radiators inefficient - cheap alternative?

into_purple

Hi


Downstairs in our small terraced property are two radiators in the lounge and none in the kitchen (no other rooms). One radiator is blocked entirely by a piece of furniture that cannot be moved and the other is positioned right by the front door, the heat goes straight up the stairs keeping up there lovely and warm but this leaves downstairs freezing. With two small children I am desperate to keep the house warm over winter. To top it off our windows need replacing as we can feel the cold more than ever coming through them. We want to move asap so cannot afford to replace anything at the moment. I would like to know if anyone can advise me on the most efficient way to keep warm. I have thick curtains & I handmade draught excluders last year which I will dig out of the loft this weekend. If I turn off the radiators downstairs and buy an electric heater or some alternative will this cost me more than blasting on the heating via the boiler trying to get a small amount of heat from the radiators?


Thanks very much

StuC75

Why is it that the furniture cannot be moved? what is the furniture? is there somewhere else in that room that a radiator could be positioned?

using the existing heating system (even with adding a new radiator) will be more cost affective than using an electric radiator.. As it wouldn't really much more from the boiler and is then just a one off cost (rather than burning KwH with a new heater).

into_purple

It's a large chest of drawers, and the TV is also on the wall above. Due to the tiny size and shape of the room there is no where else to put either of them, or reposition the radiator as we would have already done this.

StuC75

Do you really need the drawers for storage - or could you get by?
A Tv above a radiator isn't too bad (its more fires that are an issue I believe)..

The best Money Saving idea is to use whats already there - otherwise yeah pay out for electric radiator and pay extra a month running that alongside your heating...

into_purple

Yes unfortunately we do, hence why I'm desperate for the cheapest alternative. Last year our gas bill was extortionate because of how long we have the heating on during the day to get a small amount of heat into the room. (I work from home so rarely out). We don't need heating on much upstairs as all radiators are positioned well. We also have loft insulation. Therefore my thought was that the heating actually wouldn't be on that often by using something downstairs.

Cardew

into_purple wrote: »

Hi

One radiator is blocked entirely by a piece of furniture that cannot be moved and the other is positioned right by the front door, the heat goes straight up the stairs keeping up there lovely and warm but this leaves downstairs freezing.

A cheap solution would be get a small slow speed fan positioned to blow the heat from the radiator near the front door into the living room.

ariba10

Am I to take it that there is no way of isolating the upstairs from the downstairs with doors for example ?

If there is not, you will have little chance of getting the downstairs warm, let alone hot.

into_purple

The front door opens into the lounge and straight in front is the stairs, completely open into the room. So this other radiator is positioned between the front door and stairs so heat gets sucked out of front door or straight upstairs. Any heat that does get into the room is partially blocked by the sofa, which is only a 2 seater so can't get a smaller one. I will try the fan idea, but I don't think it will do much (but obviously every little helps).

Ectophile

Despite their name, radiators work mostly by convection, rather than radiation. You should only need to drag the furniture forward a little to allow more air circulation around the radiator.

sk240

Can you put a door or curtain at the opening to the stairs? your problem is that all of the heat going upstairs, is displaced by the cold air coming down the stairs.

Get the blocked radiator off the wall and clean it out, move the furniture a couple of inches forward.

Robwiz

The radiator will heat up the chest which will give up its heat to the room eventually. Pulling the chest forward will allow more air to circulate (and less heat to go into the chest).

There's a product called 'radiator booster' which sits on top of a radiator and circulates the heat more effectively. We tried one and found it worked in our cold kitchen.

The second thing you can do is take action to reduce your heat losses:

bubble wrap on the inside of the glass of your windows - cut to fit and spray water onto the glass to fix the bubble wrap

plug all draughts around windows and doors

have you got an insulated letter box in your front door?

Thirdly, change the way you heat the room when you're working in it. Go for 'personal heating' instead of space heating. Turn your heating off during the day and use a cheap convector heater directed towards you. Read your meters to see how much gas you save and how much extra electricity you use. Wear tights and extra layers, including fingerless gloves, so that you can be comfortable at a lower room temperature.