Infrared Heating for Home

TroubledTarts

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82003283#Comment_82003283

I can see the green light for Air to Air heat pump units being allowed soon.

It's the normal issues of fitting external equipment and Landlords approval and the installers not damaging render etc. As well as council approval if required.

We have been approach by a tenant about a solar plug in system which is nice, all new fuse boards and some up to code work last year. Just waiting for their proposal as to how they think they will fit them, where etc and we will come to some agreement.

However we won't agree to anything until the legislation comes through.

squirrelpie

It's the normal issues of fitting external equipment and Landlords approval and the installers not damaging render etc. As well as council approval if required.

Yes, that's why I think legislation will be needed. So the tenant has a right to fit a heat pump and the landlord cannot block it. Or maybe the tenant has the right to make the landlord fit a heat pump? 😈 😈

2_4

We own the flat but cannot do anything due to the lease. Does anyone have any strong feelings about storage heaters?!

QrizB

Does anyone have any strong feelings about storage heaters?!

They're the least worst sort of conventional electric heating (by "conventional" I mean non-heat-pump).

With a suitable time-of-use tariff they can provide heat as cheaply as mains gas does.

Have you studied your bills to estimate how much electricity you're curently using for heating (space heating and hot water) and how much you're using for everything else?

lohr500

Given your situation, storage heaters may be the best option. Especially if you plan to stay there for many years.

The modern high heat retention units are a lot smarter than the old "box of bricks" units. "Google Dimplex Quantum" to get an idea of what they look like and what they do.

You may still have some challenges installing storage heaters though.

Ideally they need two power supplies with one supply being switched on/off by the smart meter aligned to the Economy 7 timings. However, if it isn't possible to fit the extra consumer unit and a Economy 7 wiring, I believe the Quantums will work with a single permanently live supply and their own built in timer, but in this mode it is really important to keep a check on the timer to make sure it remains aligned with the Economy 7 off-peak hours.

Depending on the size of the existing heaters and the wiring used to feed them, you may still need to upgrade the existing wiring to the support the storage heaters.

If you already have a smart meter and can manage with a single feed to the storage heaters (using their onboard timers) then my understanding is your existing meter can be switched to Economy 7 mode remotely by your supplier.

2_4

I'm concerned about storage heaters running out of heat by the evening as it's a large open space.

QrizB

Correctly sized storage heaters will last all day in the depths of winter. Most current models also have a backup heating element so they can run on peak rate electricity if they do run out (which should be rare).

Looking at the EPCs for your development, the flats are all rated C or D so they should be fairly well insulated. The direct electric heating is one of the worst things on the EPC!

2_4

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82005614#Comment_82005614

Cheers, I think we will possibly go that way. The slight concern is that I think we could only really have one in the kitchen/diner/lounge, open plan, and it will be beneath the highest part of the room, about 20ft. The current 2kw consort heater struggled to really get it warm last winter, even when on for a very expensive 10 hours a day. It was ok, but not quite really comfrotable.

squirrelpie

The ceiling fans mentioned earlier will work just as well with storage heaters as with anything else.

TroubledTarts

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82005949#Comment_82005949

Any heating source will struggle without being correctly sized for the room taking in volume (including height) you would have to ask the experts where to place the storage heaters in a large open plan room (more than one potentially)