advice needed please

[lisac25]

hi hoping some one will be able to help me, i currently live in a council property - 1 bedroom flat with gas central heating, i viewed a new property yesterday (hoping for a mutual swap) and the property has electric storage heaters through out, including 1 in the kitchen - i werent aware i would need heat in the kitchen really? and 3 in the lounge, they look old dirty and dated..there is a boiler tank thing in the kitchen cupboard and only runs on electric meter, i really want to take the property but i am concerned about the running and cost of storage heaters...i know nothing about them, i dont have my heating on that often really anyway, is it possible to remove them from the wall? maybe get an electric fire place or knock through the plasterboard they have put up on the chimney breast to reveal the fireplace underneath? or can i just not use them at all and maybe just buy a couple of halogen heater style things or am i in my rights to call the council and ask about them or if they are going to install better heating etc even if im not living there yet?...basically as you can tell i have no clue :/ please any info would be great. thankyou

 

[Octopus]

Gosh, lots of questions.

1. Storage heaters should all be connected to "off peak" supply so simply removing them and replacing them with "heater" for use during the day may not be as easy as you think.

2. "old" storage heaters are not as flexible or efficient as newer ones. As for the kitchen, each heater should have an isolation switch adjacent to it.

3. As for the chimney - can't comment.

Sorry if this isn't too helpfu;

 

[Marvo]

Welcome to the forum Lisa.

I've moved this thread to the DIY forum.

 

[Des 56]

hi Hi hoping some one will be able to help me, i currently live in a council property - 1 bedroom flat with gas central heating, i viewed a new property yesterday (hoping for a mutual swap) and the property has electric storage heaters through out, including 1 in the kitchen - i werent aware i would need heat in the kitchen really? and 3 in the lounge, they look old dirty and dated..there is a boiler tank thing in the kitchen cupboard and only runs on electric meter, i really want to take the property but i am concerned about the running and cost of storage heaters...i know nothing about them, i dont have my heating on that often really anyway, is it possible to remove them from the wall?Yes but it needs to be done safely maybe get an electric fire place or knock through the plasterboard they have put up on the chimney breast to reveal the fireplace underneath?If you do so,be sure beforehand that the chimney has good ventilation and the seal to rooms is adequate,a smoke test would be needed + permission off the council or can i just not use them at all You may not use if you so wish,isolation should be adjascent to each heater and maybe just buy a couple of halogen heater style things or am i in my rights to call the council and ask about them or if they are going to install better heating etc you could call them,but the probability is that they may be quiet happy with the heating system present even if im not living there yet?...basically as you can tell i have no clue :/ please any info would be great. thankyou

......

 

[Kate]

I worked council for many years....having central heating Is like gold...bear this in mind. A lot of tenants I spoke to absolutely hate them and try every trick in the book to get council to install central heating...most of the time it didnt work.

The older ones can take some configuring to get the output right.

From what I remember they arent as cheap as u would anticipate but don't quote me there

If you get an electrician in they will be able to change somethings in the fuseboard and make the NSH points work off the on peak...ive personally done this.

I assume the boiler tank is just a hot water tank, get an electrician to install an economy 7 timeclock to this, they arent that expensive tbh, but u will save the cost in the long run anyway...this timeclock makes it so that the water is heated during off peak times BUT also has a boost function if u ever need it. I always assumed this was automatically installed by the council.

One big thing to note....if there is a downflow heater on the wall in the bathroom dont use it often...you might as well use £20 notes to start a fire...they are extremely expensive to run.

 

[dcelectrical]

I would view having storage heaters as a big negative, they are expensive and unless you like your flat to be at 30 degrees all day and night they will make you suffer. as a tenant you will have no real chance of having them changed. and with regard to chimneys most councils have closed them off as it costs small fortune to have them swept annually and the use of gas fires in unsleeved chimneys has caused big issues so the most simple thing was to close them off.my advise would be to find a swap with someone with gas central heating and dodgy decorations - at least you can paint the place. good luck in you hunting

 

[amlu]

if you on the budget get yourself couple of good heating blankets... for you and the family if needed. they give you heat where and when needed...need much less electricity than heating whole house.
electric heating is more expensive than gas.

 

[lisac25]

thankyou for taking the time out to reply everyone. x