Storage heater recommendations

EssexHebridean

There was a thread on here recently about the Elnur heater's tendency to use peak electricity for boosting the temperature - I have a feeling that @Gerry1 turned up some useful info relating to them? 

Also - I have to say it's nice to hear of someone benefiting, albeit obliquely - from the "magic clay heaters" scam! 

littleteapot

EssexHebridean said:

There was a thread on here recently about the Elnur heater's tendency to use peak electricity for boosting the temperature - I have a feeling that @Gerry1 turned up some useful info relating to them? 

Also - I have to say it's nice to hear of someone benefiting, albeit obliquely - from the "magic clay heaters" scam! 

Yes I vaguely remember some posts relating to this but couldn't remember the username. I felt sorry for the couple selling the Elnurs so cheaply on gumtree but it was too late to educate them and in any case who would believe me who has taken the time to understand electic heating over three decades rather than suited and booted Fischer/Rointe magic clay salesperson with a well rehearsed spiel.

EssexHebridean

Oh yes - the nonsense peddled by their salesmen is horrific, I believe Rointe may have had a legal challenge to come of their claims, in fact? 

EssexHebridean

I think the thread about the Elnur heaters may have been this one: https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6418757/cheapest-way-to-heat/p1

Scot_39

EssexHebridean said:

There was a thread on here recently about the Elnur heater's tendency to use peak electricity for boosting the temperature - I have a feeling that @Gerry1 turned up some useful info relating to them? 

Also - I have to say it's nice to hear of someone benefiting, albeit obliquely - from the "magic clay heaters" scam! 

Elnurs have what they call a balancing element - runs off the 24/7 feed - and depending on model - thats factory set for "upto" 5 hours in the installation manual  - for another post - it was rated at 1.1kW from memory for the larger 400 model.

@Gerry1 posted the link in

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/79734654/#Comment_79734654

That installation manual - available on their website - iirc showed how to change it down to 0 ?.  (Not sure it was in the user manual at all though).

danrv

littleteapot said:

I suspect the preferred technology for the future is heat pumps, but to install a wet system would basically need the house to be completely gutted, which isn't viable when we children and no alternative accommodation. So the NSH's will be staying for a few years yet.

Yes. A heat pump wet system install from scratch is quite a big and very expensive job. I didn’t opt for it as the government repayment scheme at the time limited resale options.
You wouldn’t get the payments if you sold the house but it’s now a one off sum.
Aircon installation far less disruptive and a good compromise but modern storage heaters are the obvious choice if the sockets are already there.
Probably better suited to bedroom use too given that they’re HHR but electric radiators are good here for occasional use.
 

lilac_dawn

From all of these posts then I gather Quantum is worth upgrading to then? I just need to find a decent installer now to advise. The links on the Dimplex site seem a bit out of date (one links to a bathroom installer...)

littleteapot

lilac_dawn said:

From all of these posts then I gather Quantum is worth upgrading to then? I just need to find a decent installer now to advise. The links on the Dimplex site seem a bit out of date (one links to a bathroom installer...)

Quantum seems to be the pinnacle of HHR storage heaters, but if on a tight budget the Creda TSRE looks a good alternative HHR at a much lower cost. The Elnur ECOHHR is also ok if programmed correctly but I suspect the Creda's control system will be very similar the dimplex and probably better than Elnurs.

Also if you have both peak and off peak connection units already in the right location, e.g. from an old storage heater snd have a basic understanding of electrical wiring, e.g. can wire a plug, and can drill holes/fixings in walls you shouldn't be afraid of doing a self install. The installation instructions are usually very comprehensive. 

littleteapot

Scot_39 said:

EssexHebridean said:

There was a thread on here recently about the Elnur heater's tendency to use peak electricity for boosting the temperature - I have a feeling that @Gerry1 turned up some useful info relating to them? 

Also - I have to say it's nice to hear of someone benefiting, albeit obliquely - from the "magic clay heaters" scam! 

Elnurs have what they call a balancing element - runs off the 24/7 feed - and depending on model - thats factory set for "upto" 5 hours in the installation manual  - for another post - it was rated at 1.1kW from memory for the larger 400 model.

@Gerry1 posted the link in

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/79734654/#Comment_79734654

That installation manual - available on their website - iirc showed how to change it down to 0 ?.  (Not sure it was in the user manual at all though).

It is indeed in the 'advanced Installation manual' from the website but it does state that if set to zero the heater charges to a fixed % every night which by default is 80%.  This may be fine in the depths of winter but come esrly spring will be too much. You can change it by going into the fiddly installer menu but this makes it even more inconvenient than an old dumb storage heater where you had to twiddle the input knob depending on the forecast for the next day! 

On mine I set it to 1 hour so it still alters in input charge as weather changes but doesn't use much peak rate electricity for the balancing element.

Scot_39

Thanks  @littleteapot

Seems a bit perverse a decision that zero on a peak rate charging element overspill would override the smart adaption algorithm for off-peak charging.  But will try to remember and not post 0 as a potential solution again.