DIT Storage heaters

[Simon Mason]

My sauna heater is 9kW and will heat it up to 110C in 15 mins.

[Dave Liquorice]

2 x 3 is 6 kW plus whate vere else is on that ring.

I'm used to a 38 kW boiler that struggles to keep this place warm when it's cold and blowing a gale (literally) outside.

[RJH]

Yeahbut - that's not 100% of 38kW.

I have similar in a Victorian 4 bed house, and I'm reasonably convinced it's potentially more than enough to keep the whole house warm - having insulated, fitted decent radiators and draft-proofed a couple of rooms.

[ARW]

But you do not live in a well insulated 1960's bungalow in Doncaster:-)

It was not well insulated until we did the refurb.

[Dave Liquorice]

True. It's difficult to say how much the oil burner would run as we have programable stats which drop back to 15C from 2300 to just after

0600 (premptive start), which means unless it's really cold (lower than -5 C) and really blowy outside (greater than F7) there is very little demand for heat but once the daytime 18.5 or 20 C set points are active it'll be running at 50% and that's with the 7 kW to water woodburner having a good burn as well...

Ours is a bit bigger than that, at 1400' and exposed. We do get real gale force winds, that's *sustained* wind speeds over 40 mph.

The half we have dry lined the external walls with 12 mm plaster board backed by 50 mm celotex and (mostly) replaed the rotten wooden windows with moderm double glazed takes *far* less heat than the half that isn't.

[RJH]

The wind must wick a good deal of heat away.

Only 350' in a city terrace here, but east-facing. Little solar gain at the back of the house.

A mate tells me solar gain is a hugely significant variable. I'm not entirely convinced in the UK - depends on the property and location I suppose.

Air-tightness is one I've underestimated in the past, but then I do like

*some* ventilation.

Yes, that would work. I was able to use 100mm in the attic rooms and they take very little heat to keep warm. A 400W halogen heater is fine most of the time, even in the larger (18') room.

The 50mm fitted to the downstairs alcoves makes a 3C difference (5C/8C) at an inside/outside temperature of 20C/0C, measured outside.

[Dave Liquorice]

Blows it away via draughts. B-(

Very noticeable on the insulated/double glazed part. It's a sunny day today and that zone hasen't demanded heat since 0800 this morning. The SW facing rooms are reasonably warm. Over night with it 2 to 3 C outside and no wind that zone called for heat every 3 hours or so.

There is ventilation and there are draughts...