Portable Gas Fire

babelfish

We've just purchased a portable gas heater on wheels. Im at home most of the time and spend most of the day either in the kitchen or dining room, which are both next to each other at the back of the house. There is a lounge at the front of the house, separated from the dining room by the hall and stairs.

When it gets really cold in the winter it seems daft switching the gas central heating on to heat the whole house when Im only in those two rooms, which is why we've bought the heater. The kitchen is usually warm enough when Im cooking and the heater can keep the dining room warm. Ive only used it a couple of times but it says that you need "adequate ventillation" for it. Ive looked online at reputable sites and they all say the same thing without saying what adequate ventillation is! Does it mean I have to put the fire next to an open window? (which means its a waste of time having the fire).

We thought we could save on our utility blls by using this fire as it won't be switched on for hours and hours as our dining room stays warm for quite a long time.

penrhyn

They need ventilation because they eat up the oxygen in the room, and produce water vapour and other products of combustion, CO and CO2.
Shirley bottled gas is considerably more expensive than mains gas.

Why not just turn down or off the rads in the rooms you are not using?

matelodave

The other problem with bottled gas appliances is the amount of condensation they produce, you need to maintain a good level of ventilation otherwise you'll end up with mould.

You should get yourself a carbon monoxide alarm for the room where the heater is located just to be on the safe side.

Nada666

I am not familiar with the details so I may be completely wrong but from a quick search as far as I can see:

A 15kg bottle is £33 delivered. Each kg is approx 14 kWh. So if you only receive 210 kWh for £33 then that is costing you 15p or 16p per kWh. An electric heater would be cheaper, cleaner and safer.

(I may have misread something so will edit this if someone corrects me.)

Miiri

I've used these many time in the past and they are great for short bursts of instant heat in a cold house. Far better than any electric heater I've had. I've never really noticed increased condensation but we tended not to use them for more than 15 - 30 mins at most. Use them sensibly - ie don't use them in a sealed small room - and they should be fine.

Fi

babelfish

To answer your point, penrhyn, some of our radiators are old and I don't know if they'd take kindly to be turned up and down and it would also mean me going round the house each and every day in winter to turn about 8 radiators off and then turning them back on in time for when we do put the heating on.

These gas fires give out a lot of heat and it certainly won't be on full blast for hours or even on a low flame for hours. It gives out more heat than the radiator and so, even if its more expensive to run we won't be having it on long. Having it on low for an hour or so a day must surely be cheaper than having the heating on for the 2-3 hours that I need to keep just that one room warm?

Andy_WSM

babelfish wrote: »

Having it on low for an hour or so a day must surely be cheaper than having the heating on for the 2-3 hours that I need to keep just that one room warm?

Yes, but as has been pointed out, an electric heater would be cheaper to run, cheaper to purchase & safer - and will never give you the inconvenience of either fetching gas or waiting in for a delivery.

babelfish

The way we see it is this:

The electric fire would add on to the electricity bill, whereas the gas fire is paid in advance because you buy the gas bottle. The gas fire really throws out a lot of heat, even on its lowest setting. Would we have to have an electric fire on full blast or medium to get the same heat? There are so many variables when comparing the two fires. The gas fire means we won't have to put the heating on in the afternoon or early evening and will save us at least 3 hours of having the heating on. The gas fire hasn't got to be on constantly in order to keep this one room warm.

Its not only trying to be a bit moneysaving but we're also sticking two fingers up to the energy suppliers who have us all over a barrel.

Perhaps an electric fire is cheaper per unit - but would we use it more than we use the gas?

penrhyn

Who you think supplies bottled gas if not an energy company, assuming the price per Kwh is less for electricity than for bottled gas then the electric fire as has been pointed out would cost less to run, and be cleaner and safer.
At the end of the day its your money.

babelfish

The LPG companies aren't owned or run by British Gas.