Helpful video reference. We use ELNUR GABARRON's official video "Ecombi Static Storage Heaters Installation" as the visual reference here. Elnur is a UK and European manufacturer of electric heating products, and the video covers the full mechanical and electrical installation of the Ecombi range from their own technical team. Worth watching before you start so you recognise the wiring compartment and bracket system.
1. Confirm your electricity tariff
The Ecombi's economy only makes sense on a time-of-use tariff. Economy 7 gives seven hours of cheap overnight electricity (typically 00:30-07:30 but the exact window varies by supplier and meter type). Economy 10 gives ten hours spread across the day and night.
If you are on a standard single-rate tariff, the Ecombi will still work but you will be charging at the full rate rather than the discounted overnight rate. The running cost advantage disappears. Speak to your energy supplier before buying the heater.
Check your bill or smart meter app to confirm you are on Economy 7 or Economy 10 and to find your exact off-peak window. This information is needed when you set up the charging schedule in the app.
2. Choose the right output for your room
Elnur offers the Ecombi in 1kW, 1.5kW, 2kW, 2.5kW, 3kW and 4kW storage capacities. As a rough starting point, allow 1kW per 10 square metres of floor area in a reasonably well-insulated modern property.
Older houses with solid walls, poor glazing or ground-floor rooms lose heat faster. They typically need closer to 1kW per 7-8 square metres. The Elnur website has a room size calculator that takes insulation and ceiling height into account.
Getting the size right matters. An undersized heater runs out of stored heat before the evening. An oversized one wastes money charging more than the room needs.
3. Check the circuit requirements
Every Ecombi must have its own dedicated radial circuit from the consumer unit. It cannot share a ring final or spur with other appliances.
- Models up to 2kW: 20A MCB, 2.5mm² twin-and-earth cable, 20A double-pole isolator or FCU at the heater.
- Models 2.5kW to 4kW: 32A MCB, 4mm² twin-and-earth cable, 32A double-pole isolator.
Critically, the circuit needs a neutral conductor. Older storage heater circuits sometimes ran with a switched live only (a two-wire feed from a manual charge controller). The Ecombi's electronics and Wi-Fi module need a neutral to operate. If the existing spur is two-wire, a new circuit is required.
If you are replacing a traditional Economy 7 storage heater that already has a dedicated three-wire circuit and double-pole switch, check the cable size matches the new Ecombi's requirements before reusing it.
4. Mount the heater to the wall
The Ecombi comes with a wall bracket and a paper drilling template. Tape the template to the wall at skirting-board height, mark the fixing positions, and drill. Use wall plugs suitable for your wall construction - masonry, timber frame or plasterboard each need a different fixing method.
The heater is heavy even before the ceramic bricks are installed inside (some models pack heat bricks that are fitted after hanging). Get someone to hold it while you locate it on the bracket, then check it is level before tightening the bracket screws. An unlevel heater can put stress on the wall bracket over time.
5. Make the electrical connections
Switch off the dedicated circuit at the consumer unit. Put a piece of tape over the breaker or remove the fuse, then confirm dead at the socket position with a voltage tester.
Feed the cable into the Ecombi through the cable entry gland. Open the wiring compartment - usually a small panel on the back or underside. Connect brown to L, blue to N, and green-and-yellow to the earth terminal. Tighten the gland nut to secure the cable sheath.
Fit the double-pole isolator or FCU on the wall nearby. This gives a safe means of isolation without going back to the consumer unit every time. Label it with the circuit number.
6. Connect to the Ecombi app
Restore power at the consumer unit. The heater powers up and enters pairing mode - the display will prompt you to connect. Download the Elnur Ecombi app from the iOS App Store or Google Play. Create an account and follow the pairing steps, which involve connecting the app temporarily to the heater's own Wi-Fi access point before transferring it to your home network.
Give the heater a name that matches the room ("Living room", "Bedroom 2") so you can identify it if you later add more heaters to the same account.
7. Set your charging schedule and comfort output
In the app, enter your tariff's off-peak start and end time. The Ecombi uses this window as the charging period. Set the comfort output level (expressed as a percentage of maximum output) for each time block through the day - higher in the morning when the room is cold, lower during the middle of the day.
The Ecombi's self-learning algorithm monitors how quickly the room cools and adjusts the overnight charge depth automatically over the first two weeks. You will notice the heater dialling back its charge on milder nights and storing more before cold spells. Leave the schedule untouched during this learning period.
When to call us
The wiring itself is not complex. The most common reason people call an electrician is that the existing storage heater circuit turns out to be two-wire, or that there is no spare way in the consumer unit for the new dedicated circuit. Richard can assess what you have and quote for a new circuit, including any consumer unit upgrade if needed.
Need an Ecombi installed in Sandwich?
Richard can run the dedicated circuit and carry out the full installation at a fair local rate.
Contact Richard