How to use storage, panel or down-flow heating systems efficiently
You should use the controls on your heaters to maintain an even internal room temperature of between 18-20 degrees c. You should try to keep the temperature of your home at a steady rate and avoid big spikes in internal room temperature. These can cause a build-up of condensation and mould.
Storage heaters charge overnight. They run on a cheaper electricity tariff called either economy 7 or economy 10. It’s worthwhile checking your electricity tariff to make sure you are getting the cheaper electricity rate for your storage heaters.
Older storage heaters usually have two control dials. One controls the dampner and the other temperature. The dampner enables the storage heater to retain heat. We recommend that you try to keep this closed during the day unless you need the heat.
We recommend you only use the boost function on your heater when you need an extra burst of heat. Remember to turn it off. The boost function operates from the standard electricity tariff. It is therefore more expensive.
The Dimplex Quantum storage heaters we have fitted in a number of homes are designed to heat your entire home. We recommend that to most efficiently heat your home, you have all the storage heaters running at the same time. If you use individual room heaters, heat will be lost when a door is opened into a cooler space. This will require the system to work harder and use more electricity. This will cost you more money.
You should only use panel and down-flow heaters for short periods of time to quickly warm up the rooms they are in. The best way to use panel and down-flow heaters would be turn them on for a short period of time to quickly take the chill out of a room. For example, first thing in the morning first thing in the morning. If you leave them on for long periods of time your electricity bill could increase significantly.
The essentials to managing your storage, panel or down-flow heating systems – in brief:
Try to
- Heat your home to a temperature of between 18 – 20 degrees c.
- Check your electricity tariff and ensure you are on either economy 7 or 10 to get lower cost electricity to charge up your storage heaters overnight.
- Use panel and down-flow heaters for short periods of time to quickly take the chill out of a room.
Avoid
- Allowing internal temperatures to fluctuate. This causes rooms to become excessively hot or cold.
- Leaving the boost function of storage heaters on. This runs off a standard electricity tariff and is expensive.
- Using panel and down-flow heaters for long periods of time. They operate from a standard electricity tariff and can be expensive.
More detail if you need it
What are storage, panel or down-flow heating systems?
- Storage, panel and down-flow heaters are all heaters that run on electricity.
- Storage heaters use cheaper off-peak electricity by charging individual room heaters overnight. Heat is then released the following day at a controllable rate.
- Panel and down-flow heaters operate in the same way and both provide instantaneous heat. They are more expensive to run than storage heaters because they operate from a standard electricity tariff.
How do storage, panel or down-flow heating systems work?
- Storage heaters use electricity to charge overnight. They release heat the following day at a controllable rate.
- A number of Hastoe properties have Dimplex Quantum storage heaters. These heaters keep a log of the amount they’ve charged overnight, the usage the following day and the weather. If the stored heat isn’t all used, then these heaters will automatically adjust its settings to take less charge the following night. This reduces your electricity consumption. These heaters are also more efficient at retaining heat and maintaining ambient internal temperatures.
- Panel heaters are often used in rooms where you would spend less time so need less warmth. Panel heaters warm up very quickly and operate from a standard electricity tariff. This means they are more expensive to run than storage heaters. There is more information on electricity tariffs further down in this guide.
- A number of Hastoe homes have down-flow heaters in kitchens and/or bathrooms. Like panel heaters, these heaters provide instantaneous heat to a room and operate from a standard electricity tariff. Therefore they have a higher running cost than storage heaters and are not designed to be used for long periods of time.
Electricity tariff
Storage heaters operate from economy 7 or 10 tariffs. These tariffs provide either 7 or 10 hours of lower price per kWh electricity at night-time and a more expensive rate in the day. You may have two separate meters. One for the standard rate and another for the economy tariff. You can monitor your energy usage for both. It is recommended that you check your electricity tariff to ensure you are getting the cheapest rate and a tariff that is suitable to your usage.
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