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GFCH, OFCH and Storage Heaters

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  • 09-04-2019 12:25am
    #1
    This is it
    Registered Users Posts: 5,485 ✭✭✭


    I'm not sure if this is the correct forum, feel free to move if not.

    I'm looking to buy, it will likely be an apartment. Most I see have storage heating which I know is inefficient and costly at best. While I'll do my best to get GFCH it seems unlikely.

    Are there any tips for making storage heating more efficient or as efficient as possible or any alternative that could be installed? I have plenty of friends in construction, mechanical/electrical engineers so labor cost wouldn't be an issue.

    Thanks in advance.


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    #2
    Mrs OBumble
    Registered Users Posts: 25,941 ✭✭✭✭Mrs OBumble


    It's not necessarily costly, especially when you factor in the probability of oil being stolen.

    Learn to use the controls, keep an eye on the weather forecast, and only heat the rooms that you actually live in.


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    #3
    K.Flyer
    Registered Users Posts: 8,565 ✭✭✭K.Flyer


    This is it wrote: »
    I'm not sure if this is the correct forum, feel free to move if not.

    I'm looking to buy, it will likely be an apartment. Most I see have storage heating which I know is inefficient and costly at best. While I'll do my best to get GFCH it seems unlikely.

    Are there any tips for making storage heating more efficient or as efficient as possible or any alternative that could be installed? I have plenty of friends in construction, mechanical/electrical engineers so labor cost wouldn't be an issue.

    Thanks in advance.

    Its quite rare to find oil heating in Apartments, (I only know of two places) so you're quite unlikely to come across that.
    It shouldn't be too difficult to find a suitable Apartment with a decent Gas heating system. but I suppose it depends on what area you want / need to live.
    Older apartments could mean older gas heating systems. Which could mean the gas boiler may need changing soon enough and in some apartment complexes that is an absolute nightmare with costs easily reaching a few thousand euros.
    If you are interested in a particular apartment and it has gas I would be suggesting you First have the system checked by a Registed Gas Installer (RGI) to get some indication of the gas boiler age / condition / potential cost of replacement.
    A good gas system should be easy to operate and maintain, with annual servicing / maintenance being the only requirement.
    Older electrical storage heating is a nightmare, having lived in an apt with it for a couple of years.
    I do believe that more modern electric heaters, that people replace the old storage heaters with, give you more control and are more efficient to run.


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    #4
    This is it
    Registered Users Posts: 5,485 ✭✭✭This is it


    Mrs OBumble wrote: »
    It's not necessarily costly, especially when you factor in the probability of oil being stolen.

    Learn to use the controls, keep an eye on the weather forecast, and only heat the rooms that you actually live in.

    I suppose I was talking more GFCH than oil. From my own experience in rented accommodation it can be more costly, or at least much harder to keep costs down. Obviously it's on the cheaper electricity rate at night but by the time you're home in the evening after work to use it the blocks have cooled somewhat and you've to use the boost function anyway. You also lose out on hot water that oil or gas can heat as an alternative to the immersion.

    It can be a pain moving from room to room turning them on/off too, timers can only work so well in a climate like ours where you could be tanning in the garden one minute and have hail stones the next, maybe connecting them to a smart home system might work well for better cost and convenience...


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    #5
    This is it
    Registered Users Posts: 5,485 ✭✭✭This is it


    K.Flyer wrote: »
    Its quite rare to find oil heating in Apartments, (I only know of two places) so you're quite unlikely to come across that.
    It shouldn't be too difficult to find a suitable Apartment with a decent Gas heating system. but I suppose it depends on what area you want / need to live.
    Older apartments could mean older gas heating systems. Which could mean the gas boiler may need changing soon enough and in some apartment complexes that is an absolute nightmare with costs easily reaching a few thousand euros.
    If you are interested in a particular apartment and it has gas I would be suggesting you First have the system checked by a Registed Gas Installer (RGI) to get some indication of the gas boiler age / condition / potential cost of replacement.
    A good gas system should be easy to operate and maintain, with annual servicing / maintenance being the only requirement.
    Older electrical storage heating is a nightmare, having lived in an apt with it for a couple of years.
    I do believe that more modern electric heaters, that people replace the old storage heaters with, give you more control and are more efficient to run.

    Thanks for that, I had never though of having a RGI inspect beforehand, something I'll definitely do if I manage to get gas.


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    #6
    0lddog
    Registered Users Posts: 3,292 ✭✭✭0lddog


    Perhaps a tad O/T, there was a thread about heating an apartment running on another forum some time ago

    https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2057696142


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    #7
    PhoenixParker
    Registered Users Posts: 2,677 ✭✭✭PhoenixParker


    If you have storage heaters there are a few things you can do.

    Upgrade the insulation and make sure you have decent curtains. Choose an apartment with fewer outside walls, you will need to be confident of the sound insulation for this. Choose a good aspect, big south facing windows will trap heat if there's any sun. Upgrade the storage heaters and learn to work the controls, newer heaters are a better standard and working the controls properly is key.

    I've lived in several apartments that were kept toasty warm by storage heaters that didn't cost the earth. I've lived in others that were miserable but could have been fine with upgraded insulation.


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    #8
    ercork
    Registered Users Posts: 177 ✭✭ercork


    If you're stuck with electricity then check out air to air heat pumps. I got one installed last year as a replacement for storage heaters and it's been fantastic so far - greater comfort and much lower bills. You will need access to the outside though (balcony?) and it will cost 1500 - 2000 to install. There are a good few posts on here about them.


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    #9
    CitizenFloor
    Registered Users Posts: 321 ✭✭CitizenFloor


    In our apartment, we had one storage heater in the main living space replaced with a Rointe (€400). The main issue we had was, in order for the heat to last the entire day, the storage heaters needed to be turned up to full blast. Even with the lower rates at night, it was a bit too (not massively) expensive. Now we have the storage heaters on low, and the Rointe programmed to kick in later when it gets colder later in the day. It’s kind of a balancing exercise to get it right, but there is a sweet spot.
    Of course, do what you can with air tightness and insulation too.


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