Apartment electric heating

xelion

I have bought an apartment in Dublin and I am currently renovating the place. It currently has storage heaters from 2003 which are brutal and I plan on getting rid of. Unfortunately electric based heating systems are the only option.

I would ideally like to be able to use a heating system like nest, however I have read that it may not be compatible with electric based heating systems. Any advice on electric heater types/units to choose from?

Gatling

We're renting an apartment the last 5 years and the landlord recently replaced the old storage heaters with , the joule term system by this crowd http://ecovolt.ie ,
It's a smart electric system that you can program different settings for each room from one LCD screen panel ,time ,temp and how long to run for and so on ,
It's really good so far compared to the old storage heaters with bricks in them,and apparently alot cheaper too, currently mid bill so won't know till next bill to see how much cheaper

athtrasna

Moved from A&P. Local forum charter applies

xelion

I seen that and it looks like it could be my only option.

ted1

Gatling wrote: »

We're renting an apartment the last 5 years and the landlord recently replaced the old storage heaters with , the joule term system by this crowd http://ecovolt.ie ,
It's a smart electric system that you can program different settings for each room from one LCD screen panel ,time ,temp and how long to run for and so on ,
It's really good so far compared to the old storage heaters with bricks in them,and apparently alot cheaper too, currently mid bill so won't know till next bill to see how much cheaper

Unless your storage heater is giving off light or noise then it's the same efficiency as all the others.

The Dimplex Quantum range has good controls that make use off peak energy. They also have fans which help disperse the heat.

xelion

I am trying to avoid storage heaters altogether even though I do have a night meter. I actually find it quite strange that the only solution I can find for a centrally managed electric heating system is ecovolt. Surely there is some other options or electric based heaters which can be integrated into a nest like system?

ted1

xelion wrote: »

I am trying to avoid storage heaters altogether even though I do have a night meter. I actually find it quite strange that the only solution I can find for a centrally managed electric heating system is ecovolt. Surely there is some other options or electric based heaters which can be integrated into a nest like system?

I don't see what a nest would not work. You probably would have to run it through a contactor and have have one per rad or else link them all up.

Heatmiser might have an option , ask them.
https://www.heatmiser.com/en/

antoinolachtnai

If there is a balcony, there might he a way to install a heat pump. This is discussed in other threads.

Eire Go Brach

Gatling wrote: »

We're renting an apartment the last 5 years and the landlord recently replaced the old storage heaters with , the joule term system by this crowd http://ecovolt.ie ,
It's a smart electric system that you can program different settings for each room from one LCD screen panel ,time ,temp and how long to run for and so on ,
It's really good so far compared to the old storage heaters with bricks in them,and apparently alot cheaper too, currently mid bill so won't know till next bill to see how much cheaper

I'd be interested in this to. Would you mind updating this thread letting us now how you get on with it? Cost and ease of use.

seandeas

Hi Folks,

I'm thinking of a replacement for my Storage Heating. Has anyone used the Sunray / Lucht / Fahro electric heaters and if so, can you tell if they really are cheaper to run ? Alternatively, I'm half thinking of an air to air heat pump, but am concerned that the install cost could be huge. Any advice would be appreciated. thanks. It's a one bedroom apartment with 2 storage heaters.

antoinolachtnai

I have not done it but have looked at it.

Capital cost of Air to air is not that expensive compared to storage heaters, especially the more expensive storage heaters. But depends on install issues.

You could put an air to air in main room and just an electric heater in the bedroom to save up front costs. You can get a convection heater that will fit under the plinth of the built in wardrobe say for 60 or 70 euros.

If budget is an issue I can’t see the lucht being a good buy. It might have more clever controls but it isn’t actually any more efficient than a cheaper heater.

The first thing is really to figure out how much heat the apartment actually needs. If you look at your electric consumption on the coldest week of the year, it will give you some idea of the number of kWh of heat required to heat the place per day.

