Cheaper to run gas central heating or electric oil filled radiator?

NewSaver

Hi guys

I'm trying to figure out if it would be cheaper for me to turn on the gas central heating for an hour or an 800 watt oil filled electric radiator.

I get the radiator will cost me around 800 watts and that 1Kw can cost 14-15p. Hence the radiator will cost 0.8 x 15p to run for an hour.

I am a bit confused on the units of gas. My gas meter is measured in m^3. I took readings before I turned the central heating on an then took anothe reading after I turned it off after an hour of being on.

Here are th gas readings:

Start 17316 680

End 17317 960

The last three numbers are shown in red in the meter.

So I have used 1280 units(?) of gas? Or is that not right? I think I read that one unit of gas should cost 4p so I am assuming my calculation for units is incorrect?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

EDIT: forgot to mention that the central heating comes on for the whole house whereas I only need one room heated.

Cardew

You have used 1.28 metric gas units which is approx 14.5kWh
so around 60p.

HappyMJ

An 800W oil filled radiator would only give you a small amount of background heat. Good for a bathroom, maybe a small study or a nice low level of overnight heat in a bedroom but it wouldn't be enough for a living room.

NewSaver

Thanks for the replies guys

Just some more quick questions

Cardew wrote: »

You have used 1.28 metric gas units which is approx 14.5kWh
so around 60p.

How did you convert from m3 to kWh? Is there a standard way to go about this?

HappyMJ wrote: »

An 800W oil filled radiator would only give you a small amount of background heat. Good for a bathroom, maybe a small study or a nice low level of overnight heat in a bedroom but it wouldn't be enough for a living room.

Yep I am looking to heat a bedroom. Which I can currently only do via the central hearing which also gets up a number of empty rooms.

The radiator I'm looking to get is the:

DeLonghi Bambino TRN0808M Oil Filled Radiator, 800 Watt.

It seems to have good reviews on amazon.

Although maybe I need to get something more powerful...

yangptangkipperbang

NewSaver wrote: »

T
How did you convert from m3 to kWh? Is there a standard way to go about this?

If you multiply m3 by 11 that will give you a reasonably accurate figure

Cardew

NewSaver wrote: »

Thanks for the replies guys

Just some more quick questions



How did you convert from m3 to kWh? Is there a standard way to go about this?



Yep I am looking to heat a bedroom. Which I can currently only do via the central hearing which also gets up a number of empty rooms.

The radiator I'm looking to get is the:

DeLonghi Bambino TRN0808M Oil Filled Radiator, 800 Watt.

It seems to have good reviews on amazon.

Although maybe I need to get something more powerful...

Well can't you switch off the radiators in the rooms not in use?

Your query comes up time and again and doesn't change the basic fact that a kWh of electricity is 3+ times more expensive than a kWh of gas; albeit boiler efficiency will reduce that advantage.

I have a small study and late at night after the CH has been off for a while, I might put on a fan heater for a few minutes. However that is because it more convenient, not because it is cheaper.

As said above, on a Metric gas meter multiply a gas unit by 11.2 to get kWh.