Cheapest/Safest way to heat a conservatory

Morganarla

Hey everyone!

My large conservatory is getting very cold atm, even with keeping the blinds down during the day to keep the heat in.

As you'll see from my sig, Dan and I have a lot of animals, and the conservatory is mainly their area, full of cat toys, dog beds etc! They all (apart from little Martha who comes to bed with us) go in there overnight, and it's just simply too cold for them, even though they have furcoats.

Any ideas on the cheapest but safest way to keep the conservatory warm? There are inbuilt heaters in there, like fan heaters, but they cost a bloomin' pound a minute!

macman

All electric heating will cost exactly the same to run.

muskoka

You can buy heated pads for cats.....prob same for dogs... these are used in some catteries http://www.amazon.co.uk/ELECTRIC-WINTER-NIGHTS-RECOVERING-ARTHRITIS/dp/B001JATOFM flaming heck on that price - sure you must be able to get them cheaper, much cheaper than that ....I would have thought

Could you have a radiator installed in the conservatory.....but then would all the heat be lost..... Hot water bottles??

haha can just see you filling up about 10 hot water bottles for all the pets in the conservatory.....

Barneysmom

Get some of this - bubble wrap

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=bubble+wrap&!!!!!googhydr-21&index=aps&hvadid=10037785021&ref=pd_sl_2kl5o3klxi_b

I cover my conservatory windows every winter now, it's brilliant, there's no condensation and it does keep the chill out quite a bit.
Then when it starts getting warmer again I take it back down and fold in nice to put in the garage for next winter

You could see if you can scrounge a coffee table from Freegle, put that in there with blanket over tent-like and the little ones will snuggle up nice and warm?

karl-123

extend the central heating get a radiator fitted,
with a trv valve, so you can turn it off easy,

bearing in mind in extreme cold weather if the raiator freezes it will bend like a bannana,

Morganarla

Thanks for the suggestions!

I have considered getting heatpads through work (I'm a vet nurse) for them, but the cost of getting them for all of them will cost an arm and a leg. Plus Margaret is stupid (a considerable sandwich short of a picnic!) and probably wouldn't go on them.

Bubble wrap may be the way forward, but I will have to get Dan to 'alpha-male' it up over our housemate (his friend) as he immediately quashed the idea saying it'd look silly (this is despite switching off the lights and reading by candlelight instead of having the tv and lamp on, in order to save money. Argh.)

What would be more expensive to run, a halogen heater or oil filled radiator?

macman

Morganarla wrote: »

Thanks for the suggestions!

I have considered getting heatpads through work (I'm a vet nurse) for them, but the cost of getting them for all of them will cost an arm and a leg. Plus Margaret is stupid (a considerable sandwich short of a picnic!) and probably wouldn't go on them.

Bubble wrap may be the way forward, but I will have to get Dan to 'alpha-male' it up over our housemate (his friend) as he immediately quashed the idea saying it'd look silly (this is despite switching off the lights and reading by candlelight instead of having the tv and lamp on, in order to save money. Argh.)

What would be more expensive to run, a halogen heater or oil filled radiator?

For the same rating, they both cost exactly the same to run-as do all electric heaters, since they are all of equal efficiency.

27col

The only reason for choosing one over the other is ease of use. As has been said, the running cost is the same for any electric heater of the same wattage.

muskoka

Can you save a mint by giving the pets a different part of the house through the winter???

SatanicHare

Don't think cheap and conservatory will ever belong in the same sentence i'm afraid. Whilst they may be nice to look at they are completely impractical, freezing in winter and almost oven like in the summer. I know there are a few exceptions and some people manage to use their's regularly all year round, but personally i think they are a waste of cash, and that's before we start talking about how often they leak.