How to use electric storage heater controls

More modern storage heaters use digital controls, while older heaters have manual controls. Depending on the model, you might even be able to control your storage heater with an app. 

Modern, digital storage heaters usually come with: 

• Automatic charge control.  Regulates how much energy you use by storing more or less heat at night. To do this it looks at the temperatures inside and outside, as well as how much heat you needed the previous day. 
• A thermostat. This lets you set the temperature you want the storage heater to heat the room to. 
• A programmer or timer. This lets you set specific times for when you want your heating to come on and off. Some have modes like ‘out all day’ or ‘home all day’ to make this easier. 

Older, manual controls usually include: 

• An input dial. Sometimes known as ‘charge’. This controls how much heat the heater stores as it charges overnight. 
• An output dial. This controls how much heat the heater releases during the day. 

Some models also have a boost function. This tops up your electric storage heater by getting electricity from the grid as you need it. 

Storage heaters have two phases: 

• their charging phase 
• their heating phase 

How they charge and how they heat the room depends on the storage heater model and your electricity tariff. 

Storage heaters charge during off-peak hours when electricity is cheaper, usually overnight. How this works depends on your tariff and heater type: 

Economy 7 or Economy 10 tariffs 

Your meter or a timer switch controls when the off-peak circuit is live. The heater charges automatically during these cheaper hours. 

Radio Teleswitch (RTS) tariffs (eg Total Heat Total Control, ComfortPlus Control) 

Some meters use a radio signal, switching the off-peak circuit on. RTS is being phased out, so if your system relies on it, you’ll need to upgrade your meter soon. 

• Older heaters: You set the input dial to decide how much heat to store. Higher input = hotter bricks = more heat for the next day. 
• Modern heaters: Sensors and smart controls store just the right amount of heat. 

To heat the room, the stored heat is gradually released into the room through vents. 

• Older heaters release heat continuously, and you control the flow with the output dial. 
• Modern heaters use thermostats and fans to release heat when the room temperature is lower than what has been set. 

Storage heaters don’t produce heat instantly like a regular electric heater. Instead, they rely on the heat stored overnight, so planning ahead is essential. 

Here’s how you use electric storage heaters: 

1. Set your temperature 
2. Set your timer 
3. Consider your setback temperature 

Once they’re set, digital electric storage heater controls are easier to run than manual controls. This is because they’ll automatically store enough heat for your set routine. 

Set your temperature 

Select a temperature that’s comfortable, usually somewhere between 18°C and 21°C. Remember, setting a lower temperature means your storage heater doesn’t need to store so much heat, saving you money.

But, if you set it too low, the heater won’t store enough heat for the next day. Because storage heaters don’t recharge until the following day, you can’t quickly boost the temperature later – so make sure your setting matches your needs. 

Set your timer 

Most modern storage heaters have timer modes like ‘out all day’ or ‘home all day’ for convenience. Select one of these modes and the heater will release heat at set periods throughout the day in line with your routine. 

If you prefer, you can specify set the time and day for your storage heater to turn on and off. 

Consider your setback temperature 

Some storage heaters have a ‘setback’ temperature. This is the temperature the heater will try to keep the room at while it’s set to ‘heating off’. 

This can be useful to stop the room getting too cold. It may also mean the heater doesn’t need to work as hard to bring the room up to a comfortable temperature later on. 

However, if you set your setback temperature too high, your electric storage heater will use up its stored heat faster. 

To use an old storage heater, you should: 

1. Set your input dial ahead of time
2. Adjust your output dial to suit your daily routine
3. Turn your output to ‘low’ at night 
4. Only use the boost function if you really need it 

Set your input dial ahead of time 

The higher you set your input, the more electricity the storage heater will use and the more the heat it will store. How high you set the input dial depends on how cold you think it’s going to be the next day. 

If you think it will be cold, set your input high so the heater stores enough heat to last you the next day. If the weather will be milder, turn it down so you don’t store more heat than you need. 

Remember, the higher the setting, the more electricity you’ll use and it will cost more to run. Also remember that any changes you make to your input setting won’t happen until the next charging period. 

Adjust your output dial to suit your daily routine 

The higher you set your output dial, the quicker the heater will release its stored heat. If you set this to minimum, the heater will still release the heat that’s been stored – it just does it more slowly. 

Think about your daily routine and see if you can set your output control to suit this. To make the heat last all day, we recommend you leave the output dial on the minimum setting if you’re out during the day. 

If it gets colder during the evening, turn the dial up higher to let the remaining heat escape faster. 

Adjusting the output dial won’t cost you any money. This is because it’s only releasing the heat you’ve already paid for – it’s just released quicker. 

Turn your output to ‘low’ at night 

Make sure you set your output dial to minimum when you go to bed. This will stop heat being given out while you’re asleep, and the storage heater can focus on storing heat for the following day. 

Only use the boost function if you really need it 

You should only use your ‘boost’ if you’ve run out of stored heat. It may use the most expensive electricity rate if you’re on an Economy 7 tariff. Try to use this only in the coldest weather and when you’ve run out of stored heat.

You should keep your storage heater on for as long as you need the heat.

Some specific storage heater models that use particular time of use tariffs may need to be on all the time. If you’re unsure, check the manufacturer’s instructions.

If you’re using an older storage heater, you might be able to turn it off when you don’t need it.

For example, if you know you won’t need it for a longer period you can turn it off at the wall. This would likely be in the middle of summer.

But remember that you’ll need to turn it back on the night before you think you’ll need the heat again. This gives the storage heater time to store heat, ready to release the following day.

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