First Time Buyers - Electric Storage Heaters??

[SnowDrop09]

Hello!

Married with 2 boys and looking for our first home; we have found a fab one within budget but concerned about electric night storage heaters and having no gas at the property! We've never lived without gas central heating and are worried about the costs involved in moving purely to electric but also how effective electric heating is in general. Just looking for a bit of advice really!

Thanks

[Helpyourself]

It's rubbish! I'd take off the cost of installing central heating and recarpeting when making an offer.

[Lagoonablue]

IME storage heaters are not very efficient or controllable. They were always hot at the wrong time. I believe they may have improved in recent years though.

Get a quote for getting gas heating in would be my advice.

[bigoldbird]

I have lived with electric storage heaters for 26 years. I too was very concerned about not having gas. However, now I love them. You do need to make sure that you are on a decent tariff. We are on SSE Superdeal which gives us 5 hours input at night and 2 hours boost in the afternoon, so the heaters are still warm in the evening. Various companies have their own versions of this.

It probably is dearer than gas, but, no annual servicing required and no hideously expensive boiler replacements to think about.

Still, it is up to you. You pays your money and makes your choice.

[Elderberri]

We made that mistake. In a old house. Bloody freezing. Negotiate down and fit central heating Before you move in.

[NinjaBunny]

No, no, NO!

You need proper heating.

I've lived in the odd rented house with storage heaters. You'll be cold and miserable which isn't fair with 2 children.

Don't do it!!

[NinjaBunny]

No, no, NO!

You need proper heating.

I've lived in the odd rented house with storage heaters. You'll be cold and miserable which isn't fair with 2 children.

Don't do it!!

[specialsubject]

storage heaters can work perfectly well. You need a suitable electric tariff with cheap rate at night and a boost in the middle of the day. You need controls, ideally with timers, so you can adjust input and output. You also need a bit of forward planning especially in spring and autumn.

they are almost no maintenance, don't need servicing, don't break down.

is there no gas connection, or no gas in the area? What is the property insulation like? What are the bills for the current owners?

[PigletJohn]

Storage heaters give out their heat during the day until it runs down.

Retired or older people who are at home all day get the benefit of the daytime heat, and may go to bed early and not mind chilly evenings.

People who are out all day are especially irritated to pay for heat that they don't benefit from.

Also, electricity is a much more expensive source of energy. At off peak rates it is still more expensive.

[specialsubject]

er...I lived in a flat with these for a few winter months. With the mid-day boost it was warm all the time (evenings included), and the bill wasn't too bad.

without the boost it did indeed get chilly.

[Fab41]

We lived in a fairly modern rural property which was well insulated (cavity walls insulated, new double glazing, doors and windows, and loft done). We only had night storage heaters which i dreaded and thought we would need to replace, but gas was not an option. The house was lovely and warm, and cheap to run. We had economy 7 which kept bills down, and only occasionally had to use extra oil heaters.
Dont worry about it if the insulation is good.

[MrsTaraPlumbing]

If there is gas in the area then definitely factor in the cost of bringing gas into the property and installing gas central heating.
No problem if no gas in the area.
Even if you don't do it when you come to sell you will have the same problem attracting a buyer, because it is the normal and it is what people want at the moment.

If the house is very modern with super insulation being all electric will be OK (and all houses will be built like this pretty soon).
But if it is an old Victoria Terrace ...

I have lived for a short while in a couple of houses with storage heaters and I agree with the concerns - if was frustrating there was not enough heat and it all ran out in the day time - even with careful programming. It was expensive.

Gas central heating is much cheaper to run month by month but you do need to add on the cost of annual gas servicing, maintenance/ repairs and replacing the boiler.
However
I am guessing this could add £150-£200 a year to the cost of gas heating if you averaged it all out and people often don't take account of those costs.

[SnowDrop09]

Thank you all for your advice we just had no idea about it! We're looking at a few more properties as the hubby still not convinced but thanks for the knowledge! x

[MrsJamin]

We bought our first house with storage heaters and installed central heating in the first few months. Could you get a quote and use that as a price negotiation point?