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I have been offered a house swap from Salisbury to Bournemouth and I am a little dubious because I want to move, but the property has electric storage heating. What I would like to know is are storage heaters more expensive to run then gas central heating? I have a combi boiler and I can override the system if it gets too cold, which I don't think I can do on a storage heating system.

I am also disabled and I have been told that I can get a grant to replace the storage heaters with radiators, is this true? I get confused, and even more so as I have borderline learning difficulties and will need support. Should I consider it or forget it?

Advice would be most welcome, many thanks.

Here is the outside of the building: The lady lives in Flat B.

10003 Wimbourne Road, Bournemouth - Google Maps

On balance at the moment I'd prefer on-demand gas. It's about half the price to run for the same amount of heating if the gas boiler is new. It provides heat immediately when you need it. If you can get the conversion done without being charged then that's the answer I'd go for.

The cost of heating a flat is far more affected by its insulation than whether it's night storage electric or on-demand gas. You can get an idea of the insulation quality by asking to see last year's fuel bill.

From experience , Yes, storage heaters are terribly expensive to run, far more than a gas combi boiler.

If you are a council tenant, housing association, there was a bill passed a few years ago that all homes had to be brought up to modern standard.

before you accept a grant, which you will have to repay, contact the maintainence dept of the council or housing association and ask for them to be brought up to date.

Citizens Advice can help you get the Info you need to force their hand.