Need electric heating system

simpywimpy

We have no gas or oil supply in our shop and want to install a heating system as there is nothing at the minute.

Where would be the best place to get advice from? We have a very limited budget

Cardew

Energy Saving Trust.

If you have a very limited budget, just buy some £20 oil filled radiators.

simpywimpy

we tried those last winter but because of the big glass windows (perhaps) they didnt seem to do the trick

Cardew

Well if they didn't work last year you need to get more of them.

Put it this way, if you need xxkW of heating for your shop to make it comfortable, then regardless of the heating system you get, you will still need xxkW.

So as you have a limited budget, you need to find the cheapest way to supply that xxkW. That will normally be oil filled radiators or fan heaters.

paceinternet

To understand how much that xxkw is, try googling for "radiator sizing" and put the size of your room in to get at the kw needed. Some of the sizing calculators allow you to put window size in, so, if that is a significant part of the structure, search out one that uses that info. Unfortunatley, the sites do come up with different answers, but it will help you.
As Cardew says, you then need enough heaters to provide that kw.

If it is big, do consider how much it is going to cost to run by multiplying the hours used by your tariff kwh. You can then consider if investing in an aircon /heatpump which could cost about a third of the direct heating to run.
Example, direct heating costs £3000 to run per year. Aircon would cost £1000 to run. Save £2000. Spend £2000 on the aircon system and after 1 year you will be saving £2000 per year. Obviously, use your own numbers.

Cardew

I did consider mentioning a heatpump but the limited budget was the problem.

Also most shops are rented/leased and that will create its own problems.

Certainly as a long term solution a heat pump is ideal for a large room, with the added advantage of air conditioning during our long hot summers.