storage heater/economy 7 queries

Hi,

I am about to move into a flat with storage heaters and an economy 7 tariff and I'm wondering what happens at weekends? I will be out most of the day during the week at work but will be spending most weekends at home.

I know this may sound like a ridiculous question but do storage heaters really store enough heat to heat a room all day, especially in the depths of winter? I will be insulating the flat as much as I can and will be wrapping up etc (I won't be swanning about in shorts and a tshirt anyway!)

Other than supplementing the heating with a little oil filled electric radiator or fan heater will I just have to bite the bullet and put them on during the peak time? Just wondering what other people's experiences are of using them during the day.

Thanks for any advice!

Some storage heater installations are wired to a circuit which only becomes live once the meter is on the night tariff. So it's impossible to use them during the day.

The best plan is to wrap up warm and use a small halogen/infrared heater for personal heating (or an electric blanket). There's a great Youtube video showing how to keep warm in a cold room which might give you a few good ideas.

If you can afford one, a portable AC/heat pump unit could be effective. They have a coefficient of performance (CoP) of around 3.2 (3.2 kW of heat per kW electricity used) – the biggest challenge is finding a 150 mm hole for the elephant's trunk duct to go through to get the cold air out of your flat without letting drafts back in.

mary wrote: »

My tenant tells me that the timer is not working on the Dimplex night storage heater in the bedroom. Is it a fairly simple repair job anyone can do, or do I need to get in a specific electrician to repair it? As well the red light doesn't come on. The heater works in the sense that the heat comes as it should do, just the timer doesn't seem to. Any help much appreciated.

There is no 'timer' on a night storage heater, do you mean a timer on a panel radiant heater ?. If it is they are so cheap to replace and not worth even the call out costs of an electrician let alone the repair costs.