#ElectricityTips #ImmersionHeater #ElectricFlats
Hey everyone! 💡💰 Just moved into a new electric flat and trying to navigate the world of high electricity bills. 🏡💸 I have a question for you all: Can I leave the immersion heater off permanently?
Here’s what I know and what I’m thinking:
– Immersion heaters can be energy guzzlers in electric flats.
– I have an electric shower, so do I really need the immersion heater for just the taps?
– Seems like a waste to heat a whole tank for handwashing, right? 🚱
Possible solution:
– Consider investing in a timer for the immersion heater to use only when necessary.
– Opt for heating water on-demand using your electric shower.
What do you all think? Any advice or tips on managing electricity costs in a fully electric flat? Share your thoughts! 🌟#SaveEnergy #ElectricitySavings
Just to check, your room heaters aren’t using the immersion are they? If they’re direct electric panel heaters/night storage heaters, then it may well just be your hot water taps. Might have some considerations around legionella is my only thought.
I haven’t used my immersion heater since I moved in to my current flat 3 years ago. The shower, dishwasher, and washing machine each heat the water they need.
Why pay to keep 200 litres of water constantly hot in a tank the attic, doing nothing, and not being used?!
If I needed some hot water for something (but I can’t think of anything) I could boil a kettle.
It’s worth checking if you can program the immersion heater to come on (I’ve found my tank keeps water warm for at least 36 hours) and that what you think is an electric shower (a shower that heats water as it goes through) isn’t a power shower (a shower with a pump in it that gives you better pressure for a shower but doesn’t heat water. If you can program it, then you could still get warm water for washing your hands.
Otherwise yup, switch that thing off.
Honeywell do a controller called a 15/30/60. This has push button that turns it on for 15, 30 or 60 minutes depending on how many times you press it.
15 or 30 is enough for washing up/house cleaning or 60 for a bath if you ever want one.
You can leave it off but make sure to flush it out when you restart it for legionella.
See if you can take a look at the cylinder spec panel. It will tell you the heat loss and therefore how much it costs you to keep it on. If it’s newish it might be a very small amount of energy.
When I turned mine off my energy usage went down by 1/3. I boil a kettle to do my dishes in the sink (don’t have a dishwasher) and otherwise don’t have a use for warm tap water so don’t miss it.
Put it on a smart switch, so if you fancy a bath you can just say, “ok google, put the immersion heater on for 1 hour at 6pm”.
I lived in my flat for eight years and never turned the immersion heater once. Not sure if it even worked – I had it removed in the end and replaced it all with an electric boiler.
Leaving an inversion heater on will be very expensive especially if you use the water lots
Don’t use it if you don’t have to. I feel your pain… I have a mains shower and it probably costs £1.50 a day at least to ensure I have hot/warm water. I try to shower at work as much as possible…
This has made me think maybe my electricity bill in my old flat was high because of that 🫠 I never realised but it also leaked one time all over things in the cupboard below it 😂 I know for future references now I may be able to switch it off
With a well-insulated tank the heat loss will be 1-2 kwh/day. On economy 7 and even with current energy prices, leaving the night immersion heater on is only £5/month.
For normal tariffs it will be more like 4x that at best
Also don’t forget that the heat is not wasted other than in summer months, and this is especially true in small flats where the tank is near main living areas
What everyone else said, plus you can also get an electric tap that plugs into a socket for the kitchen sink. We had one for 2 years and worked great, gets up to around 45C. We didn’t use it every day, but was useful to have.
The immersion heater needs to be heated up to 60°c at least once a week. This kills off the bacteria cells. Honestly, they’re highly insulated and essential if you want your hot water for washing up! I’m in a 1 bed electric flat as well… This time of year, I’m about £60 a month. During the winter months I got a little careless and I had it at £160 a month. Baring in mind, it’s my first time living here and I left the heated bathroom floor on a timer every day… Cost a fortune!
I used to turn mine off and on again all the time. Eventually got it taken out and had a small under sink thing put in, which I do the same with.
Im not sick yet after years, literally, but think I’ll change my ways.
Better safe than sorry.
Only need it if you want some hot water fast and there isn’t any