Cheapest way to heat a room

dasachmo

Hi guys, i just have a quick question about heating out front living room.
Basically, we have a relatively big living room but only one heater (central heating)... and a fireplace.

Now that room is generally cold but with the winter coming its getting v v cold !

I just wanted to know what is the most cost effective way of heating the room:

Electricity (fan heater or oil heaters)
Gas (central heating)
Fireplace (also runs on gas)

I was going to whip out the fan heater but i hear they drink the electric!

Cardew

Certainly you can rule out heating with electricity.

With gas it depends on the type of gas fire you have, and the efficiency of your gas CH boiler.

A_fiend_for_life

Gas central heating is usually cheaper than electric heating. Not sure about gas fires versus central heating. You might need to see what works for your particular circumstances.

Some days you might only need the living room heating slightly and gas fire might be a better option. Other days you might need the other rooms heating and favour the central heating. Deepest winter you might need both. I think it is a case of being flexible in what you need if you want to keep a close eye on things.

If you have a programmable timer, TRV's or a thermostat you
will need to set these according to your needs. They will need tweaking throughout the year.


Other things worth considering:

Try a jumper or two, a duvet or an electric blanket if you want to be frugal.

You'd benefit from thicker or lined curtains especially if you have large windows. Check out the charity shops first.

Making sure you have no draughts will help a lot too.

It's also worth checking whether you're eligible for insulation grants.

Check out:

https://www.imeasure.org.uk

to keep a tab on weekly consumption.

You can also join the 'MoneySaving Carbon Club' on imeasure and post on the 'My Energy Use Diary' thread on this board. I've found both very useful for keeping an eye on energy use.

dasachmo

hiya, re the ways to cut down loss of heat, we've got carpets, but i've put down a rug to help... we've replaced the curtains for thicker ones and i've got rid of the draughts from around the doors which were really bad by fitting draught excluders.

I think its because our house is quite old that it is quite cold but im gna stick with the central heating then. Seems that electric is too expensive, but not too keen on the gas/coal fireplace because it just seems not healthy!

Fire_Fox

An electrically heated sofa throw is cheaper to run and more less wasteful than any room heater.

worbikeman

If you make sure the room is well insulated then any type of heating doesn't need to be on for long and stays warmer longer after you turn it off.