Fuel poverty - heating systems

Peak and off-peak times

With this type of heating you will need a tariff from your electricity provider that has peak and off-peak times.

• Peak time - higher price per unit
• Off-peak time - lower price per unit

The tariff recommended for electric storage heating is the Economy 7 tariff.

Economy 7

Economy 7 gives you seven hours of off-peak time during the night. There are different prices depending on the time of day. However, generally, it is cheaper during the night at the off-peak times than during the day at peak times.

Although you can heat your water and storage heaters continually during the night it may not be enough to last you throughout the whole day.

Economy 7 may also need a different type of meter. Your energy supplier may charge you to change your meter.

How they work

Electric storage heating systems are very different from wet central heating systems. Homes heated by this system have a mixture of storage heaters and panel heaters and have an electric immersion heater for the hot water.

If correctly set this type of heating can save you money. However, if set at peak times it can be expensive. To get the best use from this system and save money please refer to the user guide for help. 

Storage heaters

Storage heaters use a lot of electricity so should be used correctly. Storage heaters contain bricks that heat up and store heat. The heat stored can then be released and used throughout the day.  It is best for storage heaters to store heat during the off-peak times when the electricity is cheapest for example through the night. 

Storage heaters have two controls:

• Input/charge control - this sets how much heat is stored in it and when it is stored.
• Output/boost control - this sets how much heat is released and when it is released.

They can also be turned off completely at the wall for example in the summer when you do not need them.

Panel heaters

Panel heaters do not store heat like the storage heaters. They give out heat when they are turned on and use the electricity to heat them at the time they are being used. They do have a timer which can be set so they come on at times you choose.  

Electric immersion

The electric immersion provides you with hot water. This can be heated at peak times when you need it or can be put on a timer and heated at off-peak times, for example through the night to be used the next day. If using it at peak times only it’s best to just turn on the hot water when you need it otherwise it can be expensive.

Boost

You can also set your hot water and storage heaters to top up the heat throughout the day when it begins to cool down. This is called a 'boost'.