radiators.

That's an unusual choice.

maryjtzr said:

Readings as follows:

Total Import: 17126 kWh

Total Export: 00000 kWh

TOU Rate 1: 17126 kWh

TOU Rate 2: 00000 kWh

TOU Rate 3: 00000 kWh

TOU Rate 4: 00000 kWh

OK, that shows that you're currently using single-rate electricity. It's one of the most expensive ways to heat a property, but it's what you've got.

I agree with EssexHebridean, until you sort out your temperature control you can switch the heater off at the main switch.

I'm not at all sure about you having two immersion elements, but having a good look at the tank should tell you.

maryjtzr

Great, thank you so much! So I should just get an electrician round to fix the thermostat and install some sort of timer?

QrizB

Here is a typical dual-immersion combination cylinder; you can see the two holes where the immersion heaters would fit. If yours is like this it should be obvious.

https://www.tradingdepot.co.uk/rm-1850-x-450-copper-direct-economy-7-combination-hot-water-cylinder

Sorry it's blurry, it's the best I could find!

Ectophile

Immersion heaters should have a built-in thermostat under the cover.  The cover is held on by a screw or nut. Turn the power off before removing the cover!

Under the cover should be a little dial, set to acout 60C.  Any less than 55C and you risk getting Legionnaire's Disease.  But more than about 60C gives you dangerously hot water.

maryjtzr

QrizB said:

maryjtzr said:

Yes, we removed the storage heaters and had them replaced with electric oil radiators.

That's an unusual choice.

The storage heaters didn't work and the electrician recommended either oil radiators or panel heaters, and I chose oil ones because they retain heat.

Ectophile said:

Immersion heaters should have a built-in thermostat under the cover.  The cover is held on by a screw or nut. Turn the power off before removing the cover!

Under the cover should be a little dial, set to acout 60C.  Any less than 55C and you risk getting Legionnaire's Disease.  But more than about 60C gives you dangerously hot water.

I can't seem to find any sort of cover!

QrizB

maryjtzr said:

Immersion heaters should have a built-in thermostat under the cover.  The cover is held on by a screw or nut. Turn the power off before removing the cover!

I can't seem to find any sort of cover!

Somewhere on your hot water tank will be a cover, a bit like this (but on the side of the tank not the top) with an electrical cable going into it:

Underneath the cover is the LIVE wiring for your immersion heater, plus the top of the thermostat where you can adjust the temperature.

If you are at all uncomfortable fiddling with this, best to contact a plumber or electrician.

lohr500

As you don't have Economy 7 (and if you plan to stay in the flat for any length of time), I would consider switching to it and getting modern night storage heaters to replace the new oil filled heaters you have recently installed . From a daily running cost point of view, heating the house and water electrically on a standard tariff is the most expensive option out there. I am assuming there is no access to gas.


Because you have such a well insulated tank, I don't think putting a timer on the existing immersion heater is going to help a great deal. Far more important to get the heater thermostat checked out and set to a lower temperature. Once fully heated and with all that insulation, the heater should switch off and only kick in and out periodically to top up the temperature. If you plan to go away for a few days, then yes, switch the heater off for the duration of your absence.

There have been discussions elsewhere on the forum of the merits of switching on and off the heater, allowing the water to cool down and then be heated up again. I can't remember what the conclusion was.

Gerry1

Oh dear.  Your electrician has given you absolutely disastrous advice.

The storage heaters would have been cheap and easy to fix, and less expensive to run than oil filled radiators.  Did he sell you the radiators by any chance?

Sadly, you're now stuck with the most expensive room and water heating systems it's possible to have.  There's nothing special about radiators filled with oil, magic dust or moon rock: they are all equally efficient, 1kWh of electricity in gives you 1kWh of heat out.  If they are slow to cool down they will be slow to heat up, there's no free lunch.

BTW, it's just an immersion heater, not a boiler.

Try turning off the switch right at the bottom of the very dark picture and see whether the water eventually cools down.  It's probably on what was the overnight E7 circuit switched by the meter, but now it will be live 24h.  In the meantime, when you want hot water, just turn the knob clockwise on the timer.  As others have suggested, the lower immersion heater may have a thermostat that's set too high or has stuck.  If so, it's easy and cheap to fix, but this time get an electrician who knows what he's doing.

If it's absolutely impossible to get gas and impractical to use oil, and assuming you're not going to move soon, then your least worst option is probably to get some High Heat Retention Night Storage Heaters such as Dimplex Quantum.  Not cheap to buy but much much cheaper to run, and they will make the flat more attractive and easier to sell.   No one will buy your flat with heating and hot water at the crippling daytime rate !

Ideally HHRs need two supplies, E7 and 24h, but it is possible to use a single 24h supply IF they are correctly programmed to mimic your meter's E7 cheap rate periods.  But make sure you fully understand and do that bit yourself, don't get your hopeless electrician making further expensive blunders.

Sorry for all the gloom and doom, but just that's how it is, you've been very badly let down by your electrician.