Advice regarding storage heaters and alternatives

[LittleMissMe99]

My mum lives in social housing (flat) and has storage heaters. No gas on the property. By 6/7 pm her flat is cold. She uses economy 7 so they they come on at 7am. What would be the most economical way for her to keep warm in the afternoon and evenings? Many thanks

"She uses E7 so they come on at 7am"

Not accurate.
She gets 7hrs of cheap rate electricity overnight (usually between midnight-7am) which heats them up (the amount of input depends on the input setting), they then discharge the heat over the next several hours and when the radiated heat drops or you need a boost, you open the output flaps.
Either the input setting isn't correct, the output flaps aren't opening or they aren't adequate to heat the flat (were they ever?) Maybe some supplementary heating is required in the evenings?

Had NSH in my house for 25yrs and found them excellent but to get the best out of them I upgraded to E10 which gives 5hrs at night, 2.5hrs in the afternoon and 2.5hrs in the evening. Result was controllability, plenty of heat and an endless supply of cheap hot water.
Can she swop to E10 (may require a change of supplier)?

Not incorrect. They heat up over night and release heat through the day. The heat has all but gone by 6/7 pm. My question was what is the most economical way to heat a flat? We know how her storage heaters work

Not going to quibble (ok, I am!) but you said they come "on" at 7AM whereas they actually go "off" at that time and it is the stored heat that releases over time.
If the output is all but gone by the evening and you are sure they are operating correctly and the output flaps are definitely open (I left the flaps closed on mine and only opened them if it was really cold as the body of the NSH provided sufficient heat most of the time)?

The easiest solution would be my earlier suggestion which is to upgrade to E10 (if her supplier does it).
No modification required to the heaters or internal wiring as it is the supplier who changes the supply settings. If available then she will find it far more flexible and comfortable as there is no need to charge the heaters to full capacity at night (and therefore waking to an overly hot room) as they get boosted twice more throughout the day thereby maintaining a more constant temperature.

Are you are considering ripping out the old NSH's and installing a complete new system?
If not then my other suggestion of some supplementary heating may do the job. Try an oil-filled radiator. Very effective and not as expensive to run as you may think.

The heating comes on at 7 am yes. I think you know exactly what I mean, you're just trying to be a smart a£s. If you can't comment without being pedantic....don't comment.

To the lovely person who messaged suggesting a portable gas heater, thank you. That's exactly what I've ordered her today ☺️

My energy company (EDF) advised me that unless I was using OVER 50% of my electricity during the Economy 7 hours (how many people do that ?) then it would be better to go on to a NORMAL tariff.

This is because if you are on an ECO 7 tariff, yes you get cheaper electricity during those 7 night-time hours, BUT you also pay a higher standing daily charge, and a higher unit rate, at other times, as a consequence. ie. 'the most economical way for your Mum to keep warm in the afternoon and evenings might be to quit the ECO 7 tariff - unless she is using over 50% of her electricity between 1.30 - 8.30 am (ECO 7 hours in winter), which she probably isn't.

So if your Mum quit the Eco 7 tariff and moved on to a standard tariff

1. She'd pay a lower daily standing charge.
2. All her electricity use during daytime hours ( currently 8.30 am - 1.30 am; 7.30am - 12.30am in summer) would be at a lower unit charge.
   So if she put the heating on from 4-8 pm, she'd be paying less per unit used than if she remained on the ECO 7 tariff, using electricity during the night, when she is tucked up in bed and doesn't need it.

Portable gas heaters are awful. Even if they are still legal in flats they create lots of condensation. Are you happy with your mum having a naked flame heater in her flat. Does the LL or her insurance allow it. Is there no alternative you could try for your own piece of mind if nothing else

Electric blankets and throws.