Whats the best setting to leave storage heaters at when away from home?

kdogkeith · 03-02-2015 03:24PM #1

I'm a student living in an apartment with storage heaters, we've figured out that its best to leave the input up high and the output low at night and turn it up in the day as we need it. When we go home at the weekends we would like to leave the heaters on so that the place isn't freezing when we get back but at the same time we want to save electricity, what settings would you suggest when we're not there?

Mrs OBumble · 03-02-2015 03:30PM

Input medium, output low.

Provided you're prepared to be slightly chilly, but not freezing, when you come back on Sunday evening.

Depending on what time you get back and how many heaters you're using, you might even turn some of them off totally over the weekend, and just use the fan mode for a short time when you come home.

BTW, well done on figuring it out. Some people never manage it, and then come on here giving out that storage heaters are useless.

seamus · 03-02-2015 03:42PM

Yeah input input medium-low, I would say, and close all of the doors.

The heating effectiveness is determined by the size of the room it's expected to heat, so if you leave doors open their effectiveness drops massively.

Same too if you're moving about the house all day - you'll find the heater less effective than if you're out of the house all day with all of the doors closed.

Snoopy1 · 05-02-2015 05:12PM

I do 12 hour shifts so cant be bothered to have mine on when im not there most of the day. I turn mine off for these shifts and just use a fan heater on timer. However this week was freezing so I left the input on low.

05-02-2015 05:22PM

I'd leave them off completely if it was me. Heat (gas) is only ever on in my houseshare when someone is there (and even then we use it fairly sparingly) saves us a lot of money as most of us are not around for weekends and home for all Christmas, long weekends etc etc.

Would break my heart paying to heat an empty house.

kdogkeith · 05-02-2015 06:19PM

Carlee Chilly Vermin wrote: »

I'd leave them off completely if it was me. Heat (gas) is only ever on in my houseshare when someone is there (and even then we use it fairly sparingly) saves us a lot of money as most of us are not around for weekends and home for all Christmas, long weekends etc etc.

Would break my heart paying to heat an empty house.

Yeah we left the heaters off during christmas and any weekend we weren't there but when we got back it was colder inside than it was outside. looking to get the best use out of the heaters even if it means leaving them on when the place is empty

Mrs OBumble · 06-02-2015 01:24PM

Carlee Chilly Vermin wrote: »

Would break my heart paying to heat an empty house.

Ya, but not heating it might break your pipes, which is kinda inconvenient (at best).

When I lived alone, i did the same as Snoopy1: left them off during the work week and used the fan on those nights when I was home.

Now there are two of us, and he is in and out during the day and sometimes working at home, we use 'em all the time.

Tarzana2 · 06-02-2015 02:22PM

Snoopy1 wrote: »

I do 12 hour shifts so cant be bothered to have mine on when im not there most of the day. I turn mine off for these shifts and just use a fan heater on timer. However this week was freezing so I left the input on low.

My BF and I live in a one bed apartment. Our storage heating hasn't been switched on all winter - fan heater all the way. We used storage in the last place, moved during the year.

Last year's Nov-Jan bill €360
This year's Nov-Jan bill €152

It wouldn't work in a bigger place though probably, you'd need more heating than that. Not sure if this heating method would do anything to the pipes, but we have a water heater too that goes on every night for four hours. That might not help though, I haven't a clue.

Snoopy1 · 06-02-2015 02:29PM

On the days that im off I'm in the house all day so I have them on then. Only have input at 3-4 though

07-02-2015 11:56AM

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

Ya, but not heating it might break your pipes, which is kinda inconvenient (at best).

It's extremely rare for temps to get that low in ireland though, probably happens once every few years.

hfallada · 07-02-2015 04:10PM

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

Ya, but not heating it might break your pipes, which is kinda inconvenient (at best).

When I lived alone, i did the same as Snoopy1: left them off during the work week and used the fan on those nights when I was home.

Now there are two of us, and he is in and out during the day and sometimes working at home, we use 'em all the time.

Most houses built in the last 20 years have insulation on the pipes. Plus if pipes havent burst in the 2 harsh winters of a few years ago. They arent going to freeze now.

OP have you checked to see if the heaters have a convection setting? That you could just turn the heaters on when you arrive home like you would with a traditional fan heater

kdogkeith · 07-02-2015 07:27PM

hfallada wrote: »

OP have you checked to see if the heaters have a convection setting? That you could just turn the heaters on when you arrive home like you would with a traditional fan heater

There is a boost but it costs a lot of money to run

MarkAnthony · 07-02-2015 09:26PM

Is the boost not just a yoke that opens the vents at the top. It is on my storage heater.

kdogkeith · 07-02-2015 11:06PM

MarkAnthony wrote: »

Is the boost not just a yoke that opens the vents at the top. It is on my storage heater.

Boost on our heater is a separate switch which creates heat in the same way a fan heater does

Whats the best setting to leave storage heaters at when away from home?

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