# Sick of heating problems, going electric- suka rads.



## Giggsey (5 Mar 2010)

For the last five years have had a constant battle with oil heating system.
One leak which required 2 rooms of wooden floors to be dug up, problem with burner (replaced) and expansion vessel (replaced) on separate occasions.....

Before that lived in 3-bed semi with electric storage heaters, and found them to be pretty good.

Starting to have problems with oil in new house again with losing pressure, it may be another leak.

I'm thinking of taking out the rads, close off the pipes and replace with electric radiators.
Read the previous posts about cost of electric heating is more expensive per kw/h - but with reduction in maintenance cost and also Oil price will probably go sky high again….maybe not
  much of a differential.

So found this company website:
[broken link removed]
Radther that night storage they are just thermostat controlled electric rads...as expected there website is very complimentary on there performance.
I've no contact with company. Anyone have experience with them?

Anyone change a oil/gas heating system in large house (18 rads) to electric? Crazy idea?


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## Giggsey (8 Mar 2010)

Anyone?....is it so crazy no one has done it before?


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## wbbs (8 Mar 2010)

Cant really give you specifics about those rads but was involved in an extension build lately that could not without great difficulty be added to the existing central heating system in house so we put in electric panel radiators with thermostats on them.  Smaller shape than those ones and smooth, cant remember brand name, anyway esb bill has gone astronomical.  It is costing more to heat the extension than to heat the original house, there are 3 radiators, one is a bedroom so it is on thermostat and timer and set at reasonably high level, have turned off one of the others permanently and second one is set to very very low, really just to prevent mould growing!!   Sorry I ever bought them.   So dont know cost per whatever comparision between oil and electricity but from looking at my wallet I can tell you it is definetly costing more.  Cant wait for better weather so can turn them all off.


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## Leo (8 Mar 2010)

Giggsey said:


> Read the previous posts about cost of electric heating is more expensive per kw/h - but with reduction in maintenance cost and also Oil price will probably go sky high again….maybe not
> much of a differential.


 
If oil prices rise, electricity will also!



Giggsey said:


> as expected there website is very complimentary on there performance.


 
The site compares their performance against storage heaters! You'd need to work out the difference between them and oil.



Giggsey said:


> Crazy idea?


 
Yes. It'd be a lot cheaper to get someone competent to resolve any outstanding issues with your current setup.


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## Soarer (8 Mar 2010)

Leo said:


> If oil prices rise, electricity will also!


 
Short term, yes. 
But in the longer term, the use of renewable energy should reduce the cost of electricity.


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## rockofages (8 Mar 2010)

As a rule of thumb, day rate electricity is 4 times the cost of natural gas per kw/h. There are other factors, but that alone is enough to deter me from using electricity for heating.


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## Leo (9 Mar 2010)

Soarer said:


> Short term, yes.
> But in the longer term, the use of renewable energy should reduce the cost of electricity.


 
I think the short term here would more than cover the life span of such a heating system. 

Currently, wind or wave electricity generation costs twice to three times as much as that using fossil fuels, so the use of renewables is actually raising the price of electricity. It'll be a long time before electricity generation using renewable sources is cheaper than the alternatives.
Leo


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## Lak (9 Mar 2010)

If you ever came to sell or rent the property then you would be absolutely crucified in a BER rating for electric storage heaters..if you woild currently reach a comfortable C then this would plummett to a (bottom) G or low F at best, who would want to buy a property with the lowest possible energy rating even if in truth it constitutues a false reflection.
BER's are heavily penalised for their electrical consumption.


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## Giggsey (10 Mar 2010)

Thanks for feedback.

As said above not a storage heater but an electric radiator.


Anyway I knew this was a long shot. The idea of no boiler/pipes seems advantageous but got an approx price of ~500 euro for one rad, so replacing 18 of them is never going to happen.

Will get current system fixed and work on.


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## CarolineF (27 Apr 2010)

I have the Suka heaters!!!
Renovated an old house last year and didnt want to rip out the original floor boards so bit the bullet and went for Suka.
No complaints whatsoever - in or around the same price I paid for gas bills in the other house last year, allowing for the fact that this winter was so bad!
Two comments though - there's no one in the house all day so the house isn't heated then; I presume a stay-at-home situaiton would cost far more. And secondly, it is a child-free house so only the rooms being used are being heated i.e. sitting room/diningkitchen, bedroom. Other rooms and hall on very low, just to take the chill off.
That being said, they're no-maintenance, look cute andsince they're not costing me a fortune I'm happy!
Got them installed by a crowd in Meath, guy caled Mahon, can't remember their name but very professional and efficient service, they fitted them all.
Hope that helps, feel free to pm me with any more queries 
Caroline


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## galwaytt (27 Apr 2010)

legs-akimbo said:


> If you ever came to sell or rent the property then you would be absolutely crucified in a BER rating for electric storage heaters.........BER's are heavily penalised for their electrical consumption.


 
...true, but long term, with ESB prices being the way they are, and are going to go, I think electric heating for domestic purposes is completely the wrong way to go.


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