What Model Storage Heaters Are Fitted On The Eco 4 Scheme ?

We fit Free brand new high heat retention electric storage heaters that are fully programmable and are up to 30% cheaper to run & manufactured by either Dimplex , Elnur & Gabbaron.

If you want to pick the make of your FREE storage heaters, we suggest politely that you take your business elsewhere as we do not appreciate people trying to take advantage of public money.

They also come with a 5 year full parts and labour guarantee!

Your new storage heaters will be up to 30% more energy efficient than traditional old storage heaters so you will see a large reduction in your heating bills.

How Many Free Storage Heaters Do You Get?

If you qualify for a free Grant to Replace Storage Heaters

under the ECO 4 scheme, you will receive up to 4 brand new high heat retention storage heaters fully fitted with a 5 year warranty for 100% FREE!

These new storage heaters which will be more energy efficient and will result in cheaper bills for you – by up to £ 40 a month if you’re replacing 20 year old heaters which are notoriously expensive to run.

How Is The Size Of The  Storage Heater Grant Calculated ?

The amount of Storage Heater grant awarded to you is based on a number of factors :

• The type of property you live in
• How many bedrooms your home has
• Whether you home is constructed with cavity  or solid walls

Large houses with quite a few bedrooms will be awarded the highest grants.

Typically, flats, maisonettes and mid terraced houses will receive the lowest storage heater grants.

Which electric storage heaters can be installed with eco funding?

Only the most energy efficient, high heat retention electric storage heaters can be installed with ECO funding from the Storage Heater Grant Scheme.

These are up to 30% more energy efficient than traditional storage heaters.

These storage heaters are the best on the market and have been through all government tests to be approved on the scheme. Thes tests included reliability , and cost of running

What Type of Heaters Qualify For The Government Storage Heater Grant ?

If your electric economy 7 storage heaters are 10+ years old  you will be eligible apply for an electric storage heater grant.

You can also apply if you have plug in electric room heaters too and we will arrange for them to be upgraded to economy 7 heating and fit you a dual meter so that you can benefit from cheap night time electricity which is arould a quarter of the cost of usual electricity.

Also eligible is if you use standard electric heaters or fan heaters to heat your property.

What Insulation Grants Are Available For Electric Heated Homes ?

Economy 7 Heaters -Free Guide

Economy7 Heaters -Free Guide & How To Get Them Free

What Are The Economy 7  / Off Peak Energy times

You get your seven hours of off-peak electricity sometime between 11pm and 8am.

This might be split up into chunks of time.

You can contact your supplier to find out your exact Economy 7 off-peak electricity hours.

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.

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 Peak Time Electricity?

The amount you get charged for your electricity depends on the time of the day you use it.

Peak electricity hours are 5pm to 8pm, after most people have finished work and it starts to get dark outside.

Electricity costs more at busier times, as the National Grid has to work harder to provide it. Typically, the quietest periods of electricity use are night times, usually between 10pm and 8am.

You pay a cheaper rate for electricity for seven hours at night (off-peak) and a higher one in the day.

This means the meter will show two different numbers; one set of numbers for your ‘normal’ or daytime electricity use, and another for your ‘low’ or cheaper night time use.

 

 Why is it called Economy 7?

The meter takes its name from the seven hours of cheaper (off-peak) electricity at night.

If you have storage heaters you can make the most of Economy 7 by programming them to charge overnight. That way they charge up at the cheapest time to use electricity.

They’ll keep you warm during the day without using the higher day rate.

 

 

What Are The Best Economy 7 Storage Heaters?

SEE HERE FOR THE BEST REVIEWS FOR 2022

 

6 Top Tips for Using Economy 7 Storage Heaters

Here’s some good tips to help you get the best out of your economy 7 heaters.

1. Set your appliances for off-peak times

Setting home appliances to come on at night can make a big difference to your bills. Things like washing machines, dishwashers, bread-makers, slow cookers etc can happily run overnight to make the most of off-peak rates. If you have an electric vehicle you could also save money by charging overnight.

2 -Set your input to midway

See how you fare for heat the next day. If you run out, turn it up; if you’ve got plenty left over, turn it down to the next setting. By experimenting with your heaters, you’ll eventually find the ‘sweet spot’ for the settings and won’t need to adjust them quite so frequently.

