Free & impartial energy advice for anyone in Fife

Using your heating controls (electric)

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If you have electric heating, this can often feel tricky to manage, but using your controls correctly is one of the quickest ways to ensure you can stay warm for less. Electric heating is a broad term covering a range of different options; we cover the most common in this guide as well as considerations that cover all options.

 

Your heating regime

A heating regime is a technical term for what is simply;

  • When you turn your heating on and off
  • How long it’s on for
  • To what temperature do you heat your home

Before setting your heating controls you should consider who is living in your home and how it is occupied. For example, if you’re up early in the morning for work or school you may want the heating to come on in advance of this so it’s already warm when you get out of bed.

 

Choosing your Tariff

If you have electric heating you should check you have an appropriate tariff. Most electric heating can benefit from time of use energy tariffs or off-peak energy tariffs which provide cheaper energy at times when your heaters may be switched on.

You can find out more about these tariffs on the Money Saving Expert website.

 

Storage Heaters

Storage heaters charge up overnight using cheaper off-peak electricity; they then release heat slowly during the day. If you have storage heaters you should check you have a suitable tariff providing cheaper off-peak electricity as a priority.

Storage heaters usually have two controls for Input & Output.

Input

Your Input Control tells the heater how much energy it needs to store overnight. This should be turned up in winter generally but you will want to adapt it to the forcast for the day ahead.

If you’re putting your storage heater on for the first time, it may take a few days for it to get up to temperature properly.

Output

Your output control will adjust how quickly stored heat is discharged into the room. Ideally you will close down the output controller before you to go bed to retain heat over the evening, and open it early in the morning before closing to conserve heat for later in the evening.

Boost

Some storage heaters may have a boost function, allowing them to temporarily charge from the more expensive on-peak rate if you need ’emergency’ heating. You should be cautious about overusing a boost function to prevent higher bills.

 

 

Modern Electric Radiators

Modern electric radiators work more similarly to gas heating than storage heaters as they use energy when you require it, rather than being charged up overnight. Heating controls for modern electric radiators can be very similar to gas systems too.

Room thermostat

You may have a room thermostat if your modern electric radiators are linked together. A room thermostat stops your home from getting warmer than necessary. It will turn the heating on until it reaches the desired target temperature. Once your home reaches that temperature, it’ll turn the heating off until the temperature drops.

You should set your room thermostat for the lowest comfortable temperature.

We would recommend a comfortable temperature of between 18 and 21°C. Remember, this is the temperature for the overall home. You may want to vary your heating slightly between rooms.

Programmer

You may have either a central heating controller or each individual heater may have its own programmer that can be used to set target temperatures and operating times.

Programmers work great if you want to set your heating for specific times, for example, when you get up in the morning or come home from work.

Only set the programmer to come on when you know the heating is going to be needed. Remember, you’re wasting money if you’re heating your home when it’s unoccupied.

 

Immersion Heater

With most electric heating systems, you will have an immersion heater for producing hot water.

Like electric heating, controls for immersion heaters may vary. Some may be linked to your storage heater and come on automatically if you have a restricted meter. Others may have temperature dials and programmers.

If you can set your immersion heater to come on during off-peak periods. You should maintain a temperature of at least 60°C in your hot water tank.

You may also have a BOOST function for your hot water, which will cause the immersion heater to come on using the on-peak rate.

 

Electric Boilers

Electric boilers work the same as gas boilers except they use electricity as fuel to heat water that flows around a system heating up radiators in your home They are one of the least efficient electric heating sources as heat is lost as it moves through the system. If you have an electric boiler our gas heating control guide will be relevent to help you under how to use your heating controls efficiently.

 

Infrared Heating

Infrared heating is a form of ‘direct’ electric heating that is becoming increasibly common as an option in homes. Infrared heaters are panels which can be affixed to a wall or ceiling and can often be freestanding too.

Unlike other forms of heating which moves heat around your home through convection, infreard panels provide heat via radition, similar to how you can feel the warmth from the sun on your face on a cold winters day.

Each panel will be able to be controlled individually or you may have a central controlling device which can set individual panels to switch on and off as required. Setting each panel appropriately will require experimentation and you may also just want to turn them on and off manually as required.

 

Heat Pumps

If you have a heat pump, which can use electricity to produce renewable energy for your home, you can learn more about using these controls in our dedicated heat pump control guide.

 

Support from Cosy Kingdom

Are you wanting advice on using your heating controls? Our energy advisors are here to help, get in touch to arrange a free and impartial home visit from a member of the team.