Storage Heaters or Electric Radiators

Scot_39

Do they really have to be smart - or will standard lot 20 - say Creda TSRE or Dimplex XLE Slimline iirc the alternatives I thought of to non RF Quantums pre crisis for my halls - after working out the payback for all 3 RF quantums - at c20 years at just pre crisis rates as a low user - not do the job and give slightly bigger savings ?

And both the Creda and the XLE Slimline do have fans.

@tamste

Which models were you thinking off for the SSHs ?

Newbie_John

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81888345#Comment_81888345

Not always. It really depends on usage patterns and rates. E7 comes with HIGH peak rate between 7-23:59.

For comparison my E7 rates on Octopus fixed tariff are 33p and 14p during the night, or I could get a single rate at 21p with other providers.

If let's say I use 20kWh at night at 10 during the day - it comes down to 21p average rate.

So no difference in winter but.. you end up paying premium in summer when night consumption goes down.

Storage heaters cost £1000 Vs electric heater £100,. If you're at home most of the time than yes, find cheapest night tarrif, EV tarriffs tarrifand make sure storage heaters only charge then and preferably 8p or less. If you're at work 8-18 then electric heaters heating only the rooms you're in could work out cheaper.

squirrelpie

Why are storage heaters so expensive? There doesn't seem to be a lot in them.

Some pressed steel, a bit of insulation, some bricks, a heater and a circuit board.

EssexHebridean

It's a bit of an oversimplification to suggest that NSHs and standard panel heaters cost the same to run because 1unit in = 1 unit out. Technically that is true, and yes, if you were using them with all other factors being equal, that would be the case, but generally speaking, you'd be a bit of a numpty to try to use storage heaters on a single rate tariff, and similarly, not the sharpest tool in the box to have panel radiators but voluntarily be on an E7 tariff! It's one of those situations where working purely on the science involved without factoring in a bit of common sense means you draw wrong conclusions.

Modern storage heaters are about as close to gas central heating as any currently available form of standard electric heating can be - and if the option to either run gas in, and install a boiler and rads, or to fit a heat pump isn't there, they certainly sound like the best long-term heating option for a situation like the OP's. They've moved on SO fast even in a handful of years - the ability to control remotely via a hub and app, for example.

One suggestion I would make is to consider whether the bedrooms would be best served with panel heaters with timers rather than NSHs - even the best HHR model NSHs do release a degree of warmth while they charge, and that can lead to bedrooms being over-warm and sleep being disturbed. Allowing for an hour at night to warm the room, and an hour in the morning to do likewise, you may decide that the cost saving on installation will over-ride the slightly higher per unit cost of the heat down the line.

newflat26

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81889419#Comment_81889419

Thanks, this is helpful. I think panel heaters in the bedrooms could be a good idea. I’ve been stalking other flats in the same development on Rightmove sold prices and it looks like some have electric radiators, just going by how slim they look in the pictures. I may be able to ask advice from other residents once I get access to the residents forum.

newflat26

I compared the cost of the 5 heaters I think I’d need (assuming all storage heaters), the difference between Quantum RF and XLE is around 600, Creda more like £1000 cheaper, so something else to think about! Obviously panel heaters in bedrooms cheaper again for initial layout at least. It’s all a bit overwhelming tbh. I saw another post where someone decided to go with Quantum and post an update but no updates yet 🤔

tamste

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81888968#Comment_81888968

Was looking at the Elnur's.

I was looking just over a year ago and went to the manufacturer for the heat retention figures, as they aren't easily available on the web. Ended up with a combination of HHR's and SSH's … 10 in total, but its in a large bungalow which I wanted warm all day. SSH's used in bedrooms.

Might be worth going to the manufacturers for the XLE and Creda's to see if you can get the heat retention figures for those?

Newbie_John

The reason why some people have basic electric heaters can just come down to not understanding heating costs. I know a person who has them and I'm sure is on E7 tarrif as they simply can't be bothered to look at their bills, meaning not only they heat during the day but also at peak rate :)

If I were you I'd consider tarriff like Good Energy EV and found out if you could set up storage heaters/hot water tank to run with their 8p rate between 0-5am, also check other providers like Utility Warehouse - I've seen their E7 tarriff to have night rate of 6.5p if you move two other bills to them.

But saying that, it may be a problematic if the sockets are connected to E7 wiring .

WiserMiser

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81889019#Comment_81889019

>"If let's say I use 20kWh at night at (and?)10 during the day - it comes down to 21p average rate."

I doubt that the OP would always be clocking up 10kWh during the day if the heating and hot water were all on the E7 overnight rate.

Agreed, the E7 day rate is invariably higher than the single rate but the usage from NSHs and the immersion heater will usually show an overall saving.

If E7 works out more expensive in the summer it may even be possible to switch to single rate if there's no exit fee and back to E7 in the autumn.

Scot_39

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81889576#Comment_81889576

in a flat they are also unlikely to be clocking up 20kWh for heatvand hot water.

My coldest winter montgs ave c20kWh total - 2 bed mid terrace - split roughly based on summer vs winter - 3-4kWh normal 3-4 kW HW z 12-14 kW space heating. On e10 I average 75% off peak - was higher over 80% when ran higher temps. But in summer tgat drops to 50% - and ave unit rate matches single rate.

With any mulitirate / TOU smart tariff you need to look at your likely personal ave rate - not just get hung up on the off peak - unless a very high off peak user in the 90s consistently (which i suspect requires battery storage on likes of ev or e7).