Bespoke thermal store for heating and hot water

ELECTRAstore is a market first hot water cylinder which is designed to maximise the benefit of time in use tariffs, via our innovative IOT control system with self learning algorithm, to store energy when it’s provided at low cost and low carbon, so it can be used when it is needed.

The ELECTRAstore is a bespoke electric thermal store, powered by Backer technology and long life immersion elements. The range can provide either mains pressure hot water and primary hot water to heat standard “wet” radiators or mains pressure hot water only.

Unlike electric combination boilers, the ELECTRAstore thermal store is designed to utilise either standard, off peak or time of use electricity tariffs, allowing homeowners to raise the temperature of the store to as high as 90 degrees during low cost tariff periods, reducing ongoing running costs. 

Click here to see the additional benefits our electric thermal stores can provide over an electric combination boiler.

There are many products on the market that can be utilised with either standard or off-peak electricity, however the ELECTRAstore goes one step further by being able to also detect low rate tariff periods when available.

With Backer technology in conjunction with McDonald Water Storage manufacturing expertise, the ELECTRAstore can maximise the benefit of lower electricity rates to improve efficiency and keep your electricity bills to a minimum.

When wind and solar generation are at their peak, not only is wholesale electricity costs are at their lowest, but also carbon intensity reduced, making it the best possible time to store energy at home, for use at other times during the day.

  • Provides wet central heating
  • Mains pressure hot water with scald protection
  • Maximises benefit of off-peak or flexible electricity tariffs
  • Utilises tried and tested Backer immersion heater technology in conjunction with a purpose built digital controller
  • Monitor, regulate and manage the energy delivered into the thermal store through the smart control device
  • Bespoke designed to suit the installation
  • Available in cylinder or space saving tank configurations
  • Provides the perfect, cost saving alternative to electric combination boilers
  • No annual maintenance
  • No discharge pipework providing flexibility of installation

Historically, homes were restricted to either standard electricity rates with an average 15 pence per kWh or off peak periods such as economy 7 or economy 10 but with higher daytime rates.

Flexible tariffs provide another alternative through dynamic pricing, enabling you to load shift your electricity use to when the cost is lowest, to heat the ELECTRAstore.

The Backer Control Technology, is designed to work with any tariff to provide the most efficient system possible.

Electricity generation has changed over recent years in the UK, with more of our electricity being produced from renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power.

This means when wind and solar generation are at their peak, not only is the carbon intensity reduced but also wholesale electricity costs are at their lowest, making it the best possible time to store energy at home, for use at other times during the day.

This method of load shifting is also beneficial to the UK’s continuing adoption of renewable energy sources, helping to smooth out peak loads and maximise your use of environmentally friendly electricity.

An electric combination is often seen as the ideal solution to provide both heating and hot water. However, a major disadvantage to this solution is the fact it generates hot water and heating on demand, whatever time of day or more importantly, cost of the electricity tariff.

The ELECTRAstore thermal store provides the heating and hot water, but importantly, can load shift the heat generation to cheaper electric tariff periods for use when it is required, ultimately reducing running costs.

In addition, the smart technology in the ELECTRAstore learns the homeowners requirements and heats the store accordingly, further reducing running costs.

An electric thermal store has several advantages over an electric combination boiler.

  • Lower on peak electricity demand
    • An electric thermal store heats water in a tank and then distributes it to the taps and radiators as needed. This means that the boiler only needs to heat the water once, rather than every time hot water is required. This can save on electricity bills, especially if the electricity is used during off-peak hours.
  • More consistent hot water supply:
    • An electric thermal store can store a large amount of hot water, so there is less chance of running out of hot water during peak demand times. This is especially useful for households with multiple bathrooms or people who take long showers.
  • More durable:
    • Our electric thermal stores are made from copper, which are more durable materials than the plastic used in some electric combination boilers. This means that they are less likely to corrode or leak over time.
  • Lower maintenance costs
    • Electric thermal stores require less maintenance than electric combination boilers. This is because there are fewer moving parts and no flue to clean.

The ELECTRAstore range is able to monitor, regulate and manage the amount of energy delivered into the thermal store, by using a smart control device which has been developed by the Swedish Backer group.

The Backer Digital Controller incorporates 2 levels of control, consisting of highly accurate local autonomous control and supervisory control from the Internet (IoT).

Larger scale users are able to manage multiple occupancy accommodations, where all hot water systems can be monitored and energy can be managed from a single management dashboard.

When contacting us to discuss which type of electric water heating system is most suitable for you, please specify the following:

  • Property Heat Load in kW
  • Number of Bedrooms and Bathrooms
  • Proposed Electrical Tariff
  • Sealed or Open Vented Heating System
  • Available Space
 
The ELECTRAstore is an energy efficient wet central heating system for all your electric water heating requirements. It is available in either a standard cylinder, combination cylinder or space saving tank format, please specify the format required, or see the ELECTRAstore literature for further information.
 
For a guide to electric central heating boilers sizing and dimensions simply visit our sizing page. In addition to our standard sizes we offer a bespoke service creating tailored central heating units so you don’t need to compromise.

Is the ELECTRAstore thermal store vented or pressurised?

The ELECTRAstore is an open vented cylinder/tank therefore not pressurised. When the water held inside the store heats up, it will expand, however the expansion is accommodated in the feed and expansion tank located at the top of the unit.

Do I need to have the ELECTRAstore serviced annually like a gas boiler or unvented cylinder?

As the ELECTRAstore thermal store is open vented, it does not require an annual safety check or service.

The mains pressure hot water from the ELECTRAstore is delivered via the internal coil and the temperature is controlled by the blending valve, preventing any risk of scalding.

As the unvented cylinder is a pressurised cylinder, there are essential annual safety checks to be carried out to ensure the safety of the product.

Can I use the ELECTRAstore thermal store for central heating?

Yes, the ELECTRAstore can provide heat to the wet central heating system. This can either be an open vented system, circulating the water from the cylinder round the central heating system or sealed heating system via in internal heat exchanger.

What electricity tariff is the ELECTRAstore thermal store suitable for use with?

The ELECTRAstore is designed to maximise the benefit of time in use tariffs, via our innovative IOT control system with self learning algorithm, to store energy when it’s provided at low cost and low carbon, so it can be used when it is needed.

Connecting to the energy providers open API, it automatically charges the store at the lowest cost possible.

The controller also allows the use of standard, Economy 7 or Economy 10 tariffs.

Are the ELECTRAstore products bespoke designed?

The ELECTRAstore is available with standard tapping configurations, however we appreciate these layouts do not suit all applications.

Therefore all ELECTRAstore products can be bespoke designed to suit the installation requirements, whether it is a slimline model due to space restrictions or simply moving tappings to reduce installation time and costs.

Our focus is very much on the manufacture of copper hot water cylinders and tanks. Copper provides fantastic benefits including;

  • Ability to kill 99% of bacteria including Ecoli and legionella
  • One of the most efficient conductors of heat
  • Significantly more flexible for manufacturing than other materials
  • Long lifespan due to its amazing resistance to corrosion
  • 100% recyclable

 

For further information see our brochure The Ultimate Supermetal or visit our Copper Facts page.

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