Heating, Ventilation & Insulation
The benefits of High Heat Retention Storage Heating
High Heat Retention Storage Heating
(HHRSH) is an efficient way of storing
heat from cheap off-peak electricity
tariffs. Originally developed to make
use of the excess night-time energy
generated by nuclear power stations,
storage heaters use cheaper off-peak
energy to heat elements within the unit,
which gradually transfer heat to a high-
density core to be stored for future use.
Insulation material retains this heat
within the core, and when the off-peak
period finishes it is gradually released
throughout the following days.
With no pipes, boilers, flues, fluid or
gas safety requirements, HHRSHs are
quick and easy to install. They generate
significantly less carbon than gas
central heating since the electrical grid
has transferred to renewable production
methods.
Advances in controls and insulation
mean HHRSH now retain heat for
significantly longer than traditional
storage heaters. These systems are up
to 27% cheaper to run than a standard
storage heater system, and up to
47% cheaper to run than any direct-
acting electric convector, aluminium
radiator or panel heating system.
of energy to be stored overnight.
Replacing these with HHRSHs can
reduce the annual running cost by £418
over the typical lifespan of the heater,
and £975 when replacing direct acting
electric heaters, creating savings of up
to £19,500 over 20 years.
This is calculated using SAP software,
the Government-recognised tool for
modelling building energy requirements
and running costs.
Automated controls with user apps
and IoT technology can now accurately
track the required heating profile
of the user, calculating exactly how
much energy is needed without user-
intervention. This maximises comfort
and prevents the user from using, or
paying for, more than they need.
Off-peak electric heating has a major
role to play in tackling climate change
and reducing UK fuel poverty, and
HHRSHs are ideal for those struggling
to pay the bills or wishing to reduce
their carbon footprint. The average
storage heater is more than 20 years
old, with more than 70% requiring
the user to manually set the amount
40
Tackling fuel poverty in electrically
heated homes is vitally important, with
16% of electrically heated homes in
England and 50% in Scotland are fuel
poor. These homes are typically smaller,
less-well insulated and often rely on
landlords or grant funding to complete
the necessary upgrades required to make
the building and its heating system
comfortable, controllable and efficient.
The continued rollout of HHRSHs to
these properties is vital to meeting the
climate and fuel poverty strategies that
are top of the agenda in the UK today.
www.gdhv.co.uk