Electric storage heating

km991148

Hi,

Not sure if this in the correct place.. but here goes!

I am considering buying an appartment which has been fitted with (new) electric storage heaters, just wondering if anyone can vouch for them/ what experiences people have;

I remember renting a flat years ago woth them and they were useless, but I reckon they were either very old or the technology has improved since then!

what should I be looking for/ how long do they take from switch on to providing heat/ how cheap(expensive?) are they to run?

Thanks,
km

51fun

i work in the electrical game and unforunately there has been no great advances in terms of storage heating its a very uneconomical way of heating i would always avoid opt for an appartment with gas central heating cos at least you have the option of just putting on the heating for short periods of time where you dont have this option with electric

km991148

51fun wrote: »

i work in the electrical game and unforunately there has been no great advances in terms of storage heating its a very uneconomical way of heating i would always avoid opt for an appartment with gas central heating cos at least you have the option of just putting on the heating for short periods of time where you dont have this option with electric

thanks,

thats what I was affraid of.. unfortunately there is no gas supply in the area, however the appartments do have solar water heating which may go some way toward balancing the costs (greatly reduced electricity bill in summer/ very high in winter!)

Stoner

Storage heating is the cheapest form of heating to install, it also the most difficult to control and pricy.

I'd second 51fun's advice and stay away from it, there are plenty of apartments out there with GFH.

If you are really interested in the unit , you could check to see if the storage heaters are duo type, according to the suppliers they are 30% cheaper to run for the customer. You still have all the control issues though

fishdog

Storage heating is the cheapest form of heating to install, it also the most difficult to control and pricy.

This is very true.

But being in an appartment has advantages when it come to heating, such as:

1) They are generally smaller than a house so you have less space to heat and less = cheaper.

2) Each appartment that yours borders gives it great insulation, so it is quicker to heat and retains the heat for longer.

3) Modern appartments have good quality windows that give great insulation.

For the reasons stated above I would expect you would not have to use them a whole lot to keep your appartment nice and warm (thanks to global warming too!).

Many people now get rid of them and use the supply for the storage heaters to power electric underfloor heating. It give great control, but does not work so well under carpet and even less well under wooden floors! Also underfloor heating can be pricey to install, but it is a super job.

I am not a big fan of storage heaters myself! Just trying to list a few advantages. It would not stop me buying the appartment, but the price would have to be alot less than one with gas fired central heating!

BTW you will have to heat your water electrically too!

how cheap(expensive?) are they to run?

You can work out the cost per hour. 1kW for 1 hour = 1 unit on your ESB bill. Check out the unit cost, it is avaiable on line. The rating of each storage heater can be calculated by looking at its size and comparing it to the leaflet that you can get from a wholesaler. Most storage heaters used in Ireland are made by Dimplex. Perhaps you can get the rating on line also.

You should be using your storage heaters at night on the cheaper rate i.e. night storage rate. This would be if you have a dual tariff system, you should check this.

km991148

fishdog wrote: »

1) They are generally smaller than a house so you have less space to heat and less = cheaper.

normally would be the case, but happens to be a large appartment (larger than houses weve been looking at in our price range)!

fishdog wrote: »

2) Each appartment that yours borders gives it great insulation, so it is quicker to heat and retains the heat for longer.

yep, I had considered this, it is on the top floor sandwiched between 2 others, so maybe not so bad!

fishdog wrote: »

Many people now get rid of them and use the supply for the storage heaters to power electric underfloor heating. It give great control, but does not work so well under carpet and even less well under wooden floors! Also underfloor heating can be pricey to install, but it is a super job.

hadent even considered this, but there is already wooden floors throughout so I guess it would be a big & expensive job to fit (and loss of heat through the wood..), but may be worth look for the future... I also remembering hearing about new skirting board heating systems which Im going to look into

fishdog wrote: »

BTW you will have to heat your water electrically too!

yep, I already do this in my current place, so used to the costs, planning hot water etc, the new place offers some relief with solar powered water heating system (in the summer at least!) so I reckon by over paying in the summer it may even itself out..

fishdog wrote: »

You can work out the cost per hour. 1kW for 1 hour = 1 unit on your ESB bill. Check out the unit cost, it is avaiable on line. The rating of each storage heater can be calculated by looking at its size and comparing it to the leaflet that you can get from a wholesaler. Most storage heaters used in Ireland are made by Dimplex. Perhaps you can get the rating on line also.

