Electric heating

amtrakuk

What would you say is best for you when using electric heating, convection, oil filled, fan heater, etc?

spiro

What is important is the power consumption and energy rating. As to which is best you'll need to find somewere that gives sid by side data for each type of data. Try google.

Magentasue

Haven't tried the oil filled but when we moved in to our house in Feb, we had to use fan and convector heaters. Together with a faulty immersion heater, we had a massive electricity bill for one month. Now we're in gas CH heaven.

The heaters were all 2kw and I felt the convector heaters were more efficient - rooms felt warmer. When we got the bill from hell, we invested in leccy blankets and stopped using heaters in the bedrooms. Would definitely recommend them.

4$£&*(£$&*(!

There's a golden rule to electric heating. No matter what heater you use, the amount of power you put in is the amount of heat you get out. No exception to this rule as electric heating is 100% efficient, so all the different types of heater will generate the same amount of heat.

The main consideration you need to think about is what it will do with the heat once it's generated. Convection heaters let the air waft out the top. Oil heaters heat the oil up so the heat's present for longer but it takes time to heat it from cold. Fan heaters blow the heat out but retain no heat at all. Once you've worked out what the best output style is for you, that's all you need to consider - as I've already said, electricity heating is already 100% efficient. The only thing (usually) that makes electrical products inefficient is unwanted heat being generated, well heat is the only thing you want from a heater so it's not possible to improve their efficiency.

amtrakuk

I myself have convection heaters purely for the instant heat when you come in on a cold day and turn them off when you go out. I found a thermostat an essential as it will not overheat the room.

I used to have a gas combi boiler but it went U/S and wasn't going to pay 4k to get it replaced. Also found the gas bill a bit pricey at 70 a month back this time last year. I've been using Electric for heating, hot water and cooking and just have the heating on in the rooms I use when I use them and just keep the rooms not used on low.

I found it works efficiently. Last winter which was a cold one (-2 for weeks and weeks) and burnt about 100 of electric a month, compared with my old combined gas/electric at 100 a month. Now were half way through the summer, with a bit of common sense (turning unnecessary lights off, unplugging mains adaptors, switching the tele off at the switch etc) Im burning 10 units of electric a day (£1.60) or just over £50 a month. My DD is £80 a month every month throughout the year.

Magentasue

amtrakuk wrote: »

I used to have a gas combi boiler but it went U/S and wasn't going to pay 4k to get it replaced. Also found the gas bill a bit pricey at 70 a month back this time last year. I've been using Electric for heating, hot water and cooking and just have the heating on in the rooms I use when I use them and just keep the rooms not used on low.

4k? We paid just over that for a complete new system this year - gas was here but no pipes/rads.

In theory, a new combi boiler should lower your monthly costs, shouldn't it, being more efficient and all? We've had gas CH and all electric houses and always found the gas CH cheaper over the year.

Cardew

Magentasue wrote: »

4k? We paid just over that for a complete new system this year - gas was here but no pipes/rads.

In theory, a new combi boiler should lower your monthly costs, shouldn't it, being more efficient and all? We've had gas CH and all electric houses and always found the gas CH cheaper over the year.

There is no question gas CH is much cheaper in 'fuel' running costs than electric heating(excluding heat pumps)

However the point being made by amtrakuk is that you need to weigh the other capital and servicing costs against the running costs to get an overal picture.

As an example if we say a new boiler costs £3,000 and has a lfe of 10 years before replacement is required(many experts think that reasonable).

£3000 invested will produce £200 a year in interest(or cost more if you borrow)

Say £150 pa for an CH servicing contract.

So you have £300 a year for boiler replacement, + £200 + £150 = £650pa to set against the difference in running costs.

Convector/oil fired heaters cost just £30 or so.

Obvious the above is simplistic and you can make your own assumption of costs; but it illustrates the principle.

Certainly with small flats etc there is an argument for simple* electrical heating.

* note: simple electrical heating - there is absolutely no point in getting expensive non-storage electrical heating systems as they give out no more heat for the money.

Magentasue

Yes, cardew, I see what you're saying. We're a large (six of us) family in a victorian house and I can see that, for a small household in a small flat, CH might be an investment not worth making. Immersion heaters are also expensive for a family like ours.

But I was questioning the boiler cost - it seemed very high compared to what we paid for a whole system, none of it DIY.

amtrakuk

The quote I got was from British Gas to some and remove the old boiler supply and fit and commission a new boiler. The cheapest quote I got was about 2.5k but this was a cheaper unknown brand (not Worcester-Bosch etc). You are right about immersion heaters, also as there isnt 3 showers a day being I wanted a solution that just supplied water to the taps/shower as and when I wanted which is why I went for a Redring Powerstream. I didnt see the point of using electric or have a boiler pounding away when I didnt use a full tank or in some cases any hot water.