I have one Storage Heater in my property which i would like to replace for a standard Ceramic Core Electric Radiator.
Why? Is it not working properly? Is it not big enough for the space it’s trying to heat? Does it run out of steam too soon?
Electric heating equipment is 100% efficient - every single watt it consumes is converted into heat. The differences lie in how and when that heat is delivered to the space it’s heating and to you.
I understand that it would have to rewired differently via an electrictian and i would need to change my Tariff (Currently on Economy 7 Ovo Tariff) so i assume to Economy 10.
It wouldn’t necessarily need to be rewired. If you’re currently on an Economy 7 plan, it’s likely that the storage heater is on a switched circuit that is only live during the plan’s offpeak hours. If you don’t want the savings that Economy 7 can bring, then that circuit could be set to be always live, or live at different hours to suit a different plan. Alternatively, a new heater could be connected to an unswitched circuit that is always live. Many storage heaters are wired to both circuits anyway.
My Water is heated at night via Electric immersion heater which i assume ties in with the Economy 7 as it keeps in around midnight i think.
That is very likely. If there is no timer for the immersion heater, it will rely on the meter to switch the power on and off so that it only runs during offpeak hours. It will depend on factors like how well insulated the tank is and what its thermostat is set to how long it takes to reach its target temperature and switch off. It’s usually unnecessary and indeed wasteful to have it powered up all the time, so it might be an idea to have a time switch fitted. It only takes two or three hours to heat up a tankful.
You should look very carefully at what you’re likely to be paying for the electricity you use. We can’t help with that without knowing where you live, because the rates vary a lot around the country. I can say that in my own region, my offpeak rate on Economy 7 is 37% less than the peak rate. Offpeak is 29% cheaper than the single rate. The Economy 10 offpeak rate is 22% higher than it is for Economy 7, but its peak rate is 9% lower.
You can see how much peak and offpeak electricity you used last winter by looking at your meter readings for, say, 1 October 2023 and 1 March 2024. You can then work out how much your heating and hot water would cost you today on Economy 7 and Economy 10 to see whether the extra perceived comfort is likely to be worth it. You may want to factor in how much you could save by using power-hungry appliances like the tumble dryer, the electric stove, the washing machine and even the hoover only during offpeak hours. It’s a lot of sums to do, if the is an important consideration.
Thanks - The issue is i will be out majority of the day when the storage heater will let out most of the heat which is no good for me when i’m home at night at want it. It is the original installed heater that would have been put in with the property in approx 1980 something. What are the best options in this case? Another Storage heater or as above?
