Im confused

200

wich is the most economical(possibly ecological too) way of heating?
airconditioning,gas radaitor heating, electric wet radiators etc.
please can someone tell me? (Ive been searching it on google for too long!)

borders

Yep, going through the same thing just now for my daughter's flat. No gas in flat, has to be electric. Would probably choose gas if it was an option. Got a quote for electric wet radiators. More than I thought it would be. Assume they would be cheaper to run than panel heaters/storage heaters but would like to know more.

Have also been looking at dimplex heaters. They have a quite smart looking duo storage heater and I thought a mix of that and some panel heaters for the bedroom could be an option. Cheaper to install but dearer to run. It's getting the balance right.

moonrakerz

First, make sure your house is very well insulated - loft, cavities, heavy curtains, draught seals.

The most "economical" form of heating is probably a heat pump, but this is by far the most expensive to install.
But there again, electric convector heaters are dirt cheap to install but cost a fortune to run..........

I'm afraid you pays your money ........................... either way !

paceinternet

A wet system or individual heaters is more about distributing the heat. The cost of that heat can be compared using the price you pay per kwh for your gas and electricity. Then a factor for the efficiency of the gas boiler will increase the cost of the gas kwh.
If you are using storage heaters on E7 rates, then that will be at a lower cost.
Very simply as a guide, day rate electricity will be between 10p and 13 p per kwh.
E7 will be around 5p per kwh
Mains gas will average around 4 - 5p per kwh and modern boilers are 95% efficient, so use 5p for comaprison.

If you have mains gas, it will be the lowest cost, but consider installing a good control system so that you can set individual rooms or floors to the right temperatures.

hotnuts21

Im currently going through a similar thing where I am looking to replace my storage heaters, all the advice I have had so far is that of the electrical type heaters (panel etc) then storage heaters on E7 are by far the best value, but still cost a lot

I have however just come across something called the Kalirel Electric Heating system, its basically a load of radiators that use elec instead of hot water, supposed to be more economical than storage heaters, look nicer and can be controlled from a single unit, like central heating. Im a bit dubious so still looking into it at the moment, any other info on this greatfully received.

Im getting some great help in this thread on another forum
http://www.ultimatehandyman.co.uk/forum1/storage-heater-replacement-t15061.html

200

I would have liked a little more information but thanks!

borders

Well I've trawled through the discussions on this forum and found a lot of useful info. Thanks to all those who have supplied it.

Main thing I learned is that all electrical heating is 100% efficient. No system gives more heat than another. They just do it in different ways. Storage heating would be cheaper because it uses cheaper electricity. Don't think it's a good option for my daughter's flat as she's at work all day and wouldn't use the heat. Also it's an old flat with old windows in the living room and kitchen. The heat would be lost through them.

The wet radiators I was looking at were quite expensive. For a third of the price I can get wall mounted convector heaters. There are still cheaper ones but trying to get the right balance between cost versus look . The money saved to be spent on better insulation. Full length, lined curtains for a start.

Given the way my daughter would use the heating, and the flat she's in, I think this is probably the best option for her.

anthonykeates

hotnuts21 wrote: »

I have however just come across something called the Kalirel Electric Heating system, its basically a load of radiators that use elec instead of hot water, supposed to be more economical than storage heaters, look nicer and can be controlled from a single unit, like central heating. Im a bit dubious so still looking into it at the moment, any other info on this greatfully received.

Im getting some great help in this thread on another forum
http://www.ultimatehandyman.co.uk/forum1/storage-heater-replacement-t15061.html

From other views around the forum these will be no different in terms of running costs to your average panel or convector heaters. Storage heaters will be cheaper to run cos of the off-peak electric being less than half the price of peak electric, but you lose control of when you want the heat to be delivered.

Cardew

anthonykeates wrote: »

From other views around the forum these will be no different in terms of running costs to your average panel or convector heaters. Storage heaters will be cheaper to run cos of the off-peak electric being less than half the price of peak electric, but you lose control of when you want the heat to be delivered.

That sums it up!

The important point to note is that there are loads of electrical heating systems(like Kalirel) being marketed that imply they somehow produce more heat for your bucks - and they do not, and cannot.

The other disadvantage of storage heating on an economy 7 tariff is that you pay extra for all your 17 hours daytime electricity. The extra spent on this can exceed the saving from the 7 hours cheap rate.

rhiwfield

As an MSE newbie I'm sure this will have been posted already!

But I found this site useful for assessing both cost comparison and ecological impact.

http://www.nottenergy.com/energy-costs-comparison3

But as moonrakerz implied, reducing need for power is first priority so insulation is vital.

stevehead

Cardew wrote: »

That sums it up!
The other disadvantage of storage heating on an economy 7 tariff is that you pay extra for all your 17 hours daytime electricity. The extra spent on this can exceed the saving from the 7 hours cheap rate.

And another one is when you get a day like today. Suddenly, it's 12 degrees outside tonight, whereas it's been freezing for the last few weeks.
With storage heaters, you have to fill 'em up every night just incase you need all that heat tomorrow regardless.
To be actually efficient rather than just burning cheap electric they need to be linked into the met office and undestand the environment they're in.