Oil filled radiator-best type to buy?

martin57

Hi folks,

I'm thinkining about buying an electric oil filled radiator to take the chill off the air in the bedroom during the night.

I was down at B and Q and they have a 2500 wattage one for around £70.

Just wondering is 2500w going to be very sore on electricity or should I go for less wattage?

It does have a timer and temperature guage I believe.

Thanks for any info on this.

martin57

benjus

Assuming that it's thermostatically controlled, that you're not going to crank up the temperature to absolute maximum, and that the space you're trying to heat is well within its capabilities, the only effect of the high power rating will be that it reaches the target temperature faster before shutting off again. So the overall amount of electricity used won't be much different to a lower powered unit (which would have to be on for much longer to produce the same amount of heat).

If it were left on at maximum for 8 hours it would use 20 units of electricity.

macman

Buy the cheapest you can find. For the same rating, they all have the same efficency (100%) and cost the same to run.
A higher rated one won't cost any more to run if regulated to the same temp by the thermostat, it'll just heat the room up faster.
A 2.5kW one will cost about 31p per hour running full on, assuming 12.5p per kWh.

HappyMJ

Another way to look at it is a higher rated one may run at 50% of the time (once the room is warm) where a oil filled radiator rated at half the large one will run 100% of the time. At the end of it they both cost the same to run. Get one that is sized appropriately for the room. I have a 800W mini oil filled radiator in my bedroom. It is set to maximum and cannot keep the room warm at night but it does it's job of keeping the chill off the room. Most small to medium rooms really need a minimum of a 2kw rated radiator if you want the room warm all the time.

Badger_Lady

Yeah - the radiator is fine but don't pay that much. B&Q / Homebase are all over-charging at the moment - they actively flex their prices based on the weather and season.

You'll do much better searching online, or even picking up a good second-hand one on eBay... I got mine for £12.50 locally, and narrowly missed out on others than sold for less than £5.

sunshinetours

Argos have a good selection as well but yes you will find cheaper on ebay (both used and new).
I would say the DeLonghi ones are more likely to last however. Have had a non branded one before and it only lasted a couple of years and the manual timer was noisy. A digital plug in timer may be better.

As above though over spec rather than underspec so it does what you want it to. The mini ones are great for very small ior well insulated rooms but not for an average sized double bedroom

martin57

Thanks folks for all the replies. I actually bought a 2500w one at b and q today (airforce brand) cost around £67 with a timer, but when I got it home and read a few of the reviews on their site, it seems the timer will only go on and off once, what I'm really looking for is one that I can set to come on and off a number of times throughout the night.

I know that argos have them at more or less the same price but as their site is down at the moment not sure if they have the timer feature that I want.

Thanks
martin57

sunshinetours

Just buy a cheaper one without a timer and then use either a cheap clockwork timer or a digital multi programable one

Badger_Lady

Exactly - you can easily set this timer to go on and off as much as you like, 24 hours a day:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B004I5BQAG/ref=asc_df_B004I5BQAG6882177?smid=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&!!!!!googlecouk06-21&linkCode=asn&creative=22206&creativeASIN=B004I5BQAG

£6.80 for the timer (you can get them for less in Ikea), £30-odd max for the heater, job done

prosaver

macman wrote: »

Buy the cheapest you can find. For the same rating, they all have the same efficency (100%) and cost the same to run.
A higher rated one won't cost any more to run if regulated to the same temp by the thermostat, it'll just heat the room up faster.
A 2.5kW one will cost about 31p per hour running full on, assuming 12.5p per kWh.

2.5kW one will cost about 31p p/hour, assuming 12.5p per kWh.
1.25k one will cost about 15p p/hour
0.60k or 600w one will cost about 7p p/hour
so i would go for a Halogen Heaters - Provide a warm glow which makes one warm just by looking at it! The heat is a radiant heat similar to the sun which warms up the body faster than other forms of heat, this makes them especially useful in a cold conservatory or workshop. The warm glow should stop children from touching it and a safety cut out turns the units off when and if they are knocked off. The light weight make them popular with the elderly.
We've got one and they are much better and quicker at heating the room up quickly full blast and then kept on real low, 600 watts, only 7p an hour

or read this old thread
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/282691

*Chattie*

did you miss the part about the heater being for the bedroom through the night?

hardly a great idea to have a bright light going on and off while sleeping, warm glow? its a blinding light!