Storage heating questions, please help

Laure_2

Hi everyone,

This is my first post and I know very little about this subject so please bear with me if any of these questions have been answered in the past.

My boyfriend and I moved into our new flat in October 07. The flat is all electric (no gas pipe) and currently only has 1 small convector heater in the lounge. It is quite a large flat with many windows so we have not only been faced with a freezing cold flat but huge electricity bills (£600 for Oct to Jan!!). After having done some research and getting the EDF advisor out it is very clear that that convector heater is the main cause for the large bills.

Having some research I understand that with electrics our only viable option are storage heaters (we can not afford to have bills this high moving forward). We are now in a position where we looking into getting the storage heaters put in but before going ahead I have a few questions (we will also get switched to E7 at the same time):

1 / Can anyone recommend a good brand of storage heaters? We are considering Dimplex but would value anyone's personal experience on this.

2 / We are unsure about getting just standard storage heaters, fan assisted heaters or combi heaters. I understand that fan assisted and combi heaters rely on day time electricity to top up the heating when necessary. As this is obviously expensive I would like to know if this function can me deactivated as and when we are not in the flat for example. If not I guess we are just better off getting standard storage heaters and topping up with our oil filed heater as and when needed??

3 / I have read that storage heaters are normally wired up separately so that they can be hooked up to the night time supply of electricity. In our fat we have power plugs (1 or 2 in each room) on the wall which have their own switch on the fuse board. I assume this is where heaters once were or were supposed to be as the fuses are labelled 'living room heating', 'bedroom heating' etc... Can anyone tell me if this means that these powers outlets will be ready to operate a storage heater or if we are likely to need any re-wiring done.

4 / Finally we would also want to run our hot water off the night electricity rate. Our boiler has 2 element (day and night). Obviously at the moment because we are not on E7 we are not making use of the night element but does this mean that the boiler is already wired in a way which would be compatible with E7?

Sorry for the many questions, but I want to find out as much as possible before going ahead and I find the information available on the net a bit confusing to be honest.

Thanks in advance

Laure

Laure_2

Can anyone help with this?

Cardew

All storage heaters have the facility to 'top up' during the day if they run out of stored heat; but as you indicate it is expensive to do this.

The newer storage heaters are far better at retaining heat; ie they don't 'leak' heat(as much as older models) when you do not require rooms to be heated.

Dimplex are a well respected name. However there is very little to go wrong with storage heaters as they are basically electric elements that heat up a pile of bricks.

Personally I would just get 'simple' storage heaters and you can use a stand alone fan heater if required. These Duo-heat storage heaters are nice, but are they required? They are also much more expensive.

You can use all appliances, immersion heaters etc on the economy 7 rate, as all electricity will be at the cheap rate. Beware however the noise problem with appliances. Your neighbours might not appreciate a washing machine bouncing about on spin cycle in the early hours. Some blocks of flats ban this.

You will normally have to have some rewiring done for storage heating; and it is normal for them to be wired so the supply reaches them when you move to E7. In any case the electricity company will probably insist on a certificate of compliance from a qualified electrician.

keppoch1970

Old storage heaters ie the big, heavy ugly things I have from the 1980s do NOT offer a top-up facility in the daytime.

Paul_Simpson

I own the new duo heaters and I hve found them to be brilliant. They look nicer and don't cost all that much compared with other storage heaters, you also have more control over the heat, it pretty much takes care of itself. I have a large one in the lounge, one in the dining room and a small one in the hall. I don't have the one on in the dining room as it isn't needed. They are easy to control and I only have them on 3/4 bars (10 altogether) this is ample. You will never feel cold as they stay at the correct temp ie:if the temp drops dramatically in the night they will automatically adjust. I also have an electric fire which is never on but is there if needed. I would certainly recommend them!

Cardew

Paul_Simpson wrote: »

I own the new duo heaters and I hve found them to be brilliant. They look nicer and don't cost all that much compared with other storage heaters, you also have more control over the heat, it pretty much takes care of itself. I have a large one in the lounge, one in the dining room and a small one in the hall. I don't have the one on in the dining room as it isn't needed. They are easy to control and I only have them on 3/4 bars (10 altogether) this is ample. You will never feel cold as they stay at the correct temp ie:if the temp drops dramatically in the night they will automatically adjust. I also have an electric fire which is never on but is there if needed. I would certainly recommend them!

Welcome to the forum.

A couple of questions please.

How much did they cost? and what was involved in the fitting/wiring etc?

Presumably they are the Dimplex models?

Have you any idea of how much they use on E7 rates and how much on day rates? i.e. the ratio. Obviously that will vary according to location/use, but it would be nice to get an idea.

phildamb

I recently moved into a small flat and it had a storage heater but looks really old so Im not using it. Instead Im using a flat panel oil heater which so far uses about 2 units of electricity over 3 hours to heat the flat to 19C which is pretty good going really considering the flat isnt properly insulated.

If I was you I would ensure that the place is properly inuslated to as heating it becomes cheaper if the heat isnt dissappearing out of the doors and windows. I fitted new foam draught excluders to the all the doors internal and external and the difference is apparent quickly.