Last December I moved into a newly-converted rented property and two months later received a huge electricity bill. I have no previous experience of storage heaters, but I eventually discovered that the storage heater had been wrongly installed, as the insulation panel had not been put into the unit. Because there was virtually no heat left in the unit by about 4.00pm throughout December, January and February, when we had the coldest winter for 30 years, I had to use several additional heaters just to have the room at a bearable temperature. I am trying to get an expert's view on how this would affect consumption and effectiveness of the heater, aside from the fact that in the mornings the cover was so hot it could have been extremely dangerous. The heater has just been correctly installed, I believe (as I wasn't actually present when the electrician was here) and does seem to be operating very differently. Please can anyone answer this question?

Your first step should have been to contact the original installer, point out the problem and ask for it to be put right.

At this stage, you can still contact the original installer in writing with a copy of the bill for putting things right and ask them to pay you the amount. If they don't you could consider court action

http://www.moneyclaim.gov.uk/

It's possible that you would be unsuccessful if you hadn't contacted the original installer before getting the work done. You could also ask for a contribution towards the electricity bill but, in my view, you would be even less likely to be successful with that.

I notice it is a rented flat. Have you discussed this with your landlord? I would have thought he is morally and legally responsible if he provided you with a defective flat. Did you receive an EPC when you moved in? This will show what the yearly heating bill should be. I think it would be fair if he covers the difference between this and your bill. Good luck.

Thanks for the reply. As I am merely a tenant, I am trying to establish how a correctly installed storage heater should work before I tackle the landlord. The place has only just been converted (after being left empty for several years) so the electricity provider has no history on which to base anticipated bills. They have tried to help, but obviously their responsibility doesn't extend to appliances installed by any landlord.

I have spent many hours on the phone, reading/photographing the meter, and generally suffering because of this, but I shall press on with my research!

Thanks for your reply. I've just looked in my file and don't think I have an EPC (some kind of electrical certificate, I imagine?). The building was empty for several years before the developers took it on and so the electricity supplier has no history of usage. Since the heater was properly installed, there is a marked difference, notably that it isn't cold by 5.00pm and is still quite warm in parts at 10.00pm. As I have no previous experience of these wretched appliances, I needed to find out how they should work before approaching the landlord. However, I think all the tenants in the building probably have them, it might be interesting to learn of their experiences. One doesn't really expect to move into a newly-refurbished place (not even my own) and then have to spend hours battling over such a mundane problem, but I can ill afford the cost incurred. My bad luck for being first one in, I guess!! Thanks for replying - I didn't know where to turn...

You can also ask consumer direct or consumerfocus for help and advice. Unfortunately though, I expect that they will say that the electricity bill is for you to pay.