Night Storage Heaters Running Costs
‘What is the running cost of your radiators?’ and ‘How do the running costs compare with other electric heaters?’ UK customers regularly ask us these questions.
The correct answer is that running costs depend on a number of factors: your electricity tariff, the thermostat temperature setting, how your heating system is used (on/off or continuous) and the heat loss of the rooms. If the average current electricity cost per kWh is 15p (per unit), it means that a 1kw radiator would cost 15p per hour to run if it was working at full power for each hour.
The next bit is where it gets a bit tricky to calculate. If the radiator thermostat is set to 20 degrees Celsius, once the room reached 20 degrees Celsius the thermostat would turn the power off to the radiator. From this point onwards, the thermostat would ensure that the only heat emitted would be enough heat to counteract the heat loss of the room and therefore keep the room at a constant 20 degrees Celsius.
For example, if the room has a heat loss of 200 watts per hour, the 1kw radiator would only produce 200 watts of heat in that hour. That would mean that the radiator would only operate intermittently for a total of 12 minutes in each hour (20%), costing the average person 3p per hour to use their electric heaters based on UK tariff costs at 15p an hour.
If the same 1kw radiator was placed in a room that had less insulation, more outside walls, bigger windows and single glazing it would have to counteract a much bigger heat loss. It would have to emit more heat per hour to maintain a steady state temperature and it would therefore cost more to run. For example, if the room has a heat loss of 800 watts per hour, then the radiator would have to produce 800 watts of heat per hour to counteract the heat loss and maintain a steady state temperature, meaning the radiator would operate intermittently for 48 minutes in each hour. This would make an electric heater’s UK tariff of 15p per hour actually cost 12p.
It will always take more energy to heat a room to temperature than it will to maintain a room at a set temperature. Therefore on/off usage patterns will be more costly than maintaining a constant temperature or using ‘set back’ or ‘economy’ temperature settings rather than switching off completely when the room is not occupied.
In common with all heating systems, the thermostat setting affects the running cost, so rooms which are not occupied should be set to lower temperatures. According to the Carbon Trust, your heating cost will rise by 8% for every 1 degree the thermostat setting is increased above 19°C.
Why are you looking at night storage heaters?
German electric radiators from West Country Heating help you take control of your heating and never leave you cold again.
Night storage heaters running costs depend on numerous factors: your electricity tariff, the thermostat temperature setting, how your heating system is used (on/off or continuous), your lifestyle and the heat loss of the rooms.
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