UK Landlord Forum / Life

Hi all!  First time posting on here, so hoping the hive mind can help...!
Last quarterly inspection resulted in identifying a broken storage heater.  Tenant very nice about it, but that was summer - think may be different now winter is on its way!  We need to replace it soon (and the rest of them are probably on their way out, tbf). Any advice on this?  Is it worth investing in the newest/latest modern models with smart tech etc, or are panel radiators just as good from landlord perspective?  Need to make a business decision obvs, based on cost of investment against likely added appeal/rental yield, but clearly don't want ongoing repairs/costly maintenance etc.  I'm sure you all understand!  Grateful for suggestions on make/model of anything you can recommend, and considerations we may not have thought of. 
Many thanks in advance.  Alex and Chris.

Does the tenant use a night storage appropriate tariff?

Yes, two meters in property (electric only property) one is economy 7 I believe, and the other standard tariff.  We also have EPC rating D, if that's of any relevance!   

I should say that although this is a business, we're also very eco-conscious and try to be as sustainable as possible in all our operations, which is another consideration for us personally.  If it's a small additional cost to encompass this, we'll always do that over pure profit etc. 

Thanks again for your help!

Quote from: collinsresi on September 25, 2022, 12:03:26 PM
I should say that although this is a business, we're also very eco-conscious and try to be as sustainable as possible in all our operations, which is another consideration for us personally.  If it's a small additional cost to encompass this, we'll always do that over pure profit etc. 

There's not a lot to choose between a storage heater and an electric radiator in ecological terms. (Arguably you might save a bit of carbon if you're making use of wind power in times of low demand but then again if the property isn't occupied during the day, a lot of the heat from a storage heater can go to waste.) The bigger risk is that if you start replacing them with electric radiators you may find the next time you have an EPC done that you're down to an E rating, by which time it may not be permissible to let anything below a D.

What sort of property is it? Would an air-source heat pump be viable?

What sort of property is it? Would an air-source heat pump be viable?
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Unfortunately it's leasehold flat, 1st floor of 3.  It's currently very unlikely we will secure permission to put a heat pump in. 

We are pestering the freehold company about potential to upgrade the power options for the block.  No idea how feasible that kind of retrofit is on a 60s/70s block but would seem ideal to install solar or wind generation as a communal benefit.  The block comprises two linked buildings with a flat roof, containing 24 flats - feels like there would be enough return to make it viable, but I'm no expert on these things. And as we're not there yet, we need to think of all potential options including the status quo.  Has anyone else been through this kind of thing? Feels a bit ground-breaking at the moment but also the direction of travel!

I have the same problem. 40 year old storage heater on its last legs. I've been thinking of getting a Dimplex replacement from EBay. I have heard panel heaters are crap and need replacing every couple of years. Any advice welcome.

Panel heaters on an eco-tariff - any ideas? I have a company coming to quote for these next week so curious if anyone has any experience?

Have you tried talking to the tenant to see what they would prefer.
Last time I had a storage heater to replace the tenant preferred to switch to normal radiators, which were a lot cheaper for me (lots of younger tenants just don't like storage radiators).

That was pre energy bill meltdown though.