You should be using your storage heaters at night on the cheaper rate i.e. night storage rate. This would be if you have a dual tariff system, you should check this.

thanks for this, will need to get another look at the appartment and find out the details,

thanks again,
km

Blackthorn Man

Hi Folks, anyone know where I could pick up 2 storage heaters in good condition. These are needed for a Playschool which only needs to be heated for a few hours in the morning.

10-10-20

Try http://www.dublinwaste.ie/

warrenaldo

I have storage heaters in my appartment and I have no complaints.

My electricity bill is not very expensive and we have them on most of the time.

I wouldnt make it the deciding factor in buying the place. Id prefer not to have them - but since they run mainly at night costs are down.

I turn them off completely in the summer. But for winter its great - they keep the place nice and warm all day long without paying for having heating on all day.


Mine are dimplex - im quite happy with them.

DublinDilbert

A lot of appartments are quite well insulated, and with people living above/below don't require the same amount of heat as a house would, as pointed out above.

They are also used where there is no suitable location for a gas boiler, which can be a common problem in appartments.

Although they use cheaper electricity at night, they will output most of their heat during the next day. Most appartments are empty during the day and don't need any heating, till the following evening when the person comes home from work, so storage heaters aren't very appropriate.

bryan_001

i also have storage heaters in my appartment Devireg 710. on the settings in the fuse board the bottom left light should be green when the heaters are not heating and red when the heating is on. however all day yesterday the light has been flashing red then green. the light never went red last when it should of. can anyone advise?

DavidWilde

try http://www.electricheatersireland.ie for the modern type electric storage heaters, they're a lot different to what they were like even a few years ago.

meercat

DavidWilde wrote: »

try http://www.electricheatersireland.ie for the modern type electric storage heaters, they're a lot different to what they were like even a few years ago.

hi davidwilde
welcome to boards
this thread however is from jan 2009

newbie mistake but dont let that put you off;)

cast_iron

Some of the claims on that website are simply ridiculous.

Electricity is the fuel of the future for heating homes and workplaces. Decline of supplies of North Sea gas, the volatility of oil price and commitment to reduce Ireland’s carbon footprint all point towards electricity as the main fuel of the future.

Electricity isn't a fuel. A fuel is required to generate the electricity. Most Irish electricity is generated using gas.

The Irish government has set a target of 40% electricity consumption from renewable sources by 2020, with electricity to be generated by sustainable sources, such as wind power, solar energy, wave power etc. Electric heating is 100% efficient and carbon neutral, and with electricity being generated by renewable sources, it will become completely carbon neutral in the future.

We will not get to a stage any time soon where all electricity will be generated from renewable sources. We simply won't.

The government also promotes the use of microgeneration technologies, such as wind turbines, solar panels and photovoltaic. Electric heaters are compatible with all of these technologies. As more low carbon and renewable sources of electricity become available, we will increasingly see electric heating being favoured over gas.

The heater is compatible purely because it has a plug on the end of it. These heaters have nothing to do with renewable energy sources, and that is never a reason for why these heaters are installed.

100% energy usage with no energy loss

Yes, like every heating system. None break the First Law of Thermodynamics.

cottage garden

My daughter wants to rent a second floor apartment with two others in a recently renovated house. It ticks all the boxes except the heating system is "modern" electric storage heaters. I am very concerned I will be hit with large ESB bills every two months if she takes this apartment. Can anyone ease my concerns or am I right to be wary???

