Electric heating

kb1956

Looking for advice on which heating to go for. I live in a one bed flat in a converted house and unfortunately there is no gas supply in the building so I have no choice but to have electric heating. When I purchased the property in October the old storage heaters were past their best so on the advice of my electrician I had them replaced with panel heaters. These were absolutely useless especially as the lounge is 26 square metres and the ceiling is 2.7 metres high. The other rooms are considerably smaller but the lounge where I spend the majority of my time is the one that is causing me the most concern. As the new panel heaters were costing a fortune to run I have asked the electrician to remove them so I'm currently without any heating. At the moment I'm relying on electric throws and thermal clothing to keep me warm. My neighbour above me has storage heaters but her monthly bill is £180 and that's something I can't afford on my pension. I'm therefore looking for advice on the best type of heating to go for. Thank you 

nakie999

Electric heating costs come down to control and insulation, not just the heater type. Panel heaters draw a lot of power and dump heat fast, so they suit short bursts, not all day use. Storage heaters or modern high heat retention models work better if you are home most of the day and can use off peak tariffs. Infrared panels can help in one main room since they heat you and surfaces, not the air, so you run them less. Also check draught proofing, curtains, and floor insulation, those changes often cut more cost than swapping heaters.

Reed_Richards

I don't see any option but to use some sort of electric heating.  The cheapest option is probably to go back to storage heaters but make sure you have a suitable tariff from your electricity supplier that lets you charge your storage heaters at a cheap rate overnight.  If your neighbour is on a single rate tariff that might explain why her monthly bill is so high; you need to ask her about that.  Another option would be to get a heat pump.  These are economical to run but in a flat there might not be anywhere suitable to site one.  There is a big subsidy available to offset the installation cost but I don't know how much you would have to pay yourself.  The running cost for heat pump based heating should be similar to that for storage heaters. 

kb1956

Reed_Richards said:

I don't see any option but to use some sort of electric heating.  The cheapest option is probably to go back to storage heaters but make sure you have a suitable tariff from your electricity supplier that lets you charge your storage heaters at a cheap rate overnight.  If your neighbour is on a single rate tariff that might explain why her monthly bill is so high; you need to ask her about that.  Another option would be to get a heat pump.  These are economical to run but in a flat there might not be anywhere suitable to site one.  There is a big subsidy available to offset the installation cost but I don't know how much you would have to pay yourself.  The running cost for heat pump based heating should be similar to that for storage heaters. 

Unfortunately there isn't room for a heat pump plus my budget really wouldn't run to it. I spoke to Cadent about having gas installed and the cost is around 3k plus the cost of installing gch is probably another 4k so doubt that I would recoup the outlay in my lifetime (I'm nearly 70🤦🏻‍♀️) I have always been a bit sceptical about storage heaters as I think it's wasted money if I pay for the overnight heating then don't need it the following day?? Am I right in thinking this?

kb1956

nakie999 said:

Electric heating costs come down to control and insulation, not just the heater type. Panel heaters draw a lot of power and dump heat fast, so they suit short bursts, not all day use. Storage heaters or modern high heat retention models work better if you are home most of the day and can use off peak tariffs. Infrared panels can help in one main room since they heat you and surfaces, not the air, so you run them less. Also check draught proofing, curtains, and floor insulation, those changes often cut more cost than swapping heaters.

I'm currently in the process of getting quotes for new double glazing as the current windows are very old. You mention high heat retention models can you be more specific? Thanks 

Reed_Richards

kb1956 said:

.... I have always been a bit sceptical about storage heaters as I think it's wasted money if I pay for the overnight heating then don't need it the following day?? Am I right in thinking this?

No, not if they work properly.  The idea is that they take in heat and store it overnight, so you can use it the following day.  They will leak a bit of the heat they are storing in the night but that should not be a lot with a modern storage heater.

kb1956

Reed_Richards said:

kb1956 said:

.... I have always been a bit sceptical about storage heaters as I think it's wasted money if I pay for the overnight heating then don't need it the following day?? Am I right in thinking this?

No, not if they work properly.  The idea is that they take in heat and store it overnight, so you can use it the following day.  They will leak a bit of the heat they are storing in the night but that should not be a lot with a modern storage heater.

It's looking like more modern storage heaters are the way to go with a good economy 7 tariff. I have also heard about ceramic core radiators do you know anything about them ?

QrizB

kb1956 said:

I have also heard about ceramic core radiators do you know anything about them?

They're snake oil sold by slick salesmen.

Just as expensive to run than your panel heaters were, but 5-10x as expensive to install.

kb1956 said:

When I purchased the property in October the old storage heaters were past their best so on the advice of my electrician I had them replaced with panel heaters.

Plesase don't take any more heating advice from that electrician, they clearly don't know what they're doing.

WiserMiser

kb1956 said:

Reed_Richards said:

kb1956 said:

.... I have always been a bit sceptical about storage heaters as I think it's wasted money if I pay for the overnight heating then don't need it the following day?? Am I right in thinking this?

No, not if they work properly.  The idea is that they take in heat and store it overnight, so you can use it the following day.  They will leak a bit of the heat they are storing in the night but that should not be a lot with a modern storage heater.

It's looking like more modern storage heaters are the way to go with a good economy 7 tariff. I have also heard about ceramic core radiators do you know anything about them ?

If you're thinking of the ones filled with moonrock, fairy dust or snake oil, forget them.  They're not storage heaters.  They'll bankrupt you, as will anything that uses expensive daytime electricity.

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/78557202/#Comment_78557202

WiserMiser

Consider Dimplex Quantums.  Make sure each one has an E7 supply switched by the meter and a 24h supply.  Read the instructions very carefully, probably best to set the balancing element maximum duration to zero.  It's a conventional built-in fan heater that kicks in if there's not sufficient stored heat, e.g. an unexpected cold snap or you forgot to program it before going away on holiday.  It uses expensive daytime electricity, so you don't want it kicking in unexpectedly.

Get an electrician who knows what he's doing, not the one that gave you such terrible advice.

If in doubt get the larger size NSH.

https://www.dimplex.co.uk/resources/heating-calculator

itsthelittlethings

If you’re retired I’m guessing you are in a lot of the day. My electric bill (one electric panel heater) is £88 for a South facing, well insulated studio flat and I’m out at work 8 hours a day during the week. Don’t spend a lot of money to get your heating bill down if you’ve got it on for substantial periods of time as I just don’t think you’ll get the cost down. You will have to heat the person and use local warm hubs, the library etc or pay more for your heating if you can afford it. £180 sounds reasonable for a one bedroom flat if you’re heating it all day.