Storage Heater Help!

[blacklilypad]

We have just moved into a house and we have storage heaters and they are becoming the bane of my life.

Anyone who has some what are your input and output set to? When we first moved in they left a note saying set them to 'low' and we were freezing. So I went round and turn input to '9' and output to '5'. The next day felt like we were living on the surface of the sun. We now have some on input '5' and output '3' and a few on input and output '3'. It's warm but not too hot. Maybe they could be lower?

I don't want to turn them down too low then be freezing all day because I can't turn them up. Do they just give out heat all day until they run out or can you make them do little during the day and more in the evening?

Also do you just find a number you're happy with and just leave it? Or do you constantly check the forecast in case it's going to be cold/warm and then turn them up and down accordingly?

They seem so complicated compared to central heating and I'm dreading looking at my electricity bill!

Ours are older dimples heaters, the input is set to about 7 and output is always on one, we've never felt the need to have a boost of heat. I also have a multifuel stove though and get a boost of electricity on an afternoon as well as overnight so mine may be different.

Dimplex not dimples!

You can make them do a little during the day and then more in the evening.

They are storing the heat that they have created during the night.

If you have the output on low during the day, then you should be able to turn up the output in the evening and get more warmth.

We've just got rid of outs snd replaced them with electric radiators. I wish we had done it years ago.

I have storage heaters. Output is generally kept at 2 but input varies according to the season:

Summer 1 or 2
Spring/Autumn 3 or 4
Winter 5 or 6
Of course if it’s unseasonably hot or cold I adjust accordingly.

My two much older storage heaters dating back to the 80s are very good, my newer one installed 8 years ago not so good, though it does incorporate a convector heater.

I sometimes increase the output in the evenings or more often use an oil filled radiator, convector heater or fan heater to supplement the room I’m in at the time.

While storage heaters are expensive (as is all electric heating), I’ve found them to be very reliable and reasonably effective in our generally mild climate. It’s only in a prolonged cold spell they struggle, but then so have central heating systems I’ve used in the past.

Thanks everyone. I tried turning the output up this evening to see if it gave off more heat but it didn't seem to.

They are very old and I feel like the output setting doesn't really work. It's just the input that does. I think we'll leave them as they are (input 5 and output 3) as we were comfortable today and that seems to be similar to what everyone is saying. We'll just see how we go. Hopefully the electricity bill isn't too scary when it comes!

Thanks everyone. I tried turning the output up this evening to see if it gave off more heat but it didn't seem to.

Probably because the output’s been at 3. If I’m out all day I might turn it down to 1 before I leave, then when I come home there’s some residual heat available.

I keep mine at max input (6) and min output (1) and my home is very cosy all day and night.