Advice Heating.

soze

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Does anyone here have any knowledge of heating systems, specifically replacing 25 year old storage heaters.

A flat I am looking at has no Gas Central heating and currently has storage heaters which are coming up for 25 years old. The people living there report they are on the way out and they are having to use the boost most nights as they have run out of heat by midday so it looks like the insulation has gone.

I have had a quick look around and it looks like Quantum storage heaters are the direct replacement but at £700 each they are not cheap I would need 4/5 and something for the Bathroom. Given the way I would use the heating I do not know if storage heaters will be right for me. Monday to Friday I would want the Bedroom and Bathroom to be heated 6am to 8am then I would just need the frost prevention until 6pm to 11pm where I would want the Bathroom and Living room heated. The main and spare Bedroom would only need to be heated as and when.

Given that I would not be using a lot of the heat from a lot of the heaters would I be better ditching Economy 7 and using electric radiators instead of storage heaters. If anyone has gone through similar I would be glad to hear what you decided and what your findings are.
 

~Yuckfou~

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If you are looking to buy this place then biting the bullet and installing central heating seems the best long term answer. BUT, shop around for quotes. British Gas are crooks and about half their quote would be what the local Gas Safe tradesmen would be charging. Also if I was buying I'd expect a discount on the buying price to reflect the cost of updating an antiquated system.
If you are renting then surely have the landlord sort it out?
 

Raven

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If the storage heaters are £700 each you are better off getting rid and getting gas central heating installed. Storage heaters are a massive pain as you cannot turn them on and off without knowing 24 hours in advance when you will need them.

The other option is oil filled electric radiators but then they can be a bit more expensive because you wont get the economy 7 electric rate.

Storage heaters are only good for landfill.
 

Job

The Carl Pilkington of Freddyshouse
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Gas central heating would be expensive to fit...find a place for the boiler and flue, repipe hw to it, run pipes and rads..has it got concrete or wood floors...laminate or carpet..
Probably be the same price as the storage heaters, but they would be simple replacements.
just by some timed electric heaters to fill in the gaps of the worn out storage heaters...everyone thinks gas is so much cheaper...but now when you figure in installation , servicing and repairs.
 

~Yuckfou~

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Gas central heating would be expensive to fit...find a place for the boiler and flue, repipe hw to it, run pipes and rads..has it got concrete or wood floors...laminate or carpet..
Probably be the same price as the storage heaters, but they would be simple replacements.
just by some timed electric heaters to fill in the gaps of the worn out storage heaters...everyone thinks gas is so much cheaper...but now when you figure in installation , servicing and repairs.

It's not so much that it's cheaper, although running costs probably are with a combi, so hot water as well. It's so much more convenient to heat the whole house with one thermostat and not run out of hot water :)
 

Raven

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Its not so much that its any cheaper or more expensive, its just that it provides heat on demand, not heat with 24 hours notice.
 

soze

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Sorry should have said there is no Gas to the block of Flats so Gas is not an option. It is going to be Storage Heaters vs Electric Radiators which do give the 24/7 moments notice heating. But for every site I find that says x is the way to go I find one that says y is the way to go.
 

Laddey

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You can get a good combi supplied and fitted for a grand(ish)... Where are you located mate?


But then you need radiators and I've realised you've probably no existing pipework... Unlucky!

If you decide on a boiler and you know the rough meterage of your pipe runs let me know because we get bare amounts of discount.
 

soze

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It is Essex but yeah no pipe work and concrete floors so it would either be all exposed pipe work or a nightmare.
 

fettoken

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Ah yeah winter again and you Brits are freezing your tits off. Hah. You guys are one step away from having a barrel with burning wood and newspaper in the apartment.

Shit heating, shit Internet.
 

Laddey

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It is Essex but yeah no pipe work and concrete floors so it would either be all exposed pipe work or a nightmare.

Maybe localised water heaters and electric radiators would be your best bet
 

Moriath

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Electric rads. Storage heaters are shite. Places i been in with them we always needed blow heater or portable electric rad to boost the heat anyway.
 

Tom

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LOL at the 100% Efficient claim - obviously marketing BS and not written to Engineering Specs.

I don't see why - if a heating system consumes 10KW then you can guarantee that 10KW of heat will be generated in that house, even if some of it is generated by the wiring in the walls. It isn't like gas, where heat is lost through the exhaust.

Soze, if the heating system hasn't been replaced in 25 years then I'd be wondering what else hasn't been replaced. Like the internal wiring, for instance. I think I'd look at other flats before this one.
 

soze

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Flat currently has Tenants in it and had the electrics all checked out in Feb this year so that has a clean bill of health. I knocked a fair chunk off the asking price because it needs decorating ect. The only big question is the heating. And do I bother with anything other than the Valuation Survey considering it is a Leasehold Flat that is 25 years old.
 

Tom

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Considering the amount of money you may be about to spend, I'd suggest that you get only casual advice here and seek legal advice from a professional.

I would get a few quotes for the heating system and present them to the seller with the expectation that at least that much should be knocked off the selling price.
 

Gemma the Dog

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When I was in a block of flats ~20 years ago we had storage heaters and decided to go down the gas CH route. Contacted British Gas as there was no gas to the estate and they said they'd have to charge....I thought that was a bit of a cheek until they said it would cost me £75! So might be worth enquiring just how much they'd charge to connect it up, as they might take the long view and decide once they do it they will pick up more money.

mind you, now it is all privatised, perhaps they won't have that attitude...but doesn't hurt to find out :)
 

Hawkwind

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I don't see why - if a heating system consumes 10KW then you can guarantee that 10KW of heat will be generated in that house, even if some of it is generated by the wiring in the walls. It isn't like gas, where heat is lost through the exhaust.

Soze, if the heating system hasn't been replaced in 25 years then I'd be wondering what else hasn't been replaced. Like the internal wiring, for instance. I think I'd look at other flats before this one.
no such thing as 100% efficient energy conversion system, does not exist as there are always energy losses.
 

Raven

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Basic GCSE science teaches this fact.
 

soze

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Massive bummer having no gas.
Yes it is making everything that little but more confusing. Buying this on my own is really showing me how much my Ex just handled when we bought that house. I just had to pay for stuff every now and then.
 

soze

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Heat, it might not be heat where you want it but it is still heat.
 

Embattle

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Just for those somehow getting into an argument over efficiency, here is something from Energy Saving Trust:

Where central heating does not heat the room enough, or there is no central heating in the room, electric convection, oil-filled or panel heaters might be a suitable option for providing the required level of heat. Electric heating is 100% efficient but electricity is expensive and carbon-intensive. If you do use an electric heater make sure it is only on when it is needed.

In my mind the whole argument is moot, in most electrical systems the produced by product and thus inefficiency is heat but since the primary requirement is heat then this is irrelevant.
 

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