3 -Set your output to its lowest setting

Set your output to its lowest setting before you go to bed to prevent heat loss and wasted energy overnight.

4- Keep the seasons in mind

turn input down during the warmer months and up during the colder months. If it’s very warm, save money by switching your storage heater off at the wall. Once your room is a comfortable temperature, turn output down again to prevent overheating the space and to retain as much heat as possible for the evening.

5- Zone your heating effectively.

Zone your heating effectively. Infrequently used rooms should have input and output set low to save energy.

6 -Keep Output Setting on Low All day

The output regulates how much of the stored heat is released.  It does this by opening and closing the flap behind the front grille.

The higher the output level, the more the flap opens, releasing more heat back into the room.

 

 

 

Safety Tips For Economy 7 Heaters

• Do not place things on top of your storage heater
• NEVER use your heater to dry clothes!
• NEVER cover the surfaces of your heater or obstruct the air grilles
• Ensure no furniture is directly in front of the heater as this can stop the heat spreading
• Fit a guard to your storage heater if young children are going to be around them unsupervised.  The front covers and  vents at the top can become extremely hot to touch
• Ensure there is a gap of no less than 6” between your curtains and the top of your storage heater
• If your heater has been switched off for the summer, it is a wise idea to run a vacuum cleaner over the front of the vents to remove any build up of dust or fluff within that could burn when the heater is switched on.
• Make sure your heater is securely fixed to the wall for stability.  Storage heaters are extremely heavy, even small ones can weigh over 50Kg due to the storage bricks used within.

 

 

 

Are Economy 7 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.

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.

 

 

What  Brand is the most Efficient Economy 7 Storage Heater?

We have found that Dimplex And Fischer Economy 7 heaters are the most efficient for running costs.

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

 

 

What is the best heating and hot water system for Economy 7 ?

It depends what kind of heating and hot water system you have.

Electric storage heaters and a hot water tank are the best combination for Economy 7 heating .

That’s because you can charge them up during the night  when electric is at its cheapest and then use the heat and hot water in the daytime.

 

Economy 7 Electric 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

 

 

 

Who Is Eligible For Free Storage Heater Replacement

To Be Eligible  for FREE STORAGE HEATERS you must have  :

• Old Electric Storage Heaters Fitted
• Electric Plug-in Heaters Fitted
• You Receive a Qualifying Benefit As Above
• You Are A Home Owner Or private  Tenant

 

What Is Included With The Free Storage Heater Grant ?

Included In This Grant As Standard *

1. Free Fitting
2.  Top Premium Heaters
3. 5 Years Full Parts & Labour Warranty
4. Up To 4 Premium Radiators Fitted
5. Wireless Programmer & Thermostat
6. Free home Insultion Check

 

 

Why A Government Storage Heater Scheme

This Free Storage Heater Grant has been very well received  with the general public  and over half a  million old economy 7 heaters  have now been replaced.

Many applicants have received  brand new heaters worth over £2000 for FREE!. Free Home Insulation has also been installed where needed.

 

Many properties in the Uk particularly flats are heated by electric storage heaters / economy 7 heaters which unfortunately is the most expensive form of heating at the moment. People regularly spend  well over £25 per week just to heat their homes.

 

Around half a million households have already benefited from this fantastic Storage Heater replacement scheme. Your household could be one of them too.

Free Replacement Storage Heater Grants are predominantly aimed at low income Families and Pensioners who have broken or faulty electric heaters and who cannot afford to replace them.

 

As each heater will cost up to £500 to replace, it is important to check whether you will be entitled to various government grants available to assist with the cost.

In many cases, people on qualifying benefits, will have them replaced for 100 % Free.

To learn more about the Storage Heater Scheme, please visit the GOV WEBSITE

 

 

Is There A Grant to Replace Storage Heaters With Central Heating ?

Yes.  If you have gas in your street, you may be eligible to change from Storage heating To First Time Central Heating. For many properties, the grant will be 100% fully funded.

Please indicate on our survey form if you wish to try for FREE Central Heating

 

Are There Storage Heater Grants For Landlords ?

