Storage heaters

Bob Z

Does anyone Here use them? Are they any good?

Dandelion6

I haaaaaaaaaaaaate them :mad: :mad: :mad:

I cannot understand why they were installed in my apartment building (a relatively new build). What is the point? What is wrong with ordinary central heating?

drBill

Dandelion6 wrote: »

I haaaaaaaaaaaaate them :mad: :mad: :mad:

I cannot understand why they were installed in my apartment building (a relatively new build). What is the point? What is wrong with ordinary central heating?

Well that's easy: they're cheaper and easier to fit than a proper heating system.

who_ru

and also you must remember that the vast majority of apts that were bought over the last 10 years were 'buy to let', so the developer knew that the people buying the apts would never live in them, simply let them out, and consequently wouldn't be too bothered whether or not the heating system was efficient.

simply really - no one really gave a f**k about tenants.

mlumley

+1 to that.

user1842

They are totally crap, massively expensive, non controllable, air drying pieces of ****.

My advise, never move into anywhere with a storage heating system no matter how nice the place is.

Neuro

This topic is arousing plenty of heat! Sorry - a lazy play on words.

But objectively speaking, what is the extra cost, per month, of heating an average sized apartment with electric storage heaters instead of gas or oil central heating?

Del2005

Neuro wrote: »

This topic is arousing plenty of heat! Sorry - a lazy play on words.

But objectively speaking, what is the extra cost, per month, of heating an average sized apartment with electric storage heaters instead of gas or oil central heating?

My bills for a 2 bed go from about €130 to €80 when not using the heaters. They are a pain in the a***. You need to watch the weather forecast really carefully to set your input setting, your either in a sauna or freezer. After 3 years I still haven't worked mine out.

If you work during the day they are no use at all, as by the time you've got home most of the heat is gone and you need to use the blow heater.

Edit.
I should point out that's only heating 1 room and also using the blow heater a fair bit, as I figured out it was cheaper to use when I'm working.

Dandelion6

who_ru wrote: »

and also you must remember that the vast majority of apts that were bought over the last 10 years were 'buy to let', so the developer knew that the people buying the apts would never live in them, simply let them out, and consequently wouldn't be too bothered whether or not the heating system was efficient.

simply really - no one really gave a f**k about tenants.

Well, my whole building is affordable housing, and I presume the builder knew this since the apartments in this building are considerably smaller than those in the other buildings in this development, so that doesn't apply here. But it's probably the case that no one gave a f**k about affordable housing owners.

Dandelion6

Del2005 wrote: »

My bills for a 2 bed go from about €130 to €80 when not using the heaters...that's only heating 1 room and also using the blow heater a fair bit

For using three storage heaters during the winter (only on the storage heat) and no heat during the summer, mine go from the low €200s to around €60-€70.

Ray Palmer

Dandelion6 wrote: »

Well, my whole building is affordable housing, and I presume the builder knew this since the apartments in this building are considerably smaller than those in the other buildings in this development, so that doesn't apply here. But it's probably the case that no one gave a f**k about affordable housing owners.

In fairness they have been used in apartment design in expensive housing too. It is quite an undertaking and expense to put in other forms of heating in apartment blocks. THe heating installation would cost 2-3 times more and more prone to faults so that is why storage heaters are put in apartments of all types.

ceadaoin.

These are a nightmare. Hard to get the settings right, they dry out the air in the room and the ones I had created a kind of black dust that covered the walls around the heater.

Just another example of the lack of quality and planning that went into the hundreds of apartment developments that sprung up over the past decade

Ray Palmer

ceadaoin. wrote: »

These are a nightmare. Hard to get the settings right, they dry out the air in the room and the ones I had created a kind of black dust that covered the walls around the heater.

Just another example of the lack of quality and planning that went into the hundreds of apartment developments that sprung up over the past decade

Again nothing unique to the last decade pretty much most apartments are built like this before recent times. A noticeable exception was the Ballymun complex that had a very good underfloor heating system way a head of it's time

tHE vAGGABOND

I asked this before and never got an answer..

For those with storage heaters and who dont like €500 ESB bills in winter what do you do? What portable heaters are good and which ones are crap?

I have no bother spending a few hundred quid on a couple of decent portable heaters, but I know friends and family who have gotten them, and they have been a bit useless and not outputted a wild amount of heat?

RATM

tHE vAGGABOND wrote: »

I asked this before and never got an answer..

For those with storage heaters and who dont like €500 ESB bills in winter what do you do? What portable heaters are good and which ones are crap?

I have no bother spending a few hundred quid on a couple of decent portable heaters, but I know friends and family who have gotten them, and they have been a bit useless and not outputted a wild amount of heat?

I have storage heaters and never use them because they are inefficient. In winter in the living room I have a portable blow heater and a mini-oil radiator.

When I come in I turn both on at the same time. The blow heater fills the room in about 20 minutes and then I knock it off from where the oil rad maintains it for about 2 hours. Then turn on blow heater again for 10 minute blast, you get the idea.