Night Storage Heaters?

[minskey]

We are converting a small building which will [eventually] be a one bedroom bungalow. We are thinking of going all electric as there is no mains gas and LPG is so
expensive [47kg is around £55 a bottle]

Does anyone have night storage heaters, if you do what do you think about them. Do they keep you warm, are they expensive to run etc.

Ta

[di]

I used to have them in a flat several years ago and hated them...couldn't control when I needed warmth. But that maybe that I never really got the hang of them?

[VirginVegGrower]

Electric only here, no gas, owing to site. We have them and they are uncontrollable, as said above. Electricity is supposed to be cheaper than gas and gas cheaper than oil but to be honest, I think all fuel is expensive these days.
They keep you warm at night but by mid afternoon the heat is negligible. I hate them.

[veggiechicken]

I don't know anyone who has had storage heaters who hasn't got rid of them as soon as they could.
A plumber/builder that I know recommended all electric heating in a small house that was off gas - perhaps underfloor? The alternative is oil but you have to take account of the boiler and oil tank costs and servicing. I have oil and find it a real bind - remembering to order more before the tank is empty - and the tank takes up a big chunk of space.

[minskey]

A bottle of gas will last les than a week if its very cold.

Oil is also expensive, but even worse is that around here it 'walks', I know so many people who have hidden oil tanks who have had the contents stolen almost as soon as it has been filled. Same with anything metal. Shame

[Thelma Sanders]

Is a wood burning stove an option?

Still have to have storage spave for the logs, but a reasonable option for a small bungalow, I would have thought

[Alison]

We used to have them at work, they turned them off every weekend and so on Monday it was freezing but by Friday it was baking. No subtle adjustment at all sadly.

[VirginVegGrower]

A bottle of gas will last les than a week if its very cold.

Oil is also expensive, but even worse is that around here it 'walks', I know so many people who have hidden oil tanks who have had the contents stolen almost as soon as Tit has been filled. Same with anything metal. Shame

You can get the big tanks buried in the ground.

As an aside, if this building is in your current grounds, can't you get a link pipe put in by the gas board from your current supply?

Wood burners are great but then you're into harvesting and chopping wood.

[Hilary B]

The modern ones are better than they used to be (most have a 'boost' function) but still not great for control or all-day heating.
You can get a radiator-system run off electric heating (instead of a boiler you have a storage tank with immersion heaters). A business friend of ours reckons they are great. If you are interested I can find out what it's called.

[SarzWix]

Wood pellet boiler/stove? There was gov't subsidies for installing them not so long back, might be worth looking into. Or an electric Aga? Or a solid fuel Rayburn? Or a ground-source heat pump?

http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/...FYsntAodkidf6Q

[Hilary B]

If you use LPG for central heating you don't use bottles, you get an underground tank (and they can't nick that like the would oil).
Ground-source heat pump can be very effective, we surveyed a house using that last week. It was a big house, pretty new (so well insulated) and had an electric 'back-up' system in case of the heatpump not being quite enough, but the electric bit was less than a third of the power that would be appropriate for a gas CH system for a house that size, and it was toasty-warm on a VERY cold day.

[Potstubsdustbins]

I would not could not recommend storage heaters, even the most modern ones are carp.

I would have a look at an electric boiler connected to a 'wet' system with radiators and hot water storage. Google Heatrae Amptec electric boiler to give yourself an idea of what I am talking about. We installed one in a small 2 bed cottage last year, at the same time the owner installed solar panels to ease the electric bill. So far it has proved a success.

The boilers are expensive compared to gas boilers but of course there is no to large tank to buy, hide or bury so it may well be worth while for you.

Colin

[Two_Sheds]

Does anyone have night storage heaters, if you do what do you think about them.

They are absolutely awful, don't do it. They're cheap to install, but useless. They were in nearly every rented house I had: they come on (lose their heat) during the day time, and at night when it gets cold, they've lost all their juice and gone cold. Useless, utterly useless, unless you're a person who stays home all day and goes to bed at 5pm

[Potstubsdustbins]

So you didn't get on with them 2Sheds

Colin

[Scarlet]

I agree with TS - when I rented thats what was installed, they were Bl@@dy useless!