Why choose electric radiators over storage heaters? What you need to know...

Haverland SmartWaveThere has long since been a stigma attached to the use of electric radiators due to their lack of functionality, high consumption of energy and inconsistent performance.  Traditionally, electric heating was used primarily to supplement inadequate gas central heating systems and was used frugally to avoid incurring a high electricity bill.  Thankfully, there has been a significant improvement in the design and functionality of electric radiators over recent years and they have become an increasingly popular choice for energy conscious homeowners in the UK.

Such was the concern over energy consumption in the past, the only practical electric heating solution that was implemented into homes on any sizable scale were storage heaters.  Storage heaters were designed to run on an Economy 7 or Economy 10 electrical tariff.  On an Economy 7 tariff, with any energy supplier, you will be granted 7 hours of ‘off-peak’ electricity at a lower rate than usual during an overnight period.  Storage heaters work during this time throughout the night when electricity is cheaper and store the heat for release during the day. This all sounds good and well but what are the drawbacks?

 

The Shortcomings of Storage Heaters

Storage HeatersWe have found that a large number of people who currently use storage heaters or have acquired a property with storage heaters already installed, are constantly on the lookout for alternatives.  First of all, the Economy 7 tariff on which the storage heaters are designed to run is slightly misleading. The word ‘Economy’ implies big savings on your electricity bill but these ‘off-peak’ overnight rates come at a price.  In fact, for the 7 hours of ‘off-peak’ time you get on an evening you will in fact be charged a much higher premium rate for the remaining 17.  So if you use electricity at any other time you’re actually paying more than average - this can have an impact on your lifestyle, particularly if you spend a great deal of time at home or live in a household where appliances are in heavy use.  Furthermore, traditional storage heaters give you no control over the distribution of heat.  No thermostats and no timers mean that the heat is dissipated into the surrounding room at inconvenient times and, quite often, the stores of heat are spent by the time you get home from work and the chill of the evening sets in.

 

Electric Radiators  Solutions for All Lifestyles

Haverland Designer TTThe people that will benefit from storage heaters are those who stay indoors during the day and perhaps go to bed very early on an evening. Those of us who work full-time jobs and have busy schedules will storage heaters frustrating and difficult to live with.  This is where electric radiators can really make a difference, particularly now that technology has advanced enough to make them impressively energy efficient and incredibly convenient.  A good quality electric radiator will be fully programmable and have full thermostatic controls, enabling you to program the radiators to heat different rooms and different temperatures and various times throughout the day.  This gives you as a homeowner ultimate control over you energy bills and heat distribution.  Some of the best radiators on the market (Haverland are an excellent, trusted manufacturer and a fine example of this) will have on board thermostats accurate to within half a degree and will quietly click on and off when in use to maintain a set temperature in the room.  Through this technology, electric radiators are among the most energy efficient and low cost heating solutions available on the market today – something which many people overlook.

Of course, quality electric radiators give heat-on-demand effectively and efficiently and they use electricity as and when it is required (click here for more information).  Because of this, economy tariffs are unsuitable and any company selling electric radiators should be open and honest with you when offering their advice.  A standard electricity tariff will charge an average amount at all times as opposed to an economy tariff which will charge less on an evening but far more than average during the day. A false economy for many people stuck with storage heaters currently and this old ‘economy tariff’ does not lend itself well to electric radiators.  

 

Eco-Friendly & Efficient Heating

Electric radiators are literally the future of home heating.  As the Government engages in panic measures to secure the last of our gas reserves through fracking, our attention must eventually turn to renewable forms of energy. This energy will come in the form of electricity and those left with gas central heating systems will face ever climbing gas bills.  The Government is already taking steps in the right direction with schemes like The Green Deal and talks of offering tax breaks and other awards for those homes investing in greener and cleaner technologies. Electric radiators are going to play an integral part of reaching our low carbon emissions targets and demand is steadily rising.

 

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Electric Radiators Direct are here to bring you the very latest in energy news, views and opinions from across the UK. They are also suppliers of energy efficient electric heating solutions and are constantly assessing the market for the best products and the latest ground-breaking technology which they think will make a real difference to their customer's homes. Electric Radiators Direct are devoted to helping you reduce your carbon footprint and bring down your energy bills and they work hard to raise awareness of energy efficient products that can make all the difference. For more information on their range of energy efficient electric radiators or  designer electric panel heaters, call one of their friendly team today on 0330 300 4444 for a free assessment. 

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