There is a gadget being marketed at the moment that claims to give nest type control in relation to air to air type units. It works by mimicking the infrared remote control, from what I can tell.

seandeas

Thank you very much for antoinolachtnai. If you sourced actaul air to air installers, would you mind forwarding me the details - it's a bit of a minefield out there, so I'm trying to narrow it down a bit. :-)

thanks again.

antoinolachtnai

seandeas wrote: »

Thank you very much for antoinolachtnai. If you sourced actaul air to air installers, would you mind forwarding me the details - it's a bit of a minefield out there, so I'm trying to narrow it down a bit. :-)

thanks again.

I didn’t get that far. But I think there is a post on here somewhere from someone who got a good quote. Also, I think there might be a grant from SEAI. If so, SEAI will have a list of contractors.

You can get these units and install them. Some of the units are designed so that you don’t need specialised equipment for install. But I have no experience of doing this myself.

0lddog

You would only consider this if you own the apt. - it is a long term investment.

Most air to air heat pumps are airconditioning units running in reverse. The outdoor unit can be noisey - check with the mgmt co if it will be alllowed.

Big brands such as Mitsubishi Electric, Toshiba, Daiken are well represented in Ireland - google is your friend to find sales literature

Most aircon systems are sold to non domestic customers...a €50k sale is not seen as particularly large....... so you may struggle to find an installer to put in what would be seen as a very small system - perhaps this is something that SEAI can guide you on ?

It is very unlikely that you will find a unit that can be installed on a DIY basis. Commissioning a system involves for example pressure testing and vacuuming the pipework. This needs specialist equipment.

Be aware that the efficiency ( "COP" ) of most of these heats pumps tends to decrease as the outside temperature falls The "headline" efficiency is generally quoted @ 7C outside. the efficiency @ 0C, -5C & -10C should be considered !

There are some units optimized for heating that are way better than the average - generally they are sold into nordic countries.

As Antoinolachtnai says "the first thing is really to figure out how much heat the apartment actually needs"

HTH

ercork

I got an air to air heat pump installed a few months ago. I put some posts about it in the thread below. Let me know if you need any more infor and I can PM you the quotes I got.

https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2057930516

antoinolachtnai

ercork wrote: »

I got an air to air heat pump installed a few months ago. I put some posts about it in the thread below. Let me know if you need any more infor and I can PM you the quotes I got.

https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2057930516

How is it working out as weather gets colder?

ercork

antoinolachtnai wrote: »

How is it working out as weather gets colder?

So far so good. We've had some chilly days during November and early December but it hasn't had any problem meeting the challenge. I'll need to get through a full winter to do a proper cost comparison with my previous system but from the meter readings I've taken so far my usage is down about a third even though I've been using it far more.

tvjunki

Jenn_1234 wrote: »

Hi, I have recently bought an apartment with storage heaters. When I come home from work in the evening my apartment is cold. So far I have had a very bad experience using them. Can anyone please tell me what setting that I should have it on? Also, I have heard that they are very expensive- Is this true?

Storage heating does work well if you use it right.
You are on night rate so after 11pm to 6am put your washing machine on and use your emmersion on timer to heat the water. Anything that needs charging get a timer to put it on during these hours.
During the Summer cheap rate hours are different so check hours with your provider.

Sitting room heater...there are two switches on the wall. One puts the fan heater in the machine on. This is the most expensive way to get heat as it is on demand heat. The other switch puts the storage heater on. Once you put this on that night the bricks will be heated up during the early hours.
There are two dials on the heater. The input is the pace the heat is made/charged to heat bricks and the out put is the flap the heat is released from the bricks. You can set the input at 3and out at 1 while you are out and the open it up to 5-6 when you are back in. After a few days the temperature will balance out.

In your hall you have the fuse board. You will see there is a yellow light on that tells you are on day rate and once on night rate the red light goes on. You will know when the night rate is on when the red light comes on. There is a gauge on the meter and when the white mark is vertical it is set to auto to work out the heat need depending on the temperature outside. If the house is too hot set at -1to -4. Each drop drops the cost of the heat. If you want it warmer the plus the dial. There will be a 10%increase in cost if you increase by 1.

Bedrooms you are only allowed fan heaters. You can put these on timers. Most people buy a portable oil heater and there is an eco range that are cheaper than the usual range.
I know many actually don't use the heating system at all and use an open fire and heater.

During the summer switch off the switches on the wall as you will not need the heat.