Thinking of buying an oil filled radiator for one room - few queries?

sunni

Hello

I'm thinking of buying an oil filled radiator for one room in the house. It's quite a big room (5.5 metres x 3.5 metres) and was looking at a 2kw heater with 2 heat settings. If one setting is used I've just read it uses 1100w of electricity. This heater has a thermostat and I'm wondering with one heat setting does it still use 1100w regardless of the thermostat?

Hope I'm making sense.

Sunni

Cardew

No. The thermostat effectively acts as an on/off switch.

When the room reaches the temperature set on the thermostat, power to the heating element is switched off. When the temperature drops(normally about 1 degree) it starts heating again.

sunni

Thanks Cardew, so when the thermostat element switches itself off does the heater use any electricity? (sorry if this sounds silly )

[Deleted User]

no it doesnt

macman

Quite simply, when it's on it draws 1100 watts. When it's off it draws nothing.
But heating the room to temp xC will cost exactly the same whether you run it at 1kW or 2kW. The former will just take about twice as long.

penrhyn

Unless you want an oil filled radiator for aesthetic reasons, you could get a 2 or 3Kw convector for a lot less money, and it would cost the same to run.

sunni

Yeah its for those reasons and I've been looking at the Delonghi range and see they have the new Dragon and Vento models and it's hard too decide which model to go for?

Cardew

sunni wrote: »

Yeah its for those reasons and I've been looking at the Delonghi range and see they have the new Dragon and Vento models and it's hard too decide which model to go for?

Just as long as you are aware that the only issues are purchase price and appearance.

Any electrical heater will give out exactly the same amount of heat for the same running costs, from a £10 fan heater to some heaters costing(unbelievably) £1,500 or more.

penrhyn

Bought one of these a year or so back ( cheaper then!) as a backup in case of CH failure. Works well.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dimplex-Convector-Heater-Timer-kW/dp/B0000W5E9A/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1357830744&sr=8-4

Shop around though.

JimmyTheWig

Cardew wrote: »

Just as long as you are aware that the only issues are purchase price and appearance.

Any electrical heater will give out exactly the same amount of heat for the same running costs, from a £10 fan heater to some heaters costing(unbelievably) £1,500 or more.

Would an oil-filled radiator not hold its heat for longer?

In terms of the original question, why would you ever use it on 1100w rather than 2000w if it had a thermostat?

penrhyn

Yes it would, but it would also take longer to heat up in the first place, swings and roundabouts.