Quantum heaters work in the same way as standard night storage heaters, by charging up overnight using the cheaper rate of electricity available on Economy 7. But what makes these heaters different is that they have thermostats and a digital programmer making them much more responsive to your needs.

For example, you can choose a room temperature and the times of day when you want the heater to come on, and based on your choices the heater will automatically work out how much electricity to store overnight. Also an internal thermostat will ensure that when the room reaches the required temperature, the heater turns off and retains the rest of the heat it has stored for later.

Quantum heaters are better insulated than older types of night storage heater, meaning less heat escapes when it isn’t needed. They also respond to seasonal temperature changes and ‘learn’ how much heat to store.

Thanks to these improvements, the running costs of quantum heaters are around 27% lower than standard night storage heaters.

Getting started

Firstly, make sure the switch, or switches, next to the heater are turned on. This will not mean the heater keeps heating 24 hours a day, it will just keep the low powered programmer active. You can turn off the wall switches in the summer, but avoid turning the heater off and on at the wall during the colder months as this can affect the way it charges.

The controls are on the top right of the heater under a flap. There is a selector dial which can be rotated and pressed (1), a display screen (5) and three buttons: menu (2), back (3) and advance (4).
Press down the dial, and the display screen shows you the thermostat target temperature and timer mode.

Turn on the child lock by pressing and holding both the back button and the dial for five seconds. Do the same to unlock. You can also set a four-digit PIN code lock by going into the settings menu.

When the heater is active, “Heating on” shows at the bottom of the screen. “Heating off” shows that the heater is not currently providing heat, as set by the programmer.

Step 1: Set the time

Your Quantum heater may already have the correct time set, but if not: Press menu; rotate and then press the dial when “Date/Time” is highlighted; rotate the dial to the correct day, and press the dial to select. Repeat this process for the date, month, year and time. (The latest Quantum models know when the clocks go forward or back, so you don’t need to change the time.)

Step 2: Set the temperature

Rotating the dial changes the target temperature. Rotating left lowers the temperature, rotating right raises it. When the room reaches the temperature set, the heater will turn off. The recommended temperature range is 18-21°C. It is advisable to regularly check the temperature your heater is set at especially as the weather changes or if the heat you will need the next day will be different to your normal heat requirements. By doing this, you will make sure you have enough heat for your needs, but you won’t be wasting energy by charging for longer than you need to. .

Step 3: Set the timer mode

There are four timer modes which decide when the heater will be active (“Heating on”):

1. User timer: Select your desired time frames (four periods)
2. Out all day: 7.5 hours heating per day in two periods (morning and evening)
3. Home All Day: 13 hours of heating per day, for people who need heat throughout the day.
4. Away: Allows you to reduce the heating while you are away. Set the number of days you are away from home and the desired temperature for this period.

To choose a timer mode, press menu and rotate the dial to highlight ‘Modes’ and press the dial to select. You can then select ‘Timer Mode’ or ‘Frost Protect’. Choosing ‘Frost Protect’ will maintain a room temperature of 7°C. Select ‘Timer Mode’ by rotating and pressing the dial and a list of Timer Modes will be shown. Their default settings are shown in the table below (the factory setting on your heater may vary from the example shown).

	Period 1	Period 2	Period 3	Period 4
User timer	06.30-09.30	11.00-13.00	15.00-17.00	18.00-22.00
Home all day	08.00-21.00	00.00-00.00	00.00-00.00	00.00-00.00
Out all day	06.00-08.30	17.00-22.00	00.00-00.00	00.00-00.00

You can then choose to ‘Select’, ‘Preview’ or ‘Modify’ the timer mode. Pressing ‘Select’ will choose this timer option. You can view the times currently set with ‘Preview’ without risking accidental changes. If the pre-set time periods don’t suit you, ‘Modify’ allows you to customise them.

Smart controls

New models of the Dimplex Quantum can be controlled remotely via a Dimplex app. You will need compatible heaters, a smart phone, home Wi-Fi and a Dimplex Hub and once set up it enables you to control and monitor your heating even when you are not at home.

Advance button

Advance can be useful if you want heat earlier or later and  at different times to those set on the timer When the heater is in “Heating off” mode but you need heat earlier, pressing advance will turn the heater to “Heating on” mode, bringing forward the start of the next time period. This will use heat already stored in the heater and will  leave less stored heat available for later in the day When the heater is in “Heating on” mode, pressing advance will turn the heater to “Heating off” mode until the next heating period.

Boost

The Boost option (found by pressing menu) switches on a booster heating element. You can choose the target temperature and the duration of the boost. Once the boost has run for the selected time it will automatically switch off.

The boost option does not use heat already stored in the heater but uses the expensive rate of electricity to generate heat. To keep your bills low, itt should be avoided except for emergencies. The Auto Boost function allows the heater to use the boost element whenever the temperature drops below the selected temperature, it will significantly increase the running cost of the heater.

Other things to note …

New models of the Dimplex Quantum can be controlled remotely via a Dimplex app.

Sometimes watching a video is the best way to learn about using Quantum heaters. There are some excellent short guides in this Dimplex playlist.

And here are instructions for using the Dimplex Quantum.

Finally, remember to leave a gap of 30cm (12 inches) in front of your heater to reduce risk of fire.