How do I replace storage heaters to retain EPC C rating?

If it doesn’t need doing and the heating works and no regulations are being broken do nothing.

I had the same issue, the storage heaters were old and not not working very well and replaced with latest eco friendly (Cat 5) heaters. The EPC was carried out as old one expired and is now a D. I questioned this and the assessor said if you left one Storage heater in it would still be a C, but they didn't work well and this is far cheaper to run. They do a tick box exercise, the assessor said it is crazy but computer says No.
EPC is not fit for purpose as contradicts what the Government want, heat pumps etc, but EPC then downgraded. Would be nice if we could get a government to do joined up thinking and policies.

Hi Robert,
Your concerns are correct. If you want to replace the old Storage Heaters, then you need to purchase High Heat Retention (HHR) Storage Heaters.
If you follow your Electricians advice, your EPC will indeed go down (as confirmed by my EPC assessor).

Dear Robert,
I have given this opinon several times on this forum.
You need to have an honest chat with your EPC assessor but only once the new EPC rules due next year have been published and understood. They can advise you what future steps to take to achieve the most points and the highest grade of EPC rating achievable. It will also give you an idea of costings so you can spend your investment wisely to achieve the required C grade.
Do not follow the advice of the electrician who wants to flog you something that almost certainly will be less energy efficient than the present gold standard in electric heating which is the Quantum HE night storage heaters, BUT take my advice above, await and speak to the correct expert for the reasons stated above.

Hi Robert, I have 5 properties in a 3 story block and they are all electric and no gas is in the building. I have upgraded them all to EPC C. I replaced the old night storage heaters with HHR night storage heaters as well as fitting a dual supply control unit for the hot water immersion heater. As well as the usual double glazing, wall insulation and low energy lighting this got them all comfortably over the line. We do not know if the criteria for EPC assessors will change in the future but we know what it is now so an EPC now is valid for 10 years. If the criteria changes and assuming we do not have to re assess you could be buying years of compliance if done now.

I had a similar dilemma three years ago when refurbishing a rental flat. The old storage heaters would have given me a higher EPC but are not popular with tenants, being unsightly and fiddly to control, and also of less use if the tenant is out at work during the day - so a modern electric system would be more efficient and cheaper. I took the decision to use the better electric heaters and wait for the EPC regime to catch up... If needed I can revert to storage heaters in the future, if compelled to by law, but I am hoping this won't be necessary!

Replacing storage heaters are expensive, as the unit themselves are expensive but the labor on top due to the bricks and usually requires 2 persons to carry and fit the unit. I manage a few flats that have 25 year old Dimplex night storage heaters and they still work, so whilst they do and comply with current regulations no need to change them.

Though it is worth researching so when they do pack up, you know what to do next to avoid the tenants waiting.
Newer storage heaters are all eco compliant with Lot20 which I believe as an EU regulation we followed pre-brexit era, so it was to reduce the output of the appliances to be more economical however that has meant the heat output is less than the older units.

Unlike with gas central heating where you measure the room for BTU so you get the right radiator, you need to do the same calculations to obtain the right KW output for the room. Problem I have found is if you have a storage heater in a large room, the chances are that one new storage heater may not be enough to heat up the room efficiently. The non storage heaters have a higher output so you might get one heater to heat the room but if not you can fit a large and a small heater for one room and this will still be cheaper than a storage heater.

I use the heatershop.co.uk as the delivery is usually next day.

Your electrician is not an EPC assessor and unfortunately the two don't agree on the best way forward. The legislation is an arse!

I would contact an advisory centre and it may be that grants are available for replacements as you are all electric

I don't know the area you are in but a company who offers good advice for the South West is https://carbonmatters.org.uk or your local authority may be able to point you in the right direction

I always thought that Economy 7 was the cheaper night tariff. One meter for the night tariff and one for the higher day tariff.

As an accredited Energy Assessor I can say based on the current Domestic EPC methodology DO NOT replace storage heaters with electric panel heaters. Your Domestic EPC rating will go down.
The reason is that Domestic EPCs use fuel cost as the basis of calculating the rating. Storage heaters coupled with a dual rate meter means that much of the energy used is charged at the cheaper overnight rate. Electric panel heaters use electricity at day rate, which is more expensive, thus realising a lower Domestic EPC rating.
This might change in the future but Government have not decided/informed the industry what changes will be made and how this may or may not affect the Domestic EPC ratings in the future.
We all may have reasons for disagreeing with what Domestic EPCs tell us, but if we understand that they are currently aiming to keep running costs down for occupants then at least we can have a grown up discussion about how to achieve the rating we require in an informed manner.