Heating a bedroom. Convector Heater vs Radiator (boiler)

pine77

I have this heater in my bedroom:

http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/4152181.htm

I choose to use it instead of the plumbed in radiator powered by my Main Combi 25 eco lite boiler.

I am with British Gas, dual fuel.

What is the most economic option?

CashStrapped

Are you just heating the bedroom? At night?

If that is the case then a small conventor heater may be the ok. However it is not a cheap way to heat a room.

A single 3kw convector heater will cost around 47p per hour to run. Without a thermostat, that will cost £2.33 for 5 hours! That is more than my electric use for the whole day!

If you must use a convector heater, as a minimum, you must use one with a thermostat so that it turns on and off to maintain a temperature, rather than just being on all the time.
What kind of room temperature are you trying to achieve and why?

Is it jut for sleeping in the room at night?

Cheaper alternatives:

Pyjamas and a better thicker duvet?
A hot water bottle?
An electric blanket (may cost around half a pence per hour)?

Unless very cold, most people do not put heating on during the night, maybe just before bed and then in the morning before they get up.

Another alternative is to put thermostatic valves on all your radiators (minor up front cost but could save you a lot in long term) and turn down the ones you do not want to use. Just leave the one in your bedroom open.

Remember Electricity is 3 times more expensive than gas, so where possible use gas. Do not use electricicty as a main source of heating if you have gas avaliable.

SunReader

A single 3kw convector heater will cost around 47p per hour to run. Without a thermostat, that will cost £2.33 for 5 hours! That is more than my electric use for the whole day!


Daft! 3kw continous for 5 hours would be like hot like an oven, in the real world the thermostat will cycle the heater on and off once room warms up.

That's like saying a 28kw combi boiler uses 28 kW per hour 24/7- in reality it is only continous for the first 20 mins until the house warms up and then it cycles on and off.

This 90% plus super efficiency of a condensing boiler only occours when working at it's maximum output, using only one rad in circuit will drop efficincy a lot. Also heat wastage through metres of pipework etc further reduces efficiency.

I'd go for the electric heater....cheaper imo and much quieter too.
Also instant on/off heat.

Cardew

It is impossible for anyone to advise you on the running costs of your 2kW heater as there are so many variables. What temperature you have set - the insulation properties of your bedroom(i.e. heat loss) etc.


However running gas CH through the night to heat one bedroom is not really a practical proposition. The gas boiler operation is controlled(when switched on) by the thermostat that is normally situated in the hall or lounge. Unless you have heating sufficient to operate that thermostat, the CH will be cycling on and off all night.


So I agree with the poster above, if you must have heating through the night in your bedroom the electrical heater makes most sense. Perhaps have it on a timer so it is on until you get warm in bed, and off until some time before you get up. You can even get a remote control to switch it on and off.

pine77

Thanks for the advice.

I only keep it on a few hours a day

lstar337

I don't bother heating the bedroom any more. I have an electric blanket that does a much better job. It's only 60W per side on full power and due to all the heat being trapped in the bed that is never used for more than about 10 minutes.

Not to mention the fact that if you have good bedding, you will be insulated from the heat in the room anyway (except the few uncovered bits). What a waste.