Best way to heat my flat

lovefromcharlie

Hey everyone,

I have a 1 bed flat with a relatively large open plan living room/kitchen and a single bedroom. Bedroom is on the inside of the building but the living space looks onto a balcony with floor to ceiling windows along the length of the wall (sure you can already see where this is going...).

Our landlords won't let us put up curtains and so there are just venetian blinds (the ones with the slats) in front of this windows. The other bummer is that the flat only has electric fixed wall heaters which after talking to the electricity company after the most insane bill ever from earlier this year (not even over last winter but from our rubbish spring weather) they have said they are not the storage or economy 7 style heaters but cheaper less efficient heaters.

I was wondering if there is anyone who knows a bit more about heating than me who could give me some advice as to a better way to heat up the flat now it's freezing outside again...

We have one oil filled radiator which the landlords left in the flat, but not sure if this is going to be any more efficient than the fixed heaters we already have.

Any advice would be very welcome!

darren_clarke

I would use a few oil rad, as the one we had was great when left on in a room, are you btm flat or top.


if you are on eco 7 ele, have them to come on at night when the ele is cheaper

Cardew

All electrical heating will cost the same amount for the same amount of heat produced, and hence cost.

So oil filled rads, wall convectors/pane leaters etc will all cost the same to run - for the same heat output.

macman

Your convectors and oil filled rads are perfectly 'efficient' (100%), they're just very expensive to run, like any single rate tariff electric heater.
All you can do is try to improve the insulation.

McKneff

Does your landlord inspect regularly, Is there any reason why he is saying you cant put curtains up.
It seems a strange restriction as long as when you left you repaired any holes in the walls where the pole had to go.

Could you put something up at the windows say on a night that wouldn't leave any marks he could see.
Or put cling film on the windows inside the blinds.
This is were most heat is lost.

Dunroamin

Do you have double glazing?

flossy_splodge

Consider a bottled gas heater. They can be moved around and certainly in my experience tip out a lot of heat.
They usually have at least 3 heat settings.
Altho I have central heating I use one of these in my hall in the winter as its cheaper than turning the thermostat up.

Dieselman

Consider moving to one with a fire.:D

cyberboywonder

eBay Zibro ;-)

Southend1

Put up curtains.

It's not up to your landlord how you choose to furnish your home. As long as you make good any damage when you vacate the property I.e. Fill and decorate where screws for curtain poles were put in, then it's your decision whether to put up curtains or not.

Southend1

One other thing.... All electric heaters are 100% efficient. The only reason storage heaters can be cheaper is because it's possible to take advantage of cheaper night rate electricity on an economy 7 tariff.