Storage heaters use off-peak electricity which is supplied from the national grid to your house, usually overnight when demand for electricity nationally is low. This is called the ‘off-peak’ period, because it’s off peak, it’s supplied at a cheaper price than standard rate electricity, so it needs a separate off-peak electrical circuit and meter. This circuit is dedicated to operating the off-peak heaters and is only switched on during the off-peak time period. This will take place at certain times of the day or night, and will be dictated by your electricity supplier.
In the same way that your kettle uses an element to heat water, electricity is used to heat elements in your heater. Over a number of hours, the elements gradually transfer the heat to very high-density energy retention cells that absorb and store the heat for use the next day. The off-peak heaters use insulation material to retain as much of this heat for as long as possible. When the off-peak period finishes, for the majority of off-peak heaters, the heat is gradually released into the room in a controlled way over the course of the day. In the case of smart fan-assisted models such as Quantum almost all of the heat is retained until it is required.
Traditional storage heaters have a tendency to release their stored heat in a reasonably controlled manner, but would usually deplete their thermal core during the day and have no usable stored heat in the early evening. Our Quantum is specially classified as a ‘high heat retention’ storage heater which features smart controls that take exactly the correct amount of charge. In addition, Quantum has a highly insulated core to store the heat for longer and has a fan to extract the heat more evenly. It features a direct acting heating element to provide extra heat if required. Our XLE storage heater, although not classified as a high retention storage heater is a more conventional design and boasts superior insulation properties over traditional storage heaters.
