First things first: what is a storage heater?
What is a storage heater?
A storage heater charges up overnight and releases heat during the day. Thermal heating bricks in the storage heater body warm up between midnight and 8am when electricity is available at cheaper rates. The air circulating through your home throughout the day passes through your storage heaters and is heated up by the bricks.
Convection heat circulates naturally throughout your home, providing comfortable ambient temperatures. The level of charge input and heat output can be adjusted to suit the heating needs of your home. If you know the weather is going to be cold, setting maximum charge will keep your heating going for longer. On the other hand, on warmer days you can save money by charging your heaters less and releasing heat at a lower level.
Economy 7
A major asset of storage heaters is their ability to charge up overnight. This makes it possible to take advantage of cheaper night-time tariffs such as Economy 7. Although this strategy is definitely beneficial, it has a number of disadvantages to it. First of all, the method of charging up throughout the night makes storage heaters inconvenient to use in bedrooms. This is because the storage heaters will typically start charging after midnight. This means that if you’re going to sleep before midnight, your storage heaters will most likely be cold by the time you’re in bed, and once they are done charging up in the early morning hours, your bedroom will become really hot. Some people might struggle with sleeping in such conditions. On the other hand, this means that your bedroom is cosy and warm by the time you wake up.
Durability
Another major advantage of storage heaters is their durability. Unlike gas central heating, the performance of storage heaters does not deteriorate over time, and they are maintenance free for a lifetime. Furthermore, just like our electric heaters, storage heaters are easy to install. They require no expensive messy plumbing and can be hard-wired quickly and easily by a qualified electrician.
Lifestyle
A disadvantage of night time storage heaters, however, is the fact that you’re not going to make the most out of them if you’re away throughout the day. If you’re working in normal office hours, your storage heater will release the most heat when the house is empty. In order to avoid that, you would have to charge your heater during the daily hours, thus losing out on the cheaper night time tariffs.
In this case, a more convenient solution is an electric radiator. With electric radiators, you’re able to set up a heating schedule that will suit your lifestyle. This way you can set your radiators to turn on an hour before you come home, so your house is warm and cosy by the time you arrive. Storage heaters are a great heating solution for people who stay at home throughout the day, such as the elderly and pensioners, as they will make the most out of the cheaper night time tariffs. Places such as offices, surgeries or schools will also benefit from having a storage heater, as they operate in the hours when storage heaters release most heat. If you’re in a full-time job, you might want to consider an electric radiator rather than a storage heater, as most of electric radiators are able to adapt to your lifestyle with their programmable features.
If you think storage heaters are the right heating solution for you, why not browse our range? We stock a wide variety of storage heaters with automatic, fan-assisted and smart models available. However, if you think that you might be more interested in an electric radiator, we also provide an excellent range of products with 24/7 programming capabilities that are invaluable if you have a typical nine-to-five lifestyle.