An Electric thermal storage heater is an electrical heating appliance which stores thermal energy during the evening or night. This is the time of day when electricity is available at a lower cost. It then releases the heat at specific times during the day as required. Storage heaters store the heat in bricks typically composed of iron or other ceramic material.
Electric thermal storage heaters earn their keep by storing heat when electricity is less expensive so it is critical to ensure the heater is storing the heat during Off-Peak times set by your utility!
Off-Peak rates vary in duration of time, some utilize a 7 hour Off-Peak, others 8 hours, 10 hours and 12 hour Off-Peak are also common in some areas of North America. Rates also change at different times, therefore it is important to ensure proper controls to turn off and on your storage heater.
Some Utilities will offer Mid-Peak rates, which are generally a lower cost per kilowatt than On-Peak rates, yet higher per kilowatt cost than Off-Peak. All of this is important for two key reasons;
- you want to ensure you store enough heat in the Off-Peak period
- you want to ensure you are maximizing your savings by storing the heat utilizing less expensive Off-Peak electricity
To lean more about Electric thermal storage heaters, click here for our online webinars.
Greg Sutherland on January 16th, 2012 at 11:27pm
Can you purchase these units directly from the manufacturer?
chad on January 17th, 2012 at 4:24pm
Hey Greg,
You can contact Don Malloy at Ace Electric (902)-456-0964 for a quote.
Storage Heaters on July 26th, 2012 at 7:16am
Storage heating is very useful as it saves electricity bills. It is always better to use storage heaters on behalf of electric heaters. There are some advantages of both electric heaters & storage heaters.
Ron Hilsdorf on December 31st, 2012 at 4:18am
Hi,
I have owned Olsberg and Valiant ETS heaters for close to 20yrs. I need to either replace some of my Olsberg elements, but so far, no luck. I may have to buy a new unit and am looking for info (pricing, ect). I am interested in 5 & 6kw units. Thanks.
Ron Hilsdorf
Karyn on January 3rd, 2013 at 4:02pm
Hi Ron, Thanks for your post. Brian Reid, the Solutions Manager for Sustainable & Renewable Product at Dimplex will be contacting you today.
SNH Tradecentre on April 15th, 2013 at 11:03am
Dear Brian,
A great article, going into real in-depth detail regarding storage heaters. I particularly like how you’ve covered so many different aspects surrounding storage heaters. These are the main enquiries that someone looking to invest for the first time would find highly useful, and could be the difference between investing and not.
A very well thought out and well written blog.
Great stuff.