calculating the cost of a convector heater

jetplane

Hi I just thought I would get back and let you know I have taken your advice, and much to the amusement of my husband, after a few experiments (an hour wasn't enough) I have used your calculations to work out that left on a setting that maintains around 21 degrees my heater runs for 1hr 25 mins for 1 kw of energy. Thats approx £1.73 for 24 hours.

Thats the minimum I know and its never going to be accurate but at least I have an idea now. Thanks again :T

macman

But that figure will entirely depend on the ambient temp, so it doesn't really prove anything. If the ambient temp was 0C, it would be on permanently. If the ambient temp were 22C, it wouldn't come on at all. A 1kW heater will use 1kW per hour if not cycling on and off with the 'stat.

jetplane

But you said if I checked my meter with everything else off it would tell me exactly how much it cost? So I did, I can't get it spot on, but over the week I have tried, as you suggested, periods with the heater off and then on again whilst everything else remained the same/off.

An hour wasn't long enough and I did need to know the consumption with the thermostat cycle working so I did various time spells, of 2, 4 & 6 hours. It was left on for 8 hours overnight once so I compared this to 8 hours when it was off. The room was kept at a constant temperature.

victor2

You could always get something like this and just leave it plugged in to power the heater for a day or two.
However, as already said, the outside temperature will have a great effect on how much the heater has to switch on and off.

Richie-from-the-Boro

jetplane wrote: »

But you said if I checked my meter with everything else off it would tell me exactly how much it cost? So I did, I can't get it spot on, but over the week I have tried, as you suggested, periods with the heater off and then on again whilst everything else remained the same/off.

An hour wasn't long enough and I did need to know the consumption with the thermostat cycle working so I did various time spells, of 2, 4 & 6 hours. It was left on for 8 hours overnight once so I compared this to 8 hours when it was off. The room was kept at a constant temperature.

Don't get too bogged down with the science, there is an influence you can't control called weather, using precisely the same method you used before, record the figures :

- if it was +8c the time you got a figure of approx = £1.73 for 24 hours
- and you do it today when for example its +5c = £x.xx for 24 hours
- and you do it when for example its +0c = £x.xx for 24 hours
- and you do it when for example its -2c = £x.xx for 24 hours

you'll get a much more objective answer of price relative to outside temp, in fact if you divide the whole thing by 4 you will near enough get an English British winter [ +5c ~ -2c ] average