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Electric storage heaters

10 replies

Grandadwasthatyou · 31/12/2021 23:03

I was left a small apartment in a will and have successfully let it out for a few years.
The current tenants say they don't think the electric storage heaters are warm enough and so I have lent them a couple of electric heaters.
I have also had an electrician round and he states that's just the way the system is and perhaps replacing them ( apartment is 10 years old).

I really don't know enough about these things. There is no gas in the building so are storage heaters the only way of heating?
Do you think they should be changed for something more updated?
How do I research who could give me quotes if it does need done?
I know I sound clueless but I really am in this area!
@pigletjohn is this your area of expertise? ( amongst many others!)

OP posts:
dementedpixie · 31/12/2021 23:08

Do they know how to work the storage heaters properly? Alternatives would maybe be electric panel heaters

Sausagis · 31/12/2021 23:09

I have night storage heaters and they work really well in well insulated rooms (and terribly in poorly insulated rooms). If your apt. is 10 yrs old presumably it's insulated? Are they using them correctly? They are the only heat source for most of my mid-terrace house (except kitchen extension) and keep the whole place toasty. If it snows I have to push them up to almost to maximum, but it's not that cold at the mo so it's hard to picture them failing to heat a reasonably insulated house at the current temperatures.

Grandadwasthatyou · 31/12/2021 23:23

I am now wondering if they really know how to use them properly!
It is a top floor apartment and is really warm in the summer. The electrician said he had explained how they worked but was not convinced she understood. And I can't explain as it would be like the blind leading the blind!

OP posts:
borntobequiet · 31/12/2021 23:28

They’re relatively expensive - as is all electric heating - but if used correctly they’re not bad. Find out how to use them and talk them through it again. It’s a good idea to find out yourself, as it will help you to help them.

Centralperk88 · 31/12/2021 23:29

Following with interest! I live in a top floor apartment 12 years old with storage heaters and want to replace them. We used them the first year but found they were expensive to run, even on the cheaper night rate, and that the heat would run out by the early evening. We thought we didn't know how to use them properly but we read instruction manuals and tried it on various settings but made little difference. So we now use a stand alone fan heater. We tried phoning the company that made the storage heaters but they apparently don't exist anymore. I think we will have to get an electrician out and replace with new wall heaters, not storage heaters.

Sausagis · 31/12/2021 23:37

If they are the old ones they are really simple. 2 knobs - output and input.

Turn output to zero/ off. Turn input half way.

If you are cold 1-2 days later, turn input higher. If warm, lower.

Output can normally be left on zero (it gives a boost if you are cold in the afternoon, but personally I just put a jumper on and turn the input up a little so I don't have the same next day).

If it's one of the newer Duo I can give instructions but honestly they are complex (and no better than the really old ones!)

Holothane · 31/12/2021 23:46

I hated mine in one flat just awful,

PigletInABlanketJohn · 01/01/2022 00:03

If they are only 10 years old it is probably not worth replacing them, unless one or more is underpowered.

electric heating is quite expensive but storage heaters are cheaper to run as they use cut-price overnight elecricity

the trouble is that they heat up during the night and lose heat to the room during the day.

If you are at home all day, this is quite convenient, especially if you get up and go to bed quite early, as many retired people and parents of small children do.

they are not much good if you are out at work all day, because by the time you get in they have given out most of their heat.

They usually have a shutter to prevent or slow the release of heat, and if you are out, you can shut this until you get home in the evening. It is often operated by a turn knob.

They also have an "input" control or power switch to increase or reduce the amount of heat that is stored. You usually turn it towards max in cold weather and to min in mild weather. And turn them off in summer when heating is not required.

You could get an instruction booklet and study the controls. Many of them are (were?) made by Dimplex which is part of the Glen electrical group, based in Ireland.

If the tenants find the heat insufficient, I'd suggest a small oil-filled heater for the bedroom(s) and an electric panel heater, or large oil-filled radiator for the living room. A long room needs two for even heating.

in a modern well insulated home I find an 800W oil radiator adequate for a bedroom. A living room needs more because it may be twice the size and you won't spend all your time under a duvet. The larger ones have 1/2/3 power switches, and a thermostat. Around 2500Watt may be suitable.

My preference for oil radiators is because they give a continuous moderate heat, and get no hotter than a teapot, so will not start a fire even if you drop a newspaper on one, or a curtain blows against it (other portable electric heaters are not so safe).

They are cheaper in Spring, when retailers are clearing their winter stock.

If the bathroom is cold you can get a wall-mounted heater or a heated towel rail (these give out very little heat, especially when they are wrapped in a thick insulating layer of towels). There are fan heaters made for bathrooms, they have to be fitted out of reach and away from the bath (the electrician will know the rules).

All electric heaters are equally efficient, in that they take in 1kW of electrical energy and give out 1kW of heat energy, and it costs 17-22p or whateber your current price is. You cannot get out more heat, or use less electricity, in a more expensive heater, although the adverts may try to make you think this is possible.

You can find some example prices on this wholesale supplier. They will sell to the public with VAT added. Supermarkets, DIY sheds and places like Argos and Currys all sell very similar heaters. I bet most of them come from the same factory in China.

I wouldn't get the ones with a built-in timer; this is about the only moving part and the only bit that goes wrong. They tend to get noisy with age.

Also, check that the windows fit well and have thick lined curtains and/or blinds to cut heat loss. I am not a landlord but I imagine after 10 years replacements may be a tax-deductable expense.

Beware of damp. The rooms, especially bathroom and bedrooms, need to be ventilated or they will accumulate damp, condensation and mould.

Grandadwasthatyou · 01/01/2022 22:10

@PigletInABlanketJohn .. thank you so much for your spot on professional advice as always.

OP posts:
Paranoidandroidmarvin · 02/01/2022 16:47

I had them for 8 years. They need to be used properly. You have to turn them at different parts of the day. I miss mine. I moved into a house with central heating and it is a pain.

You do have to be careful if u change them. I know they are expensive but some of the newer ones can cost even more.

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