Where can I get advice on my heating options

littlemissbliss

EssexHebridean said:

Do the maths carefully on the idea of moving - 
- Estate agents fee at 1% of your property's value
- Legal fees - likely to be at least £1k each on the sale and the purchase
- Removal fees
- Stamp Duty - and remember that this is going up in April.

Very true, which is why i can't move yet. But if it means being cold every winter then i will have to - or stay and my mums. One thing for sure, I do not want another winter like this one. I am in my 40s and struggled - i dread to think how someone who was elderly would manage. I have contacted my electrician to see what they suggest. 

littlemissbliss

Tabieth said:

I don’t have much to offer beyond what has already been said. If you are using the heating during the day you need to move away from the cheaper overnight tariff. 

I really do sympathise. I’m moving soon (to gas) but at the moment I live an electrically heated flat with underfloor heating. I’m on Economy 7 but it still costs a fortune to heat. And, as the whole flat is UFH, I can’t just click the thermostat up if I get cold. It takes hours to heat up and hours to cool down. The cold, snowy week was utterly miserable. 

With the possible exception of just a bathroom, I’ll never have UFH again. And electric heating is just ridiculously expensive. Until technologies improve, it’s gas for me. 

Tabieth said:

I don’t have much to offer beyond what has already been said. If you are using the heating during the day you need to move away from the cheaper overnight tariff. 

I really do sympathise. I’m moving soon (to gas) but at the moment I live an electrically heated flat with underfloor heating. I’m on Economy 7 but it still costs a fortune to heat. And, as the whole flat is UFH, I can’t just click the thermostat up if I get cold. It takes hours to heat up and hours to cool down. The cold, snowy week was utterly miserable. 

With the possible exception of just a bathroom, I’ll never have UFH again. And electric heating is just ridiculously expensive. Until technologies improve, it’s gas for me. 

Lucky for you! When i move one of the main focuses will be on how its heated. The technology just isn't there yet and we are a cold country. Defiantly not the right lab rat for this. 

EssexHebridean

You might also for the sake of a few £'s order one of those little digital thermometers from Amazon to see what the  actual room temperature is - it won't make it any warmer, but at last you will know where you stand.

Seriously - getting the heating sorted out is going to work out costing you a lot less than moving home - realistically you're looking at 3 storage heaters - 1 of which probably only needs to be quite small - plus the cabling work. Storage heaters, used properly, can be every bit as cost effective as central heating, albeit I would admit rather more of a faff! 

Flugelhorn

littlemissbliss said:

Flugelhorn said:

what do you mean by "heats up to 30"? 

It says 30*C
The older heaters just sat setting 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

30c should be fine - adding 2 together will still only be 30c, the thermostats will stop the temperature going above 30c in the room 

Have you put a thermometer in the room to see what the temps are getting up to? might be worth a try

EssexHebridean

The thing is, even if the heaters were theoretically capable of getting to 30°, it sounds like they’re not. This could be failed elements, but even if you fixed that, although you might be able to get warm, it’s going to cost you even more. Direct electric heating is painfully expensive and unsuitable for all bar the smallest, least used rooms IMO. 

SarahB16

EssexHebridean said:

The thing is, even if the heaters were theoretically capable of getting to 30°, it sounds like they’re not. This could be failed elements, but even if you fixed that, although you might be able to get warm, it’s going to cost you even more. Direct electric heating is painfully expensive and unsuitable for all bar the smallest, least used rooms IMO. 

Personally, I like to have thermometers in various rooms in my house.  Nothing fancy but in case I am feeling cold I can tell if it's me or whether it is genuinely cold.  

I know this is more important for people who are elderly or ill but I still like to do this all the same.  

That might be an idea so you can actually see what the temperature is in your various rooms.  
   

Newbie_John

There's always a chance your rads are broken?

Anyway, buy this heater (only £20):
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B09BNYKKLN?smid=A2U5QPRA87QBYX&tag=pepperegc-21&ascsubtag=ppr-uk-2794520744

And if this is unable to heat your place - then there must be some big insulation issues.
If it works fine, then you need new rads.

With your 31p//kWh this will cost 60p/hour on highest setting, 30p/hour on lowest setting.

But if it works you'll at least know what are the prroblems 

QrizB

Newbie_John said:

There's always a chance your rads are broken?

I can't quite see how the OP can have a three-week electricity bill of £150 (which could buy something like 450kWh of expensive day-rate E7 electricity, so 150kWh a week, 20kWh a day) if the heaters are broken?

If they get hot, they get hot.

Gerry1

Not having a go at the OP, but the basics seem to be that she probably has ended up with the worst of all worlds.

Wrong type of heaters

Wrong electricity tariff

Wrong understanding of electricity tariffs

Wrong understanding of thermostats

Wrong understanding of total costs of selling and buying property

Wrong belief that gas is magically warmer (but cheaper rate makes it realistic)

Unless these issues are addressed the outlook is bleak.

However, all is not lost.  Addressing the issues could result in an outcome that's bearable if not ideal.

Immediately: Forget anything with day and night rates, MUST be same at all times.

Understand that setting a thermostat to 30C doesn't mean that a tiddly heater will ever reach that temperature, it might stabilise at only 12C-15C in a cold winter.  A moped might have a speedo with markings up to 70mph but even at full throttle you'll never achieve it if you're trying to tow caravan up a hill !

Buy some cheap LCD digital room thermometers.

Soon: get appropriately sized Dimplex Quantum HHR NSHs in the areas used most in the daytime; if in doubt go for larger.  Panel heaters OK in bedrooms used only at night.  Get a proper heating engineer (not an electrician) to do a survey first.

Ideally ensure each Quantum has two supplies, on 24h and one E7.  They can be wired to work with a single 24h supply but it's high risk: if not programmed perfectly (and checked after GMT/BST changes) you can pay a fortune in peak rate charges.

As it's a flat, do the Meter Sanity Test.