| Electric Heating | |
There
is a lot of junk talked about electric heating and hopefully we can help
dispel some of the rubbish right here. Lets start with an overview
of the different sorts of electric heating on the market;
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| Storage Heaters | |
| Personally I am not a big fan. The idea of wrapping electric wires around an engineering brick and using this as a heat store doesn't seem particularly efficient to me but I have to confess that the technology has come on a way and things are not all doom and gloom if you have these installed in your house. | |
| What are the advantages? Well first and foremost you are drawing electricity at night and because this helps the electricity companies balance their distribution they reward you with lower prices. If you have a modern version you may also have automatic charge control whereby a sensor records the room temperature (and sometimes the external temperature) and modulates the amount of energy stored accordingly. | |
| Storage heaters emit heat in two ways; first through the front panel which is not adjustable and second by convection which is adjustable via simple air vents / louvres (some fan assisted). The more heat you allow to escape in this way the more rapidly the stored heat will be depleted. Many people use storage heaters to produce ambient (background) heat and then top-up with convectors in the evening. | |
| Electric Convectors / Fan Assisted Convectors / Radiant Panels | |
| Modern electric convector heating is very smart and operates on the principle of retained background warmth with boost for comfort heating at specified times or under manual control. There are a couple of Companies that have very sophisticated options in this market and we will be pleased to discuss your individual requirements - just give me a call on 01466 751411 or email and we will contact you. I guess if you are going down this route then the Duoheat system from Dimplex is ok but in my opinion there are better solutions, for example the Ecolec system discussed elsewhere on this site. | |
| I
do like modern panel heaters, such as those manufactured by
Ecolec. A very simple and elegant system based on the principle of
hi-lo thermostats sensing the output from the front plate heat exchanger. These ultra-low energy panel wall mounting heaters are only 25mm deep and fit flush to the wall, ensuring little or no impact on decor. The remarkable technology used in the thermostatic circuit means that these heaters run at around 40% of their nominal load - a 1.5kW unit costs under 4.0p/hr to run at peak time. Sizes go from 300W up to 1.5kW and in a range of formats from simple skirting board heaters through to standard sized radiators units and also splash proof units with towel rails fitted! Low surface temperature variants also available for healthcare and educational facility use.I like them so much that I have dedicated a whole page to them - and have negotiated with the makers to allow me to sell them to you at discounted prices so that you can get the benefits without paying high street prices. |
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| 1, 2 and
3-bar fires
DON'T EVEN GO THERE - YOU ARE JUST WAVING GOODBYE TO YOUR MONEY! |
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| Electric Underfloor Heating | |
| Works
like storage heating but with less control available. Rarely
retro-fitted. Elements can be laid into the floor and over-poured with
concrete to provide the thermal mass instead of the engineering bricks of
the storage heater. Recent developments include heating mats that are pre-cut and simply roll out onto the concrete base of a room to be overlaid with tiles, laminate floor etc. I put some into my new conservatory and have to say I am very impressed with the controllability and comfort. My one and only concern with any form of UFH is that if you put down a tile floor (or slate as we have) and something goes wrong you have to lift the floor! Nightmare! That is why I opted for the electric route because at least if it does fail I can abandon it - a wet system fails and you might have to grab your snorkel! The bottom line is that electric heating doesn't need to cost the earth - please forgive the pun. We can help you determine the ideal electric heating solution for your home, decide on the most appropriate form of control and negotiate with the suppliers to get you the hardware at close to trade prices - why should you pay 100% mark-up to your local Electricity Board? |
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| Contact us today if electric heating is your option | |
