The Definitive Guide (2020)
By Carlo Lega – Updated Oct 2020
This is the ultimate guide to Replacing Electric Night Storage Heaters for 2021.
If you are looking to upgrade your old electric storage heaters via a grant or private purchase or just for general information. You’ll love this guide.
LIST OF CONTENTS
In this comprehensive guide I’ll cover:
- What Are Storage Heaters and how they work?
- Off Peak Energy Explained
- Costs to run and Safety Tips
- Pros and cons of Storage Heaters.
- Grants For Storage Heaters
What Are Storage Heaters and how do they work?
Storage heaters are electric heaters that store thermal energy by heating up internal ceramic bricks (effectively, ‘charging’ like a very large rechargeable battery) during the night when electric is at its cheapest.
Storage heaters are primarily designed for customers to benefit from off peak energy which is used to charge up these heaters on a nightly basis.
This stored heat is then released throughout the day.
Storage heaters are usually the best option for households not connected to the gas grid and need to use electricity as a heat source.
How long does the heat usually last?
Typically, a storage heater will lose most of its stored heat over 12 hours.
But you can control when the heat is released by selecting a tariff and adjusting the storage heater’s controls.
Are Storage Heaters Cheap To Run ?
Storage heaters use off-peak electricity which is supplied from the national grid to your house, usually overnight when demand for electricity nationally is low.
It makes good economic sense for storage heaters to be charged up at this time hence the term night time storage heaters.
What Is Off Peak Energy ?
Many energy suppliers offer significant discounts on the use of electricity at night time as demand for power is significantly reduced.
This is called the ‘off-peak’ period and the companies reduce the cost of power between midnight and 7am.
What Off Peak Tariffs Are available
The “Economy 7” tariff is the most well-known. Economy 10 is another one.
You get one meter which has two rates.
You pay normal prices during the day, but cheaper rates for seven hours during the night (usually 12pm-7am).
What is the most economical storage heater?
New Heaters have a minimum energy efficiency rating
From 1 January 2018, all newly manufactured storage heaters must have certain features so that they comply with Lot20, part of the European Eco-design Directive.
All new electric storage heaters must meet a minimum energy efficiency rating of 38% for a heat output above 250W.
To meet this all new heaters have:
- Digital programmers
- Open window sensors
- Electronic room temperature controls
- Wi-fi controls
How Are Storage Heaters Controlled?
Thermostatic controls:
New heaters have thermostatic controls, which will get the room heated to your chosen temperature
Remote controls: some models can be controlled via remote or from your smart phone over wi-fi
What features do modern heaters have?
By Switching to a modern storage heater you will save up to 27% on running costs compared to traditional storage heaters.
- Modern heaters have the ability to store just the right amount of energy to heat a room so no electricity is wasted.
- Fan-assisted to quickly, quietly and more effectively distribute heat
- Programmable room temperatures with timer profiles to save different settings for different days
- Holiday mode to avoid spending money on heating empty rooms
- LCD displays to make programming easy
Storage Heater Running Costs.
The cost of running a storage heater depends on a range of different factors, including:
- Room size and size and number of windows in the room.
- The insulation in your home
- The age and type of glazing of your windows
- The temperature you are comfortable with
- The severity of the weather in your area
Safety Tips For Storage Heaters
- Never cover any air vents on your storage heaters
- Avoid placing anything flammable near your storage heater
- Ensure a gap of at least 16cm exists between your curtains and the top of your heater
- Install a storage heater guard to protect children
- Make sure your storage heaters are installed by a qualified electrician
Pros of storage heaters
Siting Of Heaters – They are easy to install, can be situated anywhere that electricity can be wired. so they are more flexible and can be installed in many more situations than traditional radiators as there is no pipe work involved.
Maintenance Free – Heaters are relatively maintenance free as they have no moving parts or liquids and they tend to have a longer life-span than traditional heating methods.
Space Saving –Modern storage heaters are very different to the old systems people may remember. Slimmer designs and advanced technologies are now the order of the day.
Fan Assisted – Modern heaters installed as part of the ECO scheme are now fan assisted and instead of releasing it by convection, a silent fan extracts cool air from the room and converts it to hot air through a vent and are usually controlled by thermostat.
Cheaper To Run – compared to panel heaters and are programmable and are exceptionally quiet, even those that use a fan.
Cons of storage heaters
- more expensive than gas, so are typically only used by households that are off the gas grid.
- excess stored heat can lead to overheated rooms.
- Can run out of heat by early evening
Grants To Replace Storage Heaters
Please See Our Free Storage Heaters Grants Page Here