Hot water/heating in rental property - help!

[swiftt]

I’ve just moved into a rented property yesterday. It has ancient electric storage heaters. The one in the hall is working fine, but the ones in bedroom and living room are ice cold this morning after being on the same setting as the one in the hall all night. It’s absolutely freezing, I had to dig out extra blankets last night and I don’t really have spare cash to buy some plug-in heaters at the moment. I also can’t seem to get the hot water to heat - before I call my letting agent, am I being daft? Is there something obvious I need to do/try? I’ve always had gas, never just electric so this is new to me. Thanks in advance.

Is there power to them? Is the fuse in the consumer unit for them on?

I lived in a flat with storage heaters, the fuse had gone in one so landlord sent an electrician.

I know you say you don't have spare cash but I honestly could have fainted at the cost of my electric bill with those heaters. And all for heating at the wrong times!
I bought an oil filled radiator and a timer switch from screw fix and it was so much more economical and I had control of the times it was on.

Are the cold ones definitely switched on at the wall? Do you have input and output dials on the heaters? Overnight you'd want the input at a high number and the output at a low number then during the day you would increase output to release the heat. Hot water should have an immersion switch somewhere. Do you have a control box and/or switch on the wall?

I found the fuse box and everything is switched on. My friend helped me move last night, she also has storage heaters so she set them correctly for me - she said maybe if they haven’t been used for a while they’ll take longer to heat up, but they’re ice cold still after being set to high input, low output overnight. We switched them all on at the wall. Haven’t found an immersion switch anywhere. Only thing I can find is the fuse box in cupboard in hall, and a mains valve in cupboard under sink. Off to work but I’ll investigate again tonight and, failing that, call my landlord tomorrow!

@gretagreengrapes I may consider that, I’ve read that they can be mega expensive. Do you use the oil filled radiator exclusively then, instead of the storage heaters?

My brother has storage heaters and there's a box on the wall with a timer for the hot water and that has the switch for the hot water immersion heater too.

Hope you get it sorted soon.

I'd call your landlord now OP, why wait until tomorrow - they could fix the problem while you are at work and you could go home to a nice warm house!

Agree, call the landlord. While the existence of the storage heaters would have been evident from the EPC, they should work! It is possible that a previous tenant dried washing on them and blew the fuse, quick to replace. They are just bricks that heat up so their age is irrelevant.

you also need to contact your electricity supplier, make sure you are on economy 7 at least (economy 10 if you can get it) and find out when the cheaper times are. Running heaters on the day rate will be very pricey.

you need to run your immersion overnight and then be careful with hot water use - once you run the hot water it will be replaced with cold and cool the whole tank down. Hopefully the shower has an independent heater. Do all your washing up in one go, once a day.

as we will all find out when gas and oil boilers are outlawed...

Yes the bill was a couple of hundred more than I was expecting. I just moved the oil filled on its castors between the living area and bedroom area. The bathroom had an electric towel rail. You could get an oil fill for both areas though. Mine has 2 or 3 heat settings and it clicks off when the space is warm enough so its not actually on a the time.

I just found the timings of the storage heaters so useless, especially working shifts. Boiling in a morning on waking but freezing by late evening and not being able to warm again until the next day.

Look at Economy 7 rates very carefully, its not always cheaper at night. Sometimes its 'normal' rate at night and a premium rate in the day which just makes it look cheaper at night. Compare all rates! But honestly after my experience I just wouldn't use the storage heaters at all! I would actually never rent a flat with them again.

try this lot, OP. You will also need to set the inputs and outputs correctly as your mate (hopefully) showed you.

economy10.com/faq/

Thanks everyone. Contacting letting agency this morning.

I’ve bought some convector heaters and switched the storage heaters off at the wall for now, I’d rather the heat on demand and figured it’ll be six and half a dozen cost wise.

Still no joy finding a hot water switch. Luckily the shower seems to be separate. I can’t even find a hot water tank anywhere, does that mean anything? Could it be outside? Is there always a tank?

Is the hot water heater under the sink?

@1starwars2 not that I can see! There are a couple of pipes and a mains water valve and that’s it.

Have you checked all the cupboards? Although sometimes there's just a switch on the wall with a red light.

@dementedpixie Yeah, I’ve checked every single cupboard. Can’t find a thing! There’s a switch with red light in hall but that’s for the towel rail. Landlord hasn’t got back to me yet. The only other thing I’m thinking is maybe the tank is in the loft? But surely the switch won’t be up there?

An electrician is coming out on Monday.

good news. Please also find out your electricity tariff, you need to know this and take control of it.

As this is a new tenancy you should have been provided with the electrical condition report, as well as all the other stuff including the how to rent guide. Doesn't mean the heaters were tested of course, not sure if that is in scope.

Please please please check your electricity tariff. This brings back painful memories of living in a 1 bed rented flat with old storage heaters and spending near enough the same as my monthly rent on my electric bill. Baring in mind they were hardly on 😖😖😖

I’m getting some quotes for electricity at the moment, I’ll switch if necessary. My concern at the moment is that I’m pregnant, not due til June but this place may not be ideal for a wee one. If I can afford to heat it in the winter then that’s fine, but if it’s going to be extortionate then it’ll be a real struggle. An electrician is coming out on Monday. Part of me hopes the storage heaters are f*cakes and need replaced, hopefully with something a bit more economical, but I doubt it. I don’t really want to move again as it would likely be when I’m heavily pregnant, or with a newborn.

Electric storage heaters are the absolute pits, we had them in our old rental house, cost a good 70-80 quid a week in winter we got a gas fire for the living room and then eventually got our friend (electrician) to put in newer low energy and much lower cost heaters downstairs, landlord couldn't give a shit.

God this has reminded me, years ago when I was 19/20 ish I moved into a tiny flat and couldn't figure out the heating or hot water at all, too embarrassed/shy to phone the agent so I lived without both for nearly two years Used to waft my hairdryer round the room to heat it up!!

I'm trying to think of stupid places I've seen heating switches, obvious would be kitchen and hallway, any hall cupboards? Under stairs cupboard?

@swiftt do you know if you've got an economy 7 meter?

Economy 7 meters have 2 readings - 1 for day rate and 1 for a night rate. Economy 7 times are normally overnight as thats when storage heaters charge up

You also get economy 10 tariffs

@TheCanyon I’m honestly terrified about my first electric bill. I’m already paying more than I had really wanted for the flat, as it’s 2 bedrooms and I didn’t want to move again once baby was here. I’m also on my own so no one to split the bill with! I’m going to try and keep an eye on my meter and adjust my consumption if I can. I’ve honestly searched every single cupboard in the whole place, looked along every skirting board and up out of eye level etc. Nothing! It’s a mystery. Washed my hands in the shower earlier to warm them up.

@lollypop345 I think so! There are 2 meter readings on the meter, and it was advertised as economy 7 heating on the letting agency website.

I really don’t want to move again but I’m starting to stress myself out at the thought of being pregnant and either freezing in the winter, or skinning myself to pay to keep the place warm enough.

If you're worried about the bills its worth switching to a tariff with a smart meter, then you can keep an eye on it.