What’s the most efficient type of wall heater to replace an old one?

[Gary111]

Hi, I have a rental property where one of the wall heaters has broken.
It was Atlantic 117 model 1250w

I want to try to improve the Epc rating if possible with whatever I replace it with.
I think ones with timers on help improve the rating slightly?

I’ve also seen wi fi ones ( from more obscure manufacturers on Amazon) they say they are lot 20 compliant.

Which sort is the best to improve the Epc?

Also is it worth me fitting timers on the other heaters ? They would cost around 30 pounds each .

Thanks

 

[Munroast]

if an electric heater is using 1250w then it is delivering 1250w of heat

at 1250w, a timer will have to save the heater being on for 96 hours to get that extra cost back

 

[Gary111]

Thanks, it’s more that I need to improve the Epc rating to jump through government hoops rather than anything that actually makes sense.

 

[JohnD]

Then work on insulation and draughtproofing. No doubt you have already converted all the light bulbs to LEDs and insulated the pipes.

What does your EPC say?

All electric heaters are equally energy-efficient. They all turn 1 kWh of electrical energy into 1 kWh of heat energy.

To reduce your cost-efficiency, buy more expensive heaters. Or a heat-pump.

 

[ericmark]

There is a case with storage heaters, where some models retain the energy until required better than others. And heat pumps are more efficient to simple resistive. And some controls are better at reducing the hysteresis as heaters turn on/off.

But the EPC rating using some really odd ways to rate a property, due to the way it is banded, it can be 10 to 20 points between each band, and one has to look at if one can get into the next band for a reasonable outlay.

So my house would need 11 points to get into the next band, some things have already been done, but I have a leeway of 1 point. So first 2 points is it seems floor insulation, at £4,000 - £6,000 to gain £48 a year it is a non-starter. Do everything else on the list and I still will not get into the next band, so to get into next band, simply it's a non-starter.

Since the survey, all bulbs now LED, and solar photovoltaic panels 6 kW fitted, so there is no room to fit solar water heating, and it would be pointless, as the solar photovoltaic panels also heat the DHW. All the double glazing has been changed to units which are better rated, half the loft floored, the other half extra insulation added, and the central heating controls have been improved, but none of that was on the list.

My yearly electric bill is around £300, but they are not interested in that, so I still with all the improvements have not got onto the next band.

There is a flat under the main house, and it says "Hot water from main system, no cylinder thermostat Poor" Well there is and always has been a cylinder thermostat to control the immersion heater, and since the immersion is heated by excess solar I would have thought it should say very good, but don't even know why it is listed, as the cylinder is not even in the flat, it is in the main house.

For the main house it also says "Hot water From main system, no cylinder thermostat Poor" I have never seen any immersion heater fitted without a thermostat, and it is both cheaper (when one has solar panels and also likely without them as well) are more energy efficient, as no losses with electric, to use the immersion heater rather than the oil fired central heating.

So in real terms one can forget the EPC as it is simply not linked to real life.

 

[StephenStephen]

In terms of efficiency of heating human bodies, rather than the air, you might want to look at infrared panels...

 

[ericmark]

In terms of efficiency of heating human bodies, rather than the air, you might want to look at infrared panels...

I would agree, my point is the EPC does not relate to making people comfortable or saving money, the old idea of a coal fire with high backed chairs to stop the draft, and occupants facing the fire to gain the radiant heat will still work with an electric inferred heater.

But remember inferred can pass through glass, even double-glazed, so aim at an internal wall.

I do find electric heating is hard to work out what to do for the best, lifestyle changes what is required. So mother and baby want heat 24/7, so storage heaters can work well, but the worker, out of the house most of the day, they are useless, as most of the heat is given off when no one is there.

A fan heater, or a bar electric fire, gives off heat instantly, but we see and hear when it turns off, and feel cold, plus it gets cold again quickly, but an oil filled radiator gives off heat more gradually, and there is a delay in getting heat when turned on, but when it turns off, it is still giving out heat, so we don't note it turning on and off.

This is the problem with inferred, using a thermostat will not work, as it does not heat the air, so only way to control is by turning on/off more or less panels, and really it needs the human to control it.

So the 4 bar electric fire of years ago worked well, being able to select 4 output levels, but a single bar on its own is useless, as no way to vary output. Inferred as a fast heat when one gets home great, but it also needs something else as well.