High heat retention storage heaters HHR
High heat retention storage heaters are contemporary versions of what used to be referred to simply as night storage heaters, off-peak heaters or Economy 7 heaters. Some models can benefit from night storage capacity, so heating a bettery over night at a lower tariff, but also with the ability to run ans normal but high efficiency day rate heaters.
'Modelling electric storage heaters within the Home Energy Model' published in December 2023 by the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero and an consortium led by the Building Research Establishment (BRE) defines electric storage heaters as 'room heaters which typically use off-peak electricity to heat up a high thermal mass core, then release this heat later when space heating is required.' it continues 'Their use is long-established in the UK and they have historically been a helpful technology in terms of smoothing the load on the national grid. The main factors determining their performance are their storage capacity, their ability to retain heat and their ability determine the correct amount of heat to store each night relative to the next day’s requirement.'
The term high heat retention storage heaters stemmed from Lot 20 of the Ecodesign legislation from the EU which covered for local room heating products ( EU 2015/1188 ) or space heaters using electricity, gaseous, or liquid fuels. It aimed to replace inefficient technologies with energy-efficient products to reduce energy consumption in homes and achieve carbon reduction targets. Manufacturers had to incorporate intelligent controls in their products, such as temperature controls, timers, presence detection, adaptive start control, distance control functions, and open window detection. Non-compliant heaters could not be supplied or installed in EU member states, so led to the introduction of more energy-efficient products with intelligent controls, requiring manufacturers to increase the efficiency of their components without raising costs. In effect HHRs are more efficient night storage heaters.
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