Alternatives or new storage heaters?

[gezzer]

My daughter bought a 2 bedroom flat with e7 storage heaters, no gas supply. 2 of the 3 heaters are not fully working (only instant heat elements working though the e7 supplies have been checked and are all good).
Q is whether to replace all 3 with latest gen storage heaters or panel heaters.
She works from home now mostly, so I'm assuming storage heaters would be the better choice?
The whole flat switches over to cheap rate so heaters with timers would still use cheap rate overnight

 

[James]

It makes a big difference what tariffs she has signed up to.
do you know what she pays for day and night usage?

 

[gezzer]

No, but what would your advice be if e7 was a reasonable saving?

 

[pirate]

Tricky calculation here...need to know the tariffs. There are other threads on this, but basically you have to assess the usage vs the tariff, tailoring both to exactly how the heating is used.
Take the cost of new heaters, which can be substantial, and compare that cost with how much electricity you can buy for that cost. Also consider that some heaters can be run, on timers, on daytime tariff and use less power overall. Electric heating is very efficient, power in/power out. it's the useability that makes the difference. many on here will know I am a fan of infrared panels, but the initial cost takes quite a while to recoup. However, if 2 out of the 3 heaters are faulty, it may be time to bite the bullet and install something that works for the user. It's a bit of a pain to work out the best compromise, but well worth the effort. There is no quick fix or universal answer.

 

[gezzer]

Thanks, I'm happy to make the calculations, but I need advice on what to compare.
Storage heaters are easy: I can use the equivalent latest Dimplex models to the outputs of the ones that she has, but give me a suggestion of manufacturers and wattages panel heaters should I compare with?
The flat is approximately 60m2 (650ft2)

 

[pc1966]

As above, all electric heaters are 100% efficient (i.e. all electricity is converted to heat).

What alters the running cost is the tariff (i.e. if cheap-rate can be used), how hot various rooms are set to, and how well insulated the building is. The recent regulations for more "efficient" electric heating come down to this latter aspect, the use of timers so not heating when not needed, and open-window detection so you are not wasting power heating the Great Outdoors.

EDIT: It might not apply, but heat pumps produce more heat than the electric they consume so in a sense have an efficiency above 100%, but usually it is called the "coefficient of performance" and is often 2.5-3. However, heat pumps are expensive and can have some noise issues so often not practical, more so in a flat where there is no feasible option for an air or ground source for the heat to be pumped.

 

[ImpededLoop]

Another option would be to repair the existing storage heaters. They may just need the thermal cutouts resetting. Otherwise it's probably just elements that need replacing.