No Landlords cannot apply for Free Storage Heater Replacement anymore.

See Our Landlords Page For a full list of grants available to the private rented sector.

 

Reasons to Apply For A Storage Heater Grant

Only People who receive certain benefits can apply for a free storage heater grant.

For example, pensioners need to be in receipt of Pension Guarantee Credit and Savings Credit . The  state pension alone will not be enough.

If you receive Child Benefit, there are income threshholds depending on how many children you have.  

 

 Storage heater are only available to Home Owners From July 2022

If you are renting and need to replace your HEATERS but cannot afford to, you should ask your landlord to fund new ones. Funding ends for tenants and the private rented sector on July 1 2022

 

Replacing Storage Heaters Cost

This grant will save you at least £2000! and you’ll see some big savings on your energy bills.

Each storage heater we fit costs over £650 each and are 30% more efficient

The Scheme offers FREE insulation grants to help you reduce heat loss, improve energy efficiency and reduce heating bills even further.

 

   YOUR HEATERS WILL BE FITTED IN 21 DAYS  

From initial contact to the day of installation the whole process could take 2-3 months, depending on the company carrying out the boiler grant installation.

After you’ve completed our online form we will need to give you a quick call to confirm that you meet all the necessary criteria.

It will only take a few moments to assess your eligibility.

 

You Get 5 Years Full Warranty. You’ll see some big savings on your energy bills.

Each storage heater we fit costs over £650 each and are 30% more efficient- Application from start to finish is less than 21 days!

 All fitting is FREE!

 Reduce Your Electric Bills

All Old heaters will use lots of expensive electricity so worth replacing if you get the opportunity  to do it cheaply.

 

Are Free Storage heaters available to everyone on benefits?

 Council owned or a Housing Association properties do not qualify for Eco Funding unfortunately.

To qualify for a free storage heater grant you must be living in a private property or a private rented property

 

Who Is Paying For The Storage Heater Grant?

Every one who pays a fuel bill is contributing towards this free scheme so you are only getting your money back.

A 3 % levy is on every bodys bill .

If you are interested  please fill in the form by clicking below.

 

Will My Home Need To Be Surveyed For The Grant ?

  An ECO Accredited surveyor will need to survey your property and complete the paperwork for your application in order to present it to the ECO Funding provider for grant approval.

 

The government are very stict on approving applications and all paperwork needs to be in order before they will release any funding

 

Once your Storage Heater Grant has been approved, your ECO accredited installer will contact you to arrange the installation by qualified electricians and insulation fitters.

 

How Do Storage Heaters Work?

How Do Storage Heaters Work?

How Storage Heaters Work?

A Storage heater is an electric heater that accumulates heat in special ceramic or clay  bricks during the night (when electricity is at its cheapest ) which then releases it during the day. Storage heaters are usually mounted on the wall and resemble radiators. These heaters are called storage because they have the ability to conserve energy and release it when the source of energy is unavailable. It can heat up the ceramic bricks inside when electricity is abundant and cheap, mostly during nights, store it and release it during the day. It is ideal for people who have an  Economy 7  meter and have subsidies on power bills at night. The easiest way to understand storage heaters is to visualise them as a big rechargeable battery. Once the heat has been exhausted, ( usually late afternoon )  you need to use another source of heating for the rest of the day to heat your home. The heaters are then recharged from 10 pm for use for the next day. 

 

What Alternatives Are There To Storage Heaters?

If you would like to change from electric storage heaters to an alternate form of heating, you have a number of options:

• Gas Central Heating
• Electric Panel Heaters
• Electric Central heating with radiators
• Infrared Heating
• Electric Underfloor Heating

All the above have their pros and cons so please do your research before taking the plunge.  

 

 

What Is The Best Practice For Running Storage Heaters

1. The most effective and cheapest manner is to ensure is that you don’t use the peak electricity power switch unless absolutely necessary.
2. Try to avoid using this unless in the middle of the winter when you need a heating boost.
3. The idea is to make sure the storage heater only charges during off-peak hours.
4. Turn off the output of the heater when you do not need it heating your room, like at night or when not home.
5. Before switching to boost mode, make sure you have consumed the stored heat first because the boost feature utilizes daylight electricity.
6. Do not plug-in extra heaters for more warmth. Instead use the storage heater’s input to the maximum first to store as much heat.

