I would stick with what you have, but ensure that you use 'off peak' rates for the water heating and storage heater. To save money insulate, insulate, insulate...
Off peak electricity, unit for unit, only costs about one third of the cost of the normal daytime rate. (you should check what tariff you are on with your supplier) The standing charge is usually higher for a twin tariff though, but if you heat the property for most of the time and to a comfortable level, you would still be much better off than using just the standard rate for everything.
Insulation is your friend though, the more the better. Especially the cylinder. OK, you might not use a full cylinder's worth of hot water each day, but with good insulation, it will reduce heat loss from the cylinder and associated pipes and so the hot water will only require a minimum top up each night to replace what has been used for that day. In the winter, any heat that does escape is would add to the heating of the property anyway.
Storage heaters can be a little difficult to control because most need you to decide the day before how much heat to store overnight for the following day. If the weather turns warm suddenly and you have a fully charged heater, then the heat output control can be turned down, but not off fully. Some newer units do have some level of automation and adjust the overnight charge automatically, but I have no experience of using this.
Panel radiators for the bedrooms are usually the best solution, they are more controllable and are usually only used for short periods of time and at lower temperature than living areas. Because storage heaters charge with heat during the night, if installed in bedrooms they can make it too warm for sleeping as they do emit some heat whilst charging.
Oh, and did I mention insulation.....
Off peak electricity, unit for unit, only costs about one third of the cost of the normal daytime rate. (you should check what tariff you are on with your supplier) The standing charge is usually higher for a twin tariff though, but if you heat the property for most of the time and to a comfortable level, you would still be much better off than using just the standard rate for everything.
Insulation is your friend though, the more the better. Especially the cylinder. OK, you might not use a full cylinder's worth of hot water each day, but with good insulation, it will reduce heat loss from the cylinder and associated pipes and so the hot water will only require a minimum top up each night to replace what has been used for that day. In the winter, any heat that does escape is would add to the heating of the property anyway.
Storage heaters can be a little difficult to control because most need you to decide the day before how much heat to store overnight for the following day. If the weather turns warm suddenly and you have a fully charged heater, then the heat output control can be turned down, but not off fully. Some newer units do have some level of automation and adjust the overnight charge automatically, but I have no experience of using this.
Panel radiators for the bedrooms are usually the best solution, they are more controllable and are usually only used for short periods of time and at lower temperature than living areas. Because storage heaters charge with heat during the night, if installed in bedrooms they can make it too warm for sleeping as they do emit some heat whilst charging.
Oh, and did I mention insulation.....
