Electric heater or Calor gas?

charlotte289

Hello,
This has probably been asked a million times before, but I'd still like to hear your opinions Basically I'm moving into a new flat soon on my own, and the main heater in the living room seems to be a storage heater of some description. Considering that I've heard they're quite expensive to run and that I wouldn't need the place warm all day (I'd be out at work from about 8.30 till 6), I was thinking there may be a better option. I was either going to get a halogen heater with a thermostat and use that instead, or get a Calor gas fire. The problem is, the latter costs more to start off with, and I'm not sure how the cost of the cylinders (plus delivery - I can't drive, and couldn't afford a car anyway) would compare to the cost of electricity. I know mains gas is much cheaper than electricity for heating, but is cylinder gas still cheaper than electric? Also, my parents say that Calor gas fires always used to smell bad :huh: Is this still true?

Thanks

macman

Even bottled gas is cheaper than standard rate electricity, but the main problem with portable gas heaters is that they produce a lot of water vapour, which needs to be removed to avoid condensation problems.
The smell is only there if combustion is incomplete, it's added for your own safety.

charlotte289

macman wrote: »

Even bottled gas is cheaper than standard rate electricity, but the main problem with portable gas heaters is that they produce a lot of water vapour, which needs to be removed to avoid condensation problems.
The smell is only there if combustion is incomplete, it's added for your own safety.

Ah... so I guess I'd need the fire to be quite near a vent? (Would a lot of heat be lost through it?) Or would a dehumidifier be needed? (more electricity :eek:)

macman

It doesn't have to be near a vent, the room just needs to be adequately ventilated.

charlotte289

macman wrote: »

It doesn't have to be near a vent, the room just needs to be adequately ventilated.

Ok Thanks for the information! Do you think a 1980s-built one-bedroom flat would have been built with adequate ventilation, or would I need to take extra measures, like opening windows etc. (I know it's not easy to know without seeing the flat but maybe it's guessable )

Pincher

If you have a cooker extractor hood that vents outside,
the simplest thing to do is to set it on low, and make sure your trickle vents on the living room windows are letting air in.

This is absolutely not compliant and not considered safe,
just cheap and cheerful.

Have a look at this:

http://www.dealec.co.uk/acatalog/pdf/xpelair/xpxhr150.pdf

Better than opening the windows when it's -5 degrees,
yes?

The landlord will say the building is not supposed to have gas,
and burning gas is a fire hazzard. Also, if he should put in this heat recovery device, and it fails, and you die or became ill, he is liable. The safest option for the landlordis is therefore to refuse to install the heat recovery device.

charlotte289

Pincher wrote: »

If you have a cooker extractor hood that vents outside,
the simplest thing to do is to set it on low, and make sure your trickle vents on the living room windows are letting air in.

This is absolutely not compliant and not considered safe,
just cheap and cheerful.

Have a look at this:

http://www.dealec.co.uk/acatalog/pdf/xpelair/xpxhr150.pdf

Better than opening the windows when it's -5 degrees,
yes?

The landlord will say the building is not supposed to have gas,
and burning gas is a fire hazzard. Also, if he should put in this heat recovery device, and it fails, and you die or became ill, he is liable. The safest option for the landlordis is therefore to refuse to install the heat recovery device.

The new place has an extractor hood above the hob, and the kitchen's joined on to the living room so that may well work. Thanks

asbokid

What floor is your new flat on, sweetheart? if your not on the ground floor, are you gonna be happy clunking those cylinders up and down the stairs? Reminds me of when we was on the samuda estate in millwall in the 70s. the lifts in the tower blocks was always out of order (no suprise tower hamlet council!!) so everyone used to chuck their used cylinders out of their flat windows into the car park below!! i wo'nt even tell you what we threw out the windows when the drains blocked!!

charlotte289

asbokid wrote: »

What floor is your new flat on, sweetheart? if your not on the ground floor, are you gonna be happy clunking those cylinders up and down the stairs? Reminds me of when we was on the samuda estate in millwall in the 70s. the lifts in the tower blocks was always out of order (no suprise tower hamlet council!!) so everyone used to chuck their used cylinders out of their flat windows into the car park below!! i wo'nt even tell you what we threw out the windows when the drains blocked!!

It's on the ground floor, thankfully (so no throwing things out the window for me, whatever they might be ), so it shouldn't be too hard to get the cylinders in - though it's a fair walk to the bus stop so I'd probably rather have them delivered anyway. I think it'd cost an extra £5 but I'd rather pay that than almost break my back humphing a big cylinder about

ra200

A convertor heater will be cheaper to run than a calor gas heater

15KG Calor bottle = £32.99 https://secure.calor.co.uk/OrderCalorCylinders/default.asp?PageType=butane and will last 140 hours on the low setting of 1.5kw,

A Convector heater set to 1.5kw mode using electricity price at 13p a unit will cost £27.30p to run for 140 hours

So for 140 hours of 1.5kw of heat electricity is cheaper

Calor heat bottle = £32.99
Convector heater =£27.00

A Calor heat will cost from around £70.00 upwards and needs a service once a year, At the moment my local Wilko have convector heats with 75% off i picked up 4 for £5.00p each,

charlotte289

ra200 wrote: »

A convertor heater will be cheaper to run than a calor gas heater

15KG Calor bottle = £32.99 https://secure.calor.co.uk/OrderCalorCylinders/default.asp?PageType=butane and will last 140 hours on the low setting of 1.5kw,

A Convector heater set to 1.5kw mode using electricity price at 13p a unit will cost £27.30p to run for 140 hours

So for 140 hours of 1.5kw of heat electricity is cheaper

Calor heat bottle = £32.99
Convector heater =£27.00

A Calor heat will cost from around £70.00 upwards and needs a service once a year, At the moment my local Wilko have convector heats with 75% off i picked up 4 for £5.00p each,

Interesting... Calor must have hiked their prices recently or something. Maybe I will get a convector heater after all. I can't really make my mind up