1. Turn the ‘output’ setting of your storage heater  off when you are out of the room or go out of the house. Good idea to turn off at night too.
2. Only use the   ‘boost’ setting on your heaters  when  all the stored heat has run out . Always open  the output fully before using boost as it uses expensive daytime electricity.
3. Avoid using supplementary plug-in heaters as they too will be expensive to run. It’s much  better to turn up the input on your storage heaters so that they recharge more at night and store more heat.

 

How Are You Charged For Running Storage Heaters?

The heaters are wired up to an economy 7 meter which measures how much power  is used at nighttime and you are then charged at the prescribed rate for night time use.

Night time electricity is approx two thirds cheaper than day rate which makes using storage heaters worth using to heat your home. As  stated previously ,  you should program your heaters to charge up only when electric is at its cheapest which is during the middle of the night You can charge the storage heaters in the day also BUT you will be charged the peak rate  which can be 2 thirds more.

 

Can I Leave Storage Heaters On All The Time

If you do need heat over the summer, you may only need to switch the storage heaters on to charge every other night. … You can save more heat for the evening by keeping the setting low during the day, such as when the room is warm enough or you are going out. As  storage heaters will only charge up at night, so you can leave the input setting without danger of using expensive day-rate electricity. Once the heat has been exhausted , it will not charge up again until its preset charge time which is usually around 10 -11  oclock.  

We have compiled a  complete guide with lots of frequently asked questions to help you make an informed decision on replacing them like for like or changing to an alternate form of heating.

A Storage heater is an electric heater that accumulates heat in special ceramic or clay  bricks during the night (when electricity is at its cheapest ) which then releases it during the day.

The easiest way to understand storage heaters is to visualise them as a big rechargeable battery. Once the heat has been exhausted, ( usually late afternoon )  you need to use another source of heating for the rest of the day to heat your home. The heaters are then recharged from 10 pm for use for the next day.

 

 

Are Storage Heaters Cheaper to Run Than Gas Heating ?

No . Electricity is one of the most expensive ways to heat your home and we always recommend that if you are on the gas grid, you should convert to gas heating. Electric Storage heaters are cheaper to run than their counterparts Electric room heaters ( which are plugged in and use statndard rate electric ) but they are still expensive compared to gas heating. Gas heating is approx 2 /3 cheaper than electric.

 

A 2.5 Kw heater that is charged up at nightime ( using cheaper electric ) will cost you around 13p per hour to run. This will be payable whether you benefit from the heat or not. Use the heat or lose it is the rule. To sum up a 2.5kw storage heater may have a running cost of between £1 and £2 per day.

If you have 4 heaters running on a daily basis, this will work out very expensive with a weekly average of up to £70 per week !

 

 

Best Practice For Running Storage Heaters

1. The most effective and cheapest manner is to ensure is that you don’t use the peak electricity power switch unless absolutely necessary.
2. Try to avoid using this unless in the middle of the winter when you need a heating boost.
3. The idea is to make sure the storage heater only charges during off-peak hours.

During the winter Set the input control to maximum to allow the most charging power to the storage heater.

During the summer You may get away with turning the input control right down (or even off), since you won’t need much heat for the home.

Turn the output to zero when you are not at home or when you go to bed.

 

How to set up your storage heater controls

Most storage heaters have 2 key controls:

1. Power switch – this determines whether you are using off-peak or  peak electricity to charge the storage heater

Off-peak is considerably cheaper! Input and output controls  

2. The input control determines how much electricity the storage heater will use to charge

The output control controls the rate at which the storage heater releases heat into the room.

 

Are Panel Heaters Cheaper to run than storage heaters

Definitely not.!

On a like for like basis. you will be paying 2  times more for  the same amount of heat as panel heaters . This is because storage heaters benefit from cheaper electric at night whilst plug in heaters will be charged at the day rate. Panel heaters do have the benefit of you can turn them on and off at will whereas with storage heaters, you need to use up the heat or lose it.

