Old
Storage Heater Problems
Economy 7
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Old Storage Heater Problems
Case - Lack of Control and High
Electricity Bill
The problem is
that even though the storage heater (model Unidare
WM725) is on minimum
output it doesn't
seem to make any difference to the amount of heat that comes out.
This means that in
the morning the house is too hot, but by 7pm they
are only just warm so the house is freezing. Also the electricity bill
is horrendous even though economy 7
is installed.
They do not have control knobs
as such, just a kind of half wheel with
slots to poke a screwdriver in to adjust the setting.
How controlable
should
the heat output be?
Old storage heaters
This Unidare storage heater was made between 1983 and 1989. The controls are recessed and only operated by a pen or small screw driver.The fact that on minimum setting the heater still gets very hot would suggest
that the thermostat is malfunctioning. As the heaters are approximately 25 years old, obtaining a spare part which is part no. 90832 will be difficult.
Improvement - Future
Complaint of too much heat in the morning and not enough in the evening is very typical of storage heaters fitted in that period. Not that there is any fault with the heaters per see.‘Economy 7’ was just launched then and the tariffs were very attractive. They were heavily promoted by the Electricity Boards. Sales of storage heaters reached an all high in the late 1980’s at 1.2 million per annum (Current volume about ¼ of that!). Nobody worried about global warming and energy efficiency. All that changed when Maggie Thatcher privatised the Boards in the early 1990’s.
The result however was that lots of heaters were sold but energy efficient measures were not promoted. A lot of homes were poorly insulated and people begrudgingly accepted homes became cooler in the evenings.
Don't bin your old storage heaters in favour of a gas central heating system
Into the future for storage heaters, firstly tariffs are
not going to be
any cheaper. The only way to make savings and ensure you have better
comfort is to take measures to make your home more energy
efficient. There are lots of people promoting this
thinking. Rather than changing your heaters or doing away with
them completely put the money into improvements. Take fairly
dramatic measures, even dry lining interior walls etc to reduce heat
losses. Take it seriously and go for the best you
can.
If you have a heater 5 or 10 years old, it still has another 10 years
of life providing you have thermostat
and elements checked /replaced if
required. Old storage heaters can be made more efficient by
fitting a room wall thermostat nearby. This will lower energy
consumption in milder weather automatically
There are several new types of storage heater which are more
controllable and efficient. Consider one of these particularly for the
living area in your home. The Dimplex
Duoheat is one such model
and there are several brands of a fan
storage heaters to give you the
ultimate in control with economy.