One of the concerns we hear regularly is what is involved with an electric radiator installation? What inconvenience will I incur and how difficult will it be when removing old storage heaters to accommodate the new heaters? Do I need to be on a better tariff?
Naturally these are all valid questions and below we have attempted to address each one, but recognise that we cannot understand everyone’s own situation. This page is to help you understand what’s involved and if it all looks and sounds a bit daunting then we can provide you with a full service package right through from helping you select the right style and size of radiators to arranging the installation and the chageover to a more favourable electric tariff
Firstly you need to consider the removal of your old heaters and where you would like your new radiators to be fitted. In many cases you may want to put them into exactly the same place as your heaters. In others they may be better located elsewhere in the room and ideally under windows to allow for good air movement and temperature exchange.
Storage Heater Removal
Storage Heaters contain special bricks which are very heavy – which is why storage heaters have legs underneath to support the weight which can be substantial.
The unit is first isolated from the electrical supply and the power cable(s) are removed from the power supply (normally a fused spur) The cover is then removed from the unit exposing the internals. The bricks are then removed and then any retaining screws holding the rear of the unit on the wall. The unit can then be lifted away and taken away for disposal. All in that should take around 20-25 minutes per old heater.
Panel Heater Removal
These are much easier than storage heaters as they are lightweight and basic. As before isolate from the power supply and remove any connection from fused spurs. Loosen the screws holding the unit onto the brackets. Remove the heater by lifting it off. That’s it done!
If you have reasonable DIY skills you can do this yourself otherwise we can arrange for one of our professionals to do it for you.
Fitting the new electric radiators
Fitting the new radiators is a very simple and quick process and depending on the model will determine the type of brackets and fittings involved to hold the radiator on to the wall.
If you are fitting the radiators onto a stud or partition wall then depending on the weight and size of the radiator you may want to consider the use of special steel butterfly fixings or you can mount the brackets directly onto the studs to give additional support. As the radiators are much lighter than the old storage heaters then the use of legs to support the weight are not required.
Simply you will measure the points on the wall as explained in the instruction booklet and fit the brackets which will be 3 or 4 and you literally hang the radiator onto the brackets. Fitting a new electric radiator will take around 20 minutes
Connecting to the power supply
All our radiators come supplied with a European plug and if you want to plug them into a UK socket you can either change the European plug for a UK one or use a travel plug type converter. However most people want to use them as a permanent installation which means they will be hard wired into the mains supply by the use of a fused spur. Therefore the plug will have to be cut off and the cable be connected to the aforementioned fused spur.
You may already have these from your old heaters and you should be able to connect to these again if they are in the right place. If however you want to install your new electric heaters elsewhere in the room then we strongly suggest you consult an electrician.
Economy 7, Economy 10 and Electricity Tariffs
If you have been using your old storage heaters then you will already be familiar with Economy 7 and that it makes your storage heaters work, however you may not be familiar with the wiring in your home which will affect anyone with a storage heater system.
1. The storage heaters are connected to a separate wiring circuit which is independent from your regular sockets and its is switched on via a radio signal from the BBC from midnight and is switched off again at 7am – hence the 7 hours. Some of the newer storage heaters have an additional daytime circuit which switches on a separate heater element for use when the heat has expired
2. Your hot water tank is also connected to the same circuit.
3. You have two electricity meters – one for the Economy 7 system and one standard meter for the rest of your home
If you decide to replace the storage heaters then we strongly suggest changing to a more favourable tariff to suit your lifestyle – whether working or not, and again we can arrange this for you which is very straightforward.
The whole process can be done quickly and effectively and the whole removal and installation can be done by our professional electric heating experts and even if you have 5 old heaters to remove and 5 new electric heaters to fit, then that can easily be accommodated in around 4-5 hours so minimising disruption.
Finally the old heaters need to be disposed of and you easily do this by taking them to a household waste site or again our professionals can arrange it for you.
If you want to discuss any aspect of this or arrange a quote for our full service package just call us on or send an email to
