Ecomonic way of heating a room

LouLouHelen

I am working in a 3rd bedroom at home and don't really want to turn heating on to heat whole house all day everyday as it seems to get warm everywhere before the room I'm working in.

Does anyone know the most economic heater type, i.e. oil filled radiator, fan heater etc?

The room is about 3 m squared and the heater could sit in corner on the floor.

There are just so many when you look at pages of catalogues and I can't work out which is the best for the job.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

alanobrien

LouLouHelen wrote:

I am working in a 3rd bedroom at home and don't really want to turn heating on to heat whole house all day everyday as it seems to get warm everywhere before the room I'm working in.

Does anyone know the most economic heater type, i.e. oil filled radiator, fan heater etc?

The room is about 3 m squared and the heater could sit in corner on the floor.

There are just so many when you look at pages of catalogues and I can't work out which is the best for the job.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Personally i would go for an oil filled radiator with a thermostat.

Why ? because fan and convector heaters can at times be noisy and annoying especially if you are trying to concentrate on work.

economiser

All electric heaters are the same efficiency. A 3kW heater will give you 3kW of heat whether it be a convector, radiant or fan heater. No one type is more economical than any other but they do heat differently.

As alanobrien says fan heaters can be noisy and even drafty but are small, cheap and give a quick feeling of warmth. Convectors are slower to heat up, especially oil filled but are fine once the room is warm. The oil filled ones are more robust but more expensive. Radiant heaters are directional and you feel the heat quickly if sitting in front of them but beware of the glare from the halogen type.

in_my_wellies

I bought a convector heater for exactly the same reason as you need it for. Be sure to buy one with a thermostate - the cheapest don't have one! With the door closed the room soon heats up and it cuts out for more time than it's on. Mine is 2kw.

Also, I covered the window with clear plastic which made a difference as we don't have double glazing (not allowed)

andrewmoorcroft

economiser wrote:

All electric heaters are the same efficiency. A 3kW heater will give you 3kW of heat whether it be a convector, radiant or fan heater. No one type is more economical than any other but they do heat differently.

As alanobrien says fan heaters can be noisy and even drafty but are small, cheap and give a quick feeling of warmth. Convectors are slower to heat up, especially oil filled but are fine once the room is warm. The oil filled ones are more robust but more expensive. Radiant heaters are directional and you feel the heat quickly if sitting in front of them but beware of the glare from the halogen type.

At last some one with the technical ability to answer the question.

I think you should tackle the root cause of the problem though. If you radiators are sized correctly and one room is slow to warm up then there is a lack of flow around that radiator and they aren't balanced. Fix the balance 1st. To be efficient you could use thermostatic rad valves. This way you can turn down the rooms your not in and just heat the 3rd bedroom.

ffym

In my view a thermostatically controlled electric convector heater (like this) is your best bet. Apart from fan heaters they are the cheapest to buy. As has been said, all electric heaters cost the same to run Kw for Kw. Oil filled heaters can be heavy, they cost more and take longer to warm up - you can hug them and dry socks on them though :rotfl: . A convector is silent, warms up quickly, spreads the heat evenly without drafts, cheap to buy and is light to carry. 2kw should warm up the room size you describe in no time, you can then turn it down to keep it comfortable. I think you will add about £5 per week in mid winter to your electric bill assuming you use the room 8hrs a day 5 days a week so make sure you are with the cheapest supplier! To keep your costs down make sure you make your room draft free and turn the heater off about 1/2 hr before you finish.