 

Can I leave storage heaters on all the time

If you do need heat over the summer, you may only need to switch the storage heaters on to charge every other night. … You can save more heat for the evening by keeping the setting low during the day, such as when the room is warm enough or you are going out. As  storage heaters will only charge up at night, so you can leave the input setting without danger of using expensive day-rate electricity. Once the heat has been exhausted , it will not charge up again until its preset charge time which is usually around 10 -11  oclock.

 

Electric 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

 

 

Are Old Storage Heaters Dangerous?

  Some old storage heaters contained asbestos sheets which as you know is a hazard to health. If your heaters are damaged in any way, asbestos dust and fibres may be released into the room.

If this dust is  inhaled into the lungs, they may give rise to an asbestos-related disease such as asbestosis and mesothelioma.

 

Are Storage Heaters Being Phased Out?

Storage Heaters are gradually being phased out due to lack of demand and the fact that they are still one of the most expensive form of heating.

They are also now very old fashioned too and are associated with  1960 s & 1970s homes. Sales of storage heaters are diminishing year on year  with renewable heating becoming more popular as the UK heads towards a carbon zero future.

 

 

Can storage heaters make you ill?

Electric space heaters and storage heaters can make the air inside of your home extremely dry and unpleasant. Some of the newer models also blow out air which is not suitable if you are suffering from asthma This won’t make you ill, but it may  irritate your skin, eyes, ears, and even nose.

 

Can storage heaters overheat?

 Old heaters do get a build up of dust over the years  inside the heater casing. This will affect the distribution of heat and you may get a smell. This can be easily brushed off by removing the inner casing. If there are items of furniture or curtains within 500mm of the heaters, this too will restrict the flow of heat and we recommend you leave adequate space and airflow  around the heater. Faulty thermostats &  charge controllers could also cause overheating too.

 

 

Can I Leave Storage Heaters On All The Time

If you do need heat over the summer, you may only need to switch the storage heaters on to charge every other night. … You can save more heat for the evening by keeping the setting low during the day, such as when the room is warm enough or you are going out. As  storage heaters will only charge up at night, so you can leave the input setting without danger of using expensive day-rate electricity. Once the heat has been exhausted , it will not charge up again until its preset charge time which is usually around 10 -11  oclock.

 

 

What Is The Average Lifespan of a storage heater?

The life expectancy of a typical storage heater is  15 -20 years old. Models older than this should typically be replaced with modern automatic models. In recent years ‘automatic models’ have been introduced as standard since they offer small gains in terms of efficiency and economy.

 

Do  Storage Heaters Leak heat?

Unlike a battery that retains a lot of its charge until used, the storage heaters will begin to leak heat almost immediately due to convection of heat that is stored in the bricks. As a rough guide, a storage heater will lose the majority of its stored heat over a 12 hour period. This means that if you get in from work at 7pm, the majority of useful heat will already have dissipated into the home leaving you to be cold in the evening. You usually will need to switch on panel heaters or other heating to supplement this. For this reason, storage heaters are not good for people who are out at work during the day unfortunately.

 

 

What Are The Best storage heaters ?

1. Automatic: These are the new standard type, and can detect the temperature of the room and set themselves.
2. Combination: These allow you to turn up the heat on demand combining charged heat with standard daytime electricity
3. High heat retention: These offer the latest in storage heating technology, with highly-insulated cores and quiet fans to spread the heat around the room more effectively.

The best known makes that have been around for years  and have been approved to be fitted on Government schemes are below.

• Dimplex
• Creda
• Elnur
• Fischer
• Heatstore

All heaters will have been thoroughly tested  for fitting on Grant schemes so will be highly recommended.

 

Are Modern Storage Heaters More Efficient?

All modern storage heaters are now high heat retention ones which although bulkier,  are upi to 30% more efficient at keeping the heat in. Also Modern storage heaters are now  fitted with timers,  and 24-hour programming, for more control on usage. Many now have  open window detection too. These features help to make modern storage heaters a lot more efficient than old ones. As stated you should achieve a bill reduction of around 30% by upgrading to new ones. Although new storage heaters are not cheap, they are more efficient than they used to be in a number of ways, so running costs will be cheaper. If you have old storage heaters, the insulation around the heating core may well have broken down over time and this will affect their efficiency.

