Cheapest way to heat house with electricity

Eliza_2

Dear all, I've posted on the oil heating forum about the problems with my oil heating but until I get it sorted (or maybe not) I wonder if you could advise me of the best way of heating my home with electric heaters. I have a 2 bed very old stone detached cottage, I've done my best to insulate it using the ideas on the 'preparing for winter' thread. One of the bedrooms isn't used except as an office so for now my pc and paperwork is in the kitchen which is a nightmare as I work from home, but it does mean I don't need to heat that room. That leaves 1 bedroom, kitchen/diner, living room and bathroom. I tend not to heat the living room too but the stairs lead up from it so I can't shut it off. Either in use or in storage I have 2 2kw convector heaters which seem to chuck out quite a lot of heat, 1 fan heater which obviously does, a 2 bar coal fire lookalike which is 2kw but doesn't seem to produce much heat, plus 2 of those electric woodburner lookalikes, which similarly don't seem to heat much though are quite noisy. I also have an open fire in the kitchen, with some logs, but not a huge amount and can't afford to pay up front for another load at the moment. This however, doesn't seem to chuck out much heat either.

What's the best combination of any of these to use? Or should I buy something else? I really need space heating, so halogens wouldn't be much good and the bright light is distracting and horrible when I'm trying to work. I was wondering about getting a small oil filled heater for the upstairs landing, to keep on all the time,to at least take the chill off the bathroom and upstairs generally. I don't want frozen pipes on top of everything else. Can anyone advise please? At the moment it's minus 3.7 outside, despite the sun, and my indoor thermometer hasn't got up to its lowest point which is 14 degrees.

Thanks

Andy_WSM

Well, it's pretty much a case of no one type of electric heating is any more efficient that another. All electric heaters put out the same amount of heat for the amount of power they consume.

I just read that it's not your property - you rent it, so don't think the other electric option, Air Source Heat Pumps, is going to be viable for you due to the initial outlay costs (high hundreds - thousands!). The advantage of these is that they ARE much cheaper to run. Roughly speaking, for every KW you put in, you can get 3 or 4KW of heat out under normal conditions.

Cardew

As said above, it makes absolutely no difference what type of electrical heater you use as they all give out exactly the same amount of heat for for the same cost. i.e. a 1kW heater of any type will produce the same heat at the same cost.

The advantage of a halogen heater is that you can 'direct' heat towards yourself if you are, say, sitting at your desk working. However as you say they do not provide 'space heating'.

Eliza_2

Cardew wrote: »

As said above, it makes absolutely no difference what type of electrical heater you use as they all give out exactly the same amount of heat for for the same cost. i.e. a 1kW heater of any type will produce the same heat at the same cost.'.

Thanks yes I understand that, however there's abig difference in how it feels to stand next to a 2kw fan heater and a 2kw oil filled radiator. It's how it feels that concerns me.

I think I'll get an oil filled heater from Argos tomorrow to put on the landing, I don't think I can use the bathroom for much longer if it stays this cold. Maybe I'll borrow a halogen heater from work, though I've never felt much benefit there. It might be different in a smaller space at home, though I don't think anything will get through this cold, it's nearly unbearable.

Thanks

Fire_Fox

What about an electric underblanket on your bed and heated throw on your legs whilst you are working or relaxing? These have very low running costs, about the same as a lightbulb (pennies).

Ken68

Yes agree Firefox, went over to electric blanket throw earlier this year.
Comes into it's own in autumn and spring and knocks off a few hours a day from the central heating in the winter.
Tis the FUTURE, that ,and electrically heated clothes.

moonrakerz

Ken68 wrote: »

Tis the FUTURE, that ,and electrically heated clothes.

Ummm - I think I'd rather be cold !

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/2329766.pdf

Ken68

The energy companies don't want it, Moon, and neither probably the clothes industry.
And why should electrically heated clothing be conventional fashion, something utility would do.
Single electric blankets one front one back, hole in the middle placed over the head, belt to tighten.
Ok for consenting adults in private.

Plushchris

They should make clothes with those heat pads that warm up when you "snap" the metal disc in them.

Dragons den here I come.....