Cenral heating or stand-alone radiator?

Gabois

I'd appreciate any advice on this please...

I am currently at home on maternity leave, and to save money on our energy bill I have been heating the living room throughout the day with an oil-filled stand alone radiator, rather than having the central heating working all day heating the whole house (3-bed terrace).

As when I was previously at work, I have the central heating timer set to heat the house for an hour when we get up and at 2 intervals in the evening.

I am yet to receive a bill, but I am having doubts as to whether this is actually cost effective in terms of my increased elecrtic consumption vs. the gas central heating.

Any ideas on this? Thanks! G

HappyMJ

With a baby in the house I wouldn't be worying about cost effectiveness. I'd be keeping every room baby will be in and passing through during the day reasonably warm.

Gas central heating will in most cases cost about the same as peak rate electric heating for one large room so you may as well heat the whole house. But there are so many ifs and buts. Insulation, draught proofing, double glazing, efficency of bolier, your gas and electric tariff as some.

daveyjp

You need to do both systems and take meter readings to compare the costs.

Mutton_Geoff

With a baby in the house I wouldn't be worying about cost effectiveness. I'd be keeping every room baby will be in and passing through during the day reasonably warm

I survived in my parents house through the 50's & 60's without any central heating. I left home about a year after they installed heating in the early 70's with no adverse effects!

27col

When I was a kid the house was so cold that a glass of water froze in the bedroom. Not that I would want to go back to that again.
An electric heater is going to be much more expensive than gas for the same amount of energy supplied. All you can realistically do is to shut down the heating anywhere it is not required, dress up warm, and bite the bullet as to the cost of it all. That, or be cold, but have some money in the bank. You have to work out what your priorities are.