 

Why Use Storage Heaters ?

• These are inexpensive to use as compared to normal electric heaters.
• Modern heaters have timers, thermostats and fans to work more efficiently with less maintenance required.
• These are noise free heaters. Even with the fan inside, these are very quiet.
• These are very painless to install and can be installed anywhere the electrical wiring is available.

 

HOW DO MODERN STORAGE HEATERS COMPARE ?

Modern electric storage heaters:

• Are up to 30% more energy efficient than old ones.
• Have control systems which allow you to have exactly the right amount of heat in each room, when you need it
• Have a built-in convector heater for additional heat when you require it.
• Are slimmer, with a modern stylish design
•  Will add value to your home and reduce your bills significantly.

 

 

How much does it cost to replace an electric storage heater?

A storage heater can cost from around £150 to over £1000 to buy and install, depending on the heat output required. Generally speaking, the more you spend on a storage heater, the more features your model will have. New storage heaters need to be installed by a qualified electrician and usually costs from about £70 if there is existing wiring plus the cost of the new heater). A new installation will require new wiring so you should expect to pay around £50 extra per heater. The best storage heaters cost to buy more initially but will save you money over time because they will be more efficient and therefore will cost less to run.

 

Is it worth replacing old storage heaters?

Yes   If you live in a small flat or apartment it is cost effective to replace them.

For larger homes we would recommend you upgrade to Central heating which will be a more efficient way of heating your home.

 

Replacement For Storage Heaters – Costs

If you are looking to make storage heater replacements in the near future , we recommend  you look into the the Government Grant Scheme to replace old storage heaters first.

Done privately is likely to cost in excess of £2000 depending on how many you need.

 We also will let you know the likely cost of replacing them privately as well as informing you  how you may be eligible to replace them absolutely Free Of Charge.

Opting to replace old Electric Night Storage heaters with  new ones will not be cheap and you can expect to pay  from £450 each for  high heat retention ones which are the best to go for now due to their long lasting heat. Some models do go up to £1000 particularly the Dimplex models which are the market leaders.

 

Storage Heater Replacing Costs Including Fitting

Replacing Storage Heaters Cost  for a fully qualified electrician to fit per storage heater is around £75 -£100.

Assuming you are replacing 4 heaters , you can expect to pay up to £3000.

You may get a day rate from a sparky which will be cheaper if you are replacing all the heaters in your home.

Your money would be better spent on upgrading to Gas Centra;l Heating or perhaps having a mixture of storage heaters and panel heaters.

 

What Size heater should I buy

This depends on the size of your room and how much heat you need. Very important to correctly size your heater for each room as a small heater in a large room will not be able to heat the room effectively and ultimately won’t be efficient. Please ask your local installer to work out the best size for you using a special matrix.

 

When should you replace your storage heater?

We recommend that storage heaters over 20 years old that are faulty should be replaced without attempting to repair.

This is because old heaters will be very inefficient to run with the repair not economical or cost effective.

New Economy 7 heaters , storage heaters will be up to 30% more efficient and will pay for themselves in the long run.

Grants are Available – See If You Are Eligible

 

 

Safety Tips For Electric 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

 

Economy 7  Storage Heaters – Common Faults

If your storage heaters are not working  here is a few things you can try to get them up and running again.

The most common causes of a broken storage heaters are within the scope of a competent diyer and are relatively cheap to replace.

Do check the circuit to find faulty components / switch / circuit breakers or measure resistance to check for failed elements in order to eliminate other possible problems. Usually when a section of a storage heater turns cold, it means that an element has failed. Spare parts that commonly cause a broken storage heater include (in order of occurrence):

• Faulty Thermostat  – (Thermostats & elements commonly fail in 6-8 years )
• Broken Heating Elements
• Terminal block which causes loose connection
• Blown fuses and overheating causing the thermal cut-out to become activated.   Be sure to check for these before deciding your storage heater might be broken
• If one side (or the middle of larger storage heaters) is cold, it is possible that one of the elements has blown.
• This is not something you will be able to check yourself, so do call a local electrician.

