economy 7 storage heaters

crafty_swan

I have a house with 2 freezing cold rooms We have a old gas boiler and the system can;t have anymore radiators on it It wont be powerful enough :mad::mad::mad: Anyway they landlord wont replace the boiler because it's in cood working order So i was thinking of having storage heaters put in the rooms Where is the best place to get them from on a tight budget Many thanks

MarkyMarkD

You chose to rent a house with a poor heating system, so I don't see why the landlord should upgrade. Or if he does, he'd reasonably expect more rent which I expect you don't want to pay.

Storage heaters are only worth having if you have economy 7 electricity, or get your meter changed to economy 7.

Even then, I'm not convinced it is worth you shelling out for them for a rented property. For all you know, your landlord could give you notice and you'd presumably be out in a few months, with a few storage heaters under your arms. Have you considered insulating these very cold rooms better - cling film on the windows is amazingly effective - assuming that they are not double glazed.

chal

When we bought our house, the only heating in it was 4 storage heaters. If it wasn't for the hot water tank, which was frequently so hot the walls glowed red, the place would have been freezing.

We had central heating installed soon after moving in - so my memory of this is a little vague - but I can say that as far as i remember, storage heaters really *really* suck.

I guess there's no point asking the landlord for central heating? I can guess the answer, but it's worth asking. If the rooms are really cold, then damp and mould may be issues - it could be worth mentioning this as an incentive to getting it fitted.

Are you planning on being in the house long-term? That should also factor into what you decide to do.

baldelectrician

The landlord should keep the heating in good working order- it should be safe and actually heat the house.

Call the council for advice-
This leaflet is rom my local council
http://www.east-ayrshire.gov.uk/content.asp?URL=/neighbourservs/housing/documents/privatetenantsinfobooklet.pdf

It states in the leaflet thet heating must be adequate.

Don't know if things are as strict in England and Wales

MarkyMarkD

I don't think that leaflet says what you think it does.

Any heating system provided needs to be safe and in working order. I don't read the "actually heat the house" bit that you are referring to.

As long as the property isn't damp, it's healthy enough to live in. There's nothing stopping you from getting space heating for rooms without central heating. There's no obligation on landlords to provide central heating at all.

ukwoody

Night storage heaters should be on their own supply, not spured off say a nearby socket. This would require re-wiring, something your landlord wouldn't be happy about.

Woody

Charis

A landlord has a responsibility to ensure that there is adequate heating

Standards in your home

A property should also be free of serious health and safety hazards, which means your landlord should ensure that problems in the home are dealt with before they lead to poor health or accidents.
Hazards can arise in the home because of its design, wear and tear, or a lack of maintenance. The most common hazards involve:

• inadequate heating,

In practice, the landlord should check to ensure that the home is a warm and safe environment for the range of people who live there.

from the Government website http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/HomeAndCommunity/Planning/GrantsFundsAndStandards/DG_4001381

tomstickland

but I can say that as far as i remember, storage heaters really *really* suck.

I live in an early 1990s flat with storage heating and it works really well. It's probably best for well insulated buildings and where the occupants don't expect roasting heat at all times.

baldelectrician

MarkyMarkD wrote: »

I don't think that leaflet says what you think it does.

Any heating system provided needs to be safe and in working order. I don't read the "actually heat the house" bit that you are referring to.

As long as the property isn't damp, it's healthy enough to live in. There's nothing stopping you from getting space heating for rooms without central heating. There's no obligation on landlords to provide central heating at all.

Section 5 Repairs:

Have adequate heating, lighting and ventilation; and

sarah_elton

I live in a flat (owned) which has no gas. Two rooms (lounge and main bedroom) have night storage heaters - original 1980s from when the flats were built. One's utterly inefficient and the other has died completely so I'm in the process of getting them replaced.

I'm waiting on quotes to have them supplied and fitted (yes I know they're easy to fit ). I've looked online to check cost of supplying them myself against quotes, and the models I'm going for (Dimplex automatic storage heaters) would cost about £380 for the lounge and £250 for the bedroom delivered (inc. VAT). These things ain't cheap.

As others have said, you'd also have to have economy 7 electricity and have them wired on their own circuits. The drawback with night storage is that they're usually not that warm by the following evening.

Although they're more expensive to run, you'd be better off just getting some free-standing electric convector or oil-filled heaters. They'll cost more than night-storage for electricity but there's no way it's worth buying night storage heaters for a rented place. I got an electric convector heater for my lounge to top up on cold evenings and it cost about £40 from Argos. I put it on for an hour on the worst winter nights and that gets it cosy. Best part is you just plug them into any socket, and can move them between rooms as they're very light.

Last point - night storage heaters weigh over 100 kgs - you're not going to want to take them with you when you move out of the flat. You should also fix them to the wall. Landlord might not be too happy.

MarkyMarkD

This is all very "motherhood and apple pie" but I don't see that it is a landlord's responsibility to provide central heating or the equivalent.

Many, many, privately owned houses don't have central heating. Hardly any houses had central heating 50 years ago. People didn't die. They just dressed sensibly and used the heated rooms in the house during the daytime.

Nanny state gone mad, if any of the things people are referring to are actually legislation, not wishful thinking.