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Storage heater repairs and replacement.
Old storage heater cold by teatime? We repair them, or replace them with modern heaters that have proper controls, and add the supply they need.
Storage heaters charge up overnight on cheaper off-peak electricity and give the heat out through the day. When one stops holding its heat, the room is cold by teatime and the bills go up because you end up using the boost or a plug-in heater. We repair and replace storage heaters across Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire and London, for homeowners, landlords and housing providers.
Signs your storage heater needs looking at
- Cold by the afternoon or evening, even with the input turned up. The heat has all gone by the time you need it.
- Too hot in the morning and nothing left later: the output flap or its thermostat has stopped working.
- Not charging at all overnight. That can be the heater, its fuse or switch, or the off-peak supply itself.
- Damaged casing, a burning smell or scorch marks round the switch. Switch it off at the spur and call us.
- It’s 20 or more years old. Older heaters lose insulation and have only basic manual dials.
What a modern storage heater does better
New storage heaters have to meet Ecodesign rules, so they come with built-in electronic controls: a room thermostat, a timer and a programme for the week. They work out how much to charge overnight from how warm the room has been, so you don’t store heat you won’t use. These are often called high heat retention heaters.
Most of them need two supplies: the off-peak supply to charge the bricks, and a 24-hour supply for the controls and a small top-up heater. Many older homes only have the off-peak one, so part of our job is checking what’s there and adding what’s missing safely.
Latest job: St Albans, 21 October 2026
A resident in a flat in St Albans had an old storage heater that wasn’t keeping the room warm. Our engineer Luke measured it, and on 21 October 2026:
- Removed the old heater and fitted a new Newlec storage heater in the same space.
- Replaced the old 13A off-peak fused spur with a 20A isolator to suit the new heater.
- Ran the 24-hour supply the new heater needs from a spare spur in the kitchen.
- Tested it, set the controls, and left the instruction manual with the resident.
On site at 11:45, heater working by 13:52.
More than 200 storage heater jobs in retirement flats
Since summer 2025 we have carried out more than 200 storage heater jobs in retirement and sheltered housing flats, as the electrical contractor for Axis Europe on Anchor’s repairs programme. Many are residents who are cold and can’t sort the heating out themselves, so we work quickly and explain the controls before we leave.
- Repairs and servicing: checking connections, switches and settings, and getting heaters charging again.
- Replacements: 22 jobs so far have needed a new storage heater (Elnur, from 270W to 820W), usually with new flex connections and a new fused spur.
- Measured first: where a heater sits between a door and a spur, we measure the space so the replacement fits (one in Milton Keynes had to be no wider than 100cm).
- Towns: Stevenage, Hemel Hempstead, Milton Keynes, Bedford, Leighton Buzzard, Hazlemere near High Wycombe, Slough and North and East London.
Economy 7 and the Radio Teleswitch switch-off
Some older off-peak meters were told when to switch by a radio signal, the Radio Teleswitch Service. That signal was switched off for good on 30 June 2026. If your storage heaters are charging at the wrong time, not charging at all, or your hot water is behaving oddly, and you have an old meter or a box labelled “Radio Teleswitch” near it, contact your energy supplier first. The meter is theirs to replace.
Once the meter is sorted, if the heaters still don’t charge, that’s when to call us. We’ll test the off-peak supply, the spurs and the heaters themselves.
Landlords and housing providers
A tenant without heat is a repair you need to get on with. We can attend, report back with photos, and replace heaters on the same visit if they’re in stock. For larger stock we work to your schedule of rates. See landlords and housing providers.
Related: immersion heater not working, RCD keeps tripping and electric heating for larger buildings.
Questions we’re asked
Is it worth repairing an old storage heater?
Sometimes. A failed fuse, switch, element or thermostat can be repaired. If the heater is 20 or more years old, the insulation is worn or the casing is damaged, replacing it usually makes more sense, and a new heater with electronic controls is cheaper to run.
How long does it take to replace a storage heater?
Usually a few hours for one heater. In St Albans in October 2026 we arrived at 11:45 and the new heater was working by 13:52, including a new isolator and a 24-hour supply.
Do new storage heaters need a different supply?
Most modern heaters need a 24-hour supply as well as the off-peak one, for the controls and a small top-up heater. If you only have the off-peak supply, we add the second one.
Can you replace a storage heater with a smaller one?
Yes, as long as it suits the room. We measure the space and the room before we order, so the heater fits between doors, windows and spurs and is the right size to heat the room.
My storage heaters stopped charging this year. Is it the switch-off?
It might be. The Radio Teleswitch Service was switched off on 30 June 2026. If you still have an old radio-switched meter, contact your energy supplier first. If the meter is fine and the heaters still don't charge, we'll find the fault.
Do you work for landlords and housing associations?
Yes. Since 2025 we have done more than 200 storage heater jobs in Anchor retirement and sheltered flats, working for Axis Europe on Anchor's repairs programme, with photo reports on every visit.
Written by SEGplc. Last updated 21 October 2026.
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