 

Should I Try To Fix?

If you are a competent diyer, you may want to have a go yourself. This involves taking off the front panel (remove the fuse / turn off the power first) and replace the thermostat. Try to do a thermostat manual reset.

1. Turn off the power supply and remove it.
2. If you are skilful, go inside and take off the front panel.
3. At the top of your storage heater, look for three round polo-like items.
4. The black cap nubbin with a red dot is the thermostat. Push it down to reset it. If you hear a click, it should function on the next charge period. If not, then the thermostat could be faulty and needs to be replaced.
5. Put back the front panel and turn on the power.
6. Wait until the next off-peak charge overnight to see if it takes the next charge.
7. If not, call an engineer for a quote of his services or see if you should buy a new one.

 

Storage Heater Tips for Lower Heating Bills

1. Turn the ‘output’ setting of your storage heater  off when you are out of the room or go out of the house. Good idea to turn off at night too.
2. Only use the   ‘boost’ setting on your heaters  when  all the stored heat has run out . Always open  the output fully before using boost as it uses expensive daytime electricity.
3. Avoid using supplementary plug-in heaters as they too will be expensive to run. It’s much  better to turn up the input on your storage heaters so that they recharge more at night and store more heat.

 

Storage Heater Repairs

If your heaters are old , it will not usually be cost effective to repair them. Average repair costs are £120 and you can replace a heater for another £50 or so.

We recommend you replace rather than repair in most cases.

 

 

What Size Heater Should I Buy

This depends on the size of your room and how much heat you need. Very important to correctly size your heater for each room as a small heater in a large room will not be able to heat the room effectively and ultimately won’t be efficient. Please ask your local installer to work out the best size for you using a special matrix.

 

 

Best Practice For Running Storage Heaters

1. The most effective and cheapest manner is to ensure is that you don’t use the peak electricity power switch unless absolutely necessary.
2. Try to avoid using this unless in the middle of the winter when you need a heating boost.
3. The idea is to make sure the storage heater only charges during off-peak hours.

During the winter Set the input control to maximum to allow the most charging power to the storage heater. During the summer You may get away with turning the input control right down (or even off), since you won’t need much heat for the home. Turn the output to zero when you are not at home or when you go to bed.

 

How To Set Up Your Storage Heater Controls

Most storage heaters have 2 key controls:

1. Power switch – this determines whether you are using off-peak or  peak electricity to charge the storage heater

Off-peak is considerably cheaper! Input and output controls  

2. The input control determines how much electricity the storage heater will use to charge

The output control controls the rate at which the storage heater releases heat into the room.

 

 

Are storage heaters right for my home?

Typically storage heaters are recommended for customers who don’t have a mains gas supply in their home. However, some people still look to storage heaters to replace their central heating. Here are a few benefits of having electric storage heaters:

• Storage heaters make the most of off-peak electricity prices, if you’re on an Economy 7 or Economy 10 tariff
• They’re easy to install, compared to other wall heaters and central heating systems
• They don’t require regular maintenance or servicing and often serve a long service life
• It may be impractical to install traditional central heating system, so storage heaters are a great alternative
• Electricity is more environmentally friendly than gas, especially if your tariff is renewable or low carbon

 

Tips for using storage heaters 

If you’re a first-time storage heater user, here’s some handy tips to help you get to grips with your heating system:

• If you have small children or pets, it’s a good idea to fit a guard for your storage heaters as they can get very hot
• Make sure there are no curtains near your storage heaters
• Never cover the surface of your storage heaters or obstruct the air grills

 

 

Why Use Storage Heaters ?

1. These are inexpensive to use as compared to normal electric heaters.
2. Modern heaters have timers, thermostats and fans to work more efficiently with less maintenance required.
3. These are noise free heaters. Even with the fan inside, these are very quiet.
4. These are very painless to install and can be installed anywhere the electrical wiring is available.

    

   Pros of Storage Heaters

   Cheap To Run- They charge up at night using Economy 7 tariffs which are about a quarter of the price of daytime electricity. 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.  

 

Are Storage Heaters Expensive To Run ?