Stoner

cottage garden wrote: »

My daughter wants to rent a second floor apartment with two others in a recently renovated house. It ticks all the boxes except the heating system is "modern" electric storage heaters. I am very concerned I will be hit with large ESB bills every two months if she takes this apartment. Can anyone ease my concerns or am I right to be wary???

You are right, the bills could be large, particularly if they use the panel heaters

druidstone

We stayed in a friend's old apartment over a shop in Dublin recently, there were two very old electric storage heaters. I turned them on for one hour and as soon as they were too hot to touch, i turned them off. The one in the bedroom once I had turned it off, i draped a thick towel over it to dry the towel. In the morning, when I lifted off the towel, the towel was lovely and warm and the heater was still too hot to touch! I will make sure I always put the towel over it from now on! The room was lovely and warm the whole night, and nice warm towel for the morning shower! Whatever was inside the heaters, or the metal they were made of, retained the heat for around 10 hours with the towel on it! The heaters were so old, there was no indication of a brand name or anything on them. So I have no hope of buying some the same! (oh well)

meercat

Never place a towel or clothes over an electric heater.
It's too dangerous
There is a very high risk if the material catching fire

2011

Covering storage heaters is not a good idea:

you should never cover the surfaces of the heater or obstruct the air outlet grilles as this will cause temperatures of the product to rise

See link

Although I do not doubt that the storage heater kept the room you were staying in nice and warm I feel you would be shocked by the running cost :eek:

druidstone

The heater was turned off when I put the towel on it, can it still catch fire when its turned off?

danjo-xx

druidstone wrote: »

there were two very old electric storage heaters. I turned them on for one hour and as soon as they were too hot to touch, i turned them off.

No storage heater will heat up fully in 2 hours, are you sure they are not convector heaters.

I will make sure I always put the towel over it from now on!

:eek: are ya mad!!

Do you have 'all risks' insurance on the property:D

Can ya post a picture of these rads.

druidstone

We are going to stay there again on the weekend, I will take a photo and post it. i was told by another family member that they are storage heaters, but that could be wrong. I've just moved here from a warmer climate where people don't need to use heaters much, so I don't know a lot about them.

Quicktwo

Anybody know if I can hang a storage heater on a wall and plug directly to a socket? Or does it have to be wired directly to a switched socket?

ptogher14

It is possible depending on the the size of the storage heater. Not the right way to do it and your gonna pay through the nose to use it. The idea of a storage heater is you use at night with a night saver or dual tariff setup.

Maybe a small panel heater would be more suited?

2011

ptogher14 wrote: »

It is possible depending on the the size of the storage heater. Not the right way to do it and your gonna pay through the nose to use it. The idea of a storage heater is you use at night with a night saver or dual tariff setup.

Maybe a small panel heater would be more suited?

Agree completely, sound advice.

Quicktwo

Thanks for the replies. I'll explain the situation. Im doing up the room and making a playroom out of it, so i have to blank sockets etc. Its just storage at the mo. There is underfloor heating in the room, but 12 hours planning ahead with this system, not so useful with kids who might spend an hour a day there. I have a night rate meter which is good.
My question is how to install a storage heater with minimal fuss?
Will the cable feeding the existing socket be good enough if I replace the front of the socket face with a switched unit?

tomdempsey200

you might get away with plugging in a small SH on nightsaver if you want to chance it:cool:..that about answers your question i'd say

from back of rules....

radial ccts are suitable for small permanently connected appliances..

storage heaters should not be connected to ring final ccts...

sustained heating loads over 10amp require independent cct...

drwatkins

Maybe it's an old topic but I found a lot of useful information here. I rent an apartment that has electric storage heaters. And I realised that the night storage light is turned on , only a few hours during the night. I turned the button on the fuse board to +4, but I haven't seen any difference. I think that maybe it's something wrong my night saving mode. I rang Electric Ireland and they told me that I have night electricity from 11_7, but the light is on from 2_6 only. I would appreciate your assistance. Thank you