Kilo-What?

October 17, 2012 1:44 PM

In my flat here in the UK I have four electric storage heaters that are kaput. What electric heating should I replace them with?

I live in a flat in London and the 30 year old storage heaters need replacing but I don't know what to put in their place. The flat has no access to gas so installing a hot water system is out.

I'm looking for radiators that look like hot water radiators but electricians here seem to know very little about electric heating and only suggest the sort of thing you'd see in a builder portacabin rather than a home.

What should I get? I suspect electric heating systems are more popular on the continent; what's a good solid German/French/Scandinavian brand?

posted by Brian Lux to home & garden (6 answers total)

There are some really interesting ones here.
posted by essexjan at 2:58 PM on October 17, 2012

If you have outside space to mount the heat exchanger, an air to air heat pump will cost half as much to run. And it'll give you air conditioning in summer.
posted by ambrosen at 8:26 PM on October 17, 2012

Thanks essexjan, those do look a lot like water rads.

Is that the sort of thing they use in mainland europe?

ambrosen - it's an apartment without the room for a heat pump.
posted by Brian Lux at 1:53 AM on October 18, 2012

Why not try some electric underfloor heating? I just stayed in a B&B with this and it was fantastic. I've no advice or data on cost when compared to storage heaters but my hunch would be that it's a bit more efficient.

hhttp://www.vitrexfloorwarm.com/

I think there are other makes. You just lay and connect the mats over a thin insulating layer then roll carpet on top (I think), but you might need a proper installer to avoid melting things and getting the electric load correct.
posted by dowcrag at 2:05 AM on October 18, 2012

I spotted a company advertising storage heating replacements in the local paper recently. The magic phrase to find such companies seems to be 'german storage heaters'.
posted by Ness at 2:47 AM on October 18, 2012

Can't do underfloor heating as it would mean taking up the floor. I need wall-mounted rads.

Ness - a lot of UK companies are marketing german rads. From their websites they all seem a little flakey. Like they might be re-badging german makes. I wonder if there is an established German/French/Scandi brand that is a household name?
posted by Brian Lux at 5:01 AM on October 18, 2012