A 2.5 Kw heater that is charged up at nightime ( using cheaper electric ) will cost you around 13p per hour to run. This will be payable whether you benefit from the heat or not. Use the heat or lose it is the rule. To sum up a 2.5kw storage heater may have a running cost of between £1 and £2 per day. If you have 4 heaters running on a daily basis, this will work out very expensive with a weekly average of up to £70 per week !  

 

What Are Electric Storage Heater Running Costs.

Modern storage heaters are to 27% cheaper to run than a standard storage heater system and up to 47% compared to an electric convector heater 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

 

Are Storage Heaters Cheaper to Run Than Gas Heating ?

No .  Electricity is one of the most expensive ways to heat your home and we always recommend that if you are on the gas grid, you should convert to gas heating.

Electric Storage heaters are cheaper to run than their counterparts Electric room heaters ( which are plugged in and use statndard rate electric ) but they are still expensive compared to gas heating. Gas heating is approx 2 /3 cheaper than electric.  

 

How Are You Charged For Running Storage Heaters?

The heaters are wired up to an economy 7 meter which measures how much power  is used at nighttime and you are then charged at the prescribed rate for night time use. Night time electricity is approx two thirds cheaper than day rate which makes using storage heaters worth using to heat your home. As  stated previously ,  you should program your heaters to charge up only when electric is at its cheapest which is during the middle of the night You can charge the storage heaters in the day also BUT you will be charged the peak rate  which can be 2 thirds more.

 

Are Modern Storage Heaters More Efficient?

All modern storage heaters are now high heat retention ones which although bulkier,  are up to 30% more efficient at keeping the heat in so will save you money off your heating bills. Old storage heaters contain very heavy, heat retaining clay bricks but modern, more energy efficient versions use a ceramic material or high density magnetite to store heat. Also Modern storage heaters are now  fitted with timers,  and 24-hour programming, for more control on usage.  Many now have  open window detection too. These features help to make modern storage heaters a lot more efficient than old ones and   you should achieve a bill reduction of around 30% by upgrading to new ones. Although new storage heaters are not cheap, they are more efficient than they used to be in a number of ways, so running costs will be cheaper. New Economy 7 heaters offer the highest density and heat storage capacity, magnetite is extremely efficient at storing thermal energy but it also relies on excellent insulation to retain the heat. If you have old storage heaters, the insulation around the heating core may well have broken down over time and this will affect their efficiency.  

 

How Do Modern Heaters Compare?

Modern electric storage heaters have other attractive characteristics which include:

• Are up to 30% more energy efficient than old ones.
• Have control systems which allow you to have exactly the right amount of heat in each room, when you need it
• Have a built-in convector heater for additional heat when you require it.
• Are slimmer, with a modern stylish design
•  Will add value to your home and reduce your bills significantly.

• A boost function for when you might need a little additional warmth.
• A fan Assist to silently disperse the extra heat generated.
• Customizable heating schedules enable users to personalize temperature settings as per the time of the day.
• Modern Storage heaters come with thermostatic controls.
• Some storage heaters are smart heaters that allow you to control it remotely via the internet.

 

 

What  Brand is the most Efficient Economy 7 Storage Heater?

We have found that Dimplex And Fischer Economy 7 heaters are the most efficient for running costs. 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

 

 

Replacement For Storage Heaters – Costs

If you are looking to make storage heater replacements in the near future , we recommend  you look into the the Government Grant Scheme to replace old storage heaters first.

Done privately is likely to cost in excess of £2000 depending on how many you need.

 

Are Electric Radiators a good alternative to storage heaters?

Electric radiators are a very good  alternative to storage heaters for heating your home BUT you will find they are approx 25 % more expensive to run as they run on standard rate electricity.

Night storage heaters are recharged at night when electricity is approx 70% cheaper.

We do not recommend changing from economy 7 or economy 10 tariffs for electric heating.

 

 

 

Need New Storage Heaters?  

  Check if you are eligible for the free Electric Heating Grant  from the government before you go out and purchase some new ones.

Most people are unaware of this storage heater replacement scheme which has been available for the last few years .

You could qualify for this free grant from the government to replace all your old heaters 100% FREE! If you receive a benefit .

Fill in the form below and we will be in touch shortly!