Tell me what you know about electric storage heaters

[Carzycat]

Moved into a rental 3 weeks ago that has electric storage heaters in the hallway and lounge and warm air heaters in bedrooms/bathrooms.
i googled and read I should turn input up before I go to bed and down in the morning and the opposite for output.
Flat is warm first thing but gets cooler as day goes on. I work from home and using one bedroom as an office - loathe to use the air heater in there so have been propping the door open but it’s not enough.
What am I doing wrong?
Also, I was on a fixed rate before I moved and brought it with me to avoid a penalty so I’m not on economy 7 or similar - will that be an issue?

We had NSE for a couple of decades and we actually really liked them, we only changed to GCH when mains gas became available and we thought we ought to get connected.

You need to be on an off-peak tariff as NSH take a lot of power when charging, E7 is the norm but we were on E10 which was far superior giving you off-peak rates 3-times a day (5hrs at night, 2.5hrs in the afternoon & 2.5hrs in the evening) which meant you could turn the Input setting down at night but up during the day and then adjust the room temperature with the Output setting.
With NSH you really do need to watch the weather forecast (to know when cold weather is coming or alternatively, if it is going to get mild) but this becomes second nature.
What I liked about NSH is that they provided a continuous background heat so the house never got cold, you just increased the Output setting for a boost.

Another bonus of E10 is that you never run out of hot water and you can set appliances (washer, tumble, dishwasher etc) to work at off-peak times.

Most people will say that electric heating with NSH is horrible but if you know how to work them, they are actually very good. Not as instant as GCH but they work better in other ways and we found them to be no more expensive. When we moved across to a duel fuel tariff we were paying practically the same as our EL only bill.

"Flat is warm first thing but gets cooler as day goes on"

Yes, that's what they do.

This makes them very unsatisfactory for people who are out at work all day. The most satisfied users are people who get up early, are at home all day, and go to bed early. Such as parents of small babies and some elderly.

You need to be aware that energy from electricity costs four times as much as energy from gas. I urge you to look for an off-peak tariff, preferably one that has an afternoon or evening top-up period, and to use timers to maximise your off-peak use.

Get a diary to note your meter readings in, and a calculator to work out daily cost. You may be alarmed.

If you are in a modern, well insulated flat, with heated homes above, below and beside you, heat loss will not be great, and you can concentrate on blinds and curtains. Get an electric blanket.

If not, you will know why the flat became vacant at the beginning of winter.

I hated the storage heaters in my first house. Even turned right down my house was warm all day while I was at work and cold by the time I got home. If I could have afforded it I’d have ripped them out and put gas central heating in instead. They’re not fit for purpose if you’re out at work during the day.

BTW if you are mostly using one room, try an oil-filled radiator which can give a constant gentle heat. It is silent and does not give big swings between hot and cold, and is very safe even when unattended.

Fan heaters are the opposite in all respects.

@Carzycat
"I was on a fixed rate before I moved and brought it with me to avoid a penalty so I’m not on economy 7 or similar - will that be an issue?"

Yes, very much. If you are not on an off-peak tariff, not only are you paying a high price for your electricity, but there is no advantage to using storage heaters. You would do better to use ordinary heaters that you can turn on and off as required. That will give you heat when you want it, in the room that you want it, and you can turn them off (or use thermostatic control) to use less on a warm or sunny day.