The best form of electric heating in your opinion...

[Colin Integrale]

Wocha folks,

I don't really deal with much electric heating so I'm after some of you lot's opinions...

There's a flat I did some work on recently that has just had 3 storage heaters taken out and the girl who's gaff it is wants new heating in.

I've been told that panel heaters are quite a good way to go, but I was wondering what you lot thought?

It's a 1 bed flat in Brighton with a fairly big front room and a fairly big bedroom too, both with quite high ceilings.

It's all still rigged up for the economy 7 thing, but I was wondering if the other way was better.

Any help would be the proverbial cats testes.

Cheers

Colin (no) Integrale

 

[Frosty69]

Hi mate been installing water filled electric radiators, they are a brilliant replacement for storage heaters, you control them individually aswell from a wireless stat/LCD keypad. There not the cheapest tho. Think they do a catalog at electric centre

 

[Adam W]

Why were the storage heaters taken out?

 

[DNS1]

I'd be very interested to hear the views on this topic too. I've been wanting to replace my night storage heaters for a while. They work perfectly, the place is always warm and they don't seem outrageously expensive to run, but they look a right state! Yellowed paint, chips, dents etc.

Seeing as replacement storage heaters cost in the region of £250 each, I'm not too keen on just rushing in and getting some, but I don't want to buy panel heaters as an alternative, only to find they cost a bomb to run.

 

[Engineer54]

I'd be very interested to hear the views on this topic too. I've been wanting to replace my night storage heaters for a while. They work perfectly, the place is always warm and they don't seem outrageously expensive to run, but they look a right state! Yellowed paint, chips, dents etc.

Seeing as replacement storage heaters cost in the region of £250 each, I'm not too keen on just rushing in and getting some, but I don't want to buy panel heaters as an alternative, only to find they cost a bomb to run.

All electrical heating is outrageously expensive to run, and the least controlable form of heating too!!!

 

[Marvo]

Surely if they want to take advantage of the cheaper off-peak power with the existing economy7 system they'll need to use storage heaters. If not then heat pump units would be fairly efficient but probably more in capital expenditure.

 

[DNS1]

All electrical heating is outrageously expensive to run, and the least controlable form of heating too!!!

Very true! Gas not an option though sadly... I think the cost of getting the freeholder to agree to it, having a supply put in, ripping the flat apart to install a boiler, pipework, radiators etc, would leave me more out of pocket that running the electric heating for however long I stay here!

 

[Adam W]

All electrical heating is outrageously expensive to run, and the least controlable form of heating too!!!

That's rather a sweeping statement. Gas prices seem to be rising faster than electricity prices, and nowadays you can even generate your own with PV panels.
Electric radiators can be individually programmed to come on at certain times at certain temperatures; you'd have a job doing that with gas central heating.

 

[andrew692003]

That's rather a sweeping statement. Gas prices seem to be rising faster than electricity prices, and nowadays you can even generate your own with PV panels.
Electric radiators can be individually programmed to come on at certain times at certain temperatures; you'd have a job doing that with gas central heating.

Probably agree with that too. We've been installing 'wet' radiators through Amtec boilers now for quite some time on the economy 10 tariff and they seem quite efficient to run and quite manageable to. Obviously it depends on how well insulated the house is.

I have 3 Xl24s in the house(kitchen, livingroom and stairs) and panels in the bedrooms on THTC and I used around £4-5 per day. Thats including 2 or 3 electric showers a day and quite a warm house. As I said the house needs to be well insulated to save burning the cash whatever type of heating you have.

Cheers

 

[telectrix]

£4- £5 a day. -thats £28 -£35 a week ( see i can do sums ) . i'd rather freeze for 6 days and have a decent night in the pub.

 

[andrew692003]

£4- £5 a day. -thats £28 -£35 a week ( see i can do sums ) . i'd rather freeze for 6 days and have a decent night in the pub.

I think £35 a week on leccy at the moment is quite good considering prices, I may be wrong but I have a decent sized 3 bedroom house with extension, 2 bloody women who would rather turn the dial than stick on an extra layer of clothes to!

Would you not think £2000 roughly a year is an average price in this day and age? Remember I live in the north of Scotland, it gets colder as you go north! :icon9:

Cheers

 

[cadspark]

I've just changed a customers storage heaters as he wanted to do away with E7 and I fitted Dimplex RPX radiating panel heaters. Unlike the standard panel heaters which just convect heat these mimic the heating of a wet radiator which gives you the warmth radiating towards you instead of disappearing up to the ceiling first.

 

[NMc]

Storage heater used cheap rate whereas direct heating uses the nornal rate. Be careful

In a past life I was involved in electric heating design and sizing. It is not just a simple electrical solution as some appear to say.

You need to deal with the cards you have been given

 

[DNS1]

I've got a 2 bed flat (just me living there) with 3 night storage heaters (well 2 now, I've just binned one!) and my direct debit is about £40 a month. Cost of running night storage has never bothered me, but the cost of buying the units does.

 

[AIM]

This may help identify what is needed?

1.Calculate room volume (m³) Length x Width x Hight
2.Calculate required radiator(s) output.
For BTU/HR: Room volume (m³) x 153
For Watts: Multiply BTU/HR by 0.293
3.Add or subtract correction factors.
For solid floor -10%
For two outside wall +15%
For uninsulated cavity walls +10%
For three outside walls +40%
For foam filled cavity walls -20%
For northern aspects +10%
For upstairs bedrooms -25%
For no loft insulation +15%
For double glazing -5%
For high ceiling > 3m +20%

 

[SPARTYKUS]

Electric is the way. Isn't electric heating of water monsterously efficient (like 99%) ?

Electricity will always be generate-able by many methods

Gas will not

We are ok for 10-20 years with gas but it is finite.

unless one eats alot of scotch eggs

 

[jay sean]

the best form of electric heating is the spur which feeds the central heating boiler!

 

[SPARTYKUS]

the best form of electric heating is the spur which feeds the central heating boiler!

is that a gas or electric boiler !!!!

 

[Des 56]

I have nothing constructive to to say on this subject

But my coal costs me money now:mad2:, I always had a miner neighbours overspill,the poor guy died.then his wife turned evil and had gas installed,end of my free coal era.:74:

Electric heating and 3 and 4 pounds a day,the shock of prices like that would give me the shivers :dizzy2:

Long live king coal

 

[jay sean]

gas boiler, (potterton profile)

 

[SPARTYKUS]

I have nothing constructive to to say on this subject

But my coal costs me money now:mad2:, I always had a miner neighbours overspill,the poor guy died.then his wife turned evil and had gas installed,end of my free coal era.:74:

Electric heating and 3 and 4 pounds a day,the shock of prices like that would give me the shivers :dizzy2:

Long live king coal

Love it. Can't beat a bit of coal. Got an open fire , not the most efficient thing I know but when its real cold I indulge in some coal and boy does it pump the heat out

 

[malcolmsanford]

I have nothing constructive to to say on this subject

But my coal costs me money now:mad2:, I always had a miner neighbours overspill,the poor guy died.then his wife turned evil and had gas installed,end of my free coal era.:74:

Electric heating and 3 and 4 pounds a day,the shock of prices like that would give me the shivers :dizzy2:

Long live king coal

And the toast never tastes the same does it Des

 

[andrew692003]

£4- £5 a day. -thats £28 -£35 a week ( see i can do sums ) . i'd rather freeze for 6 days and have a decent night in the pub.

Just a side note, when I say £4-£5 a day thats total electricity cost not just heating! :rolleyes4:

Cheers