New flat-can only install electric heaters

spiritus

We have just purchased an apartment but have been told that only electric heating can be used.


Our preference is electric, wall mounted panel heaters but was wondering about what power to get.


It's only a one bedroom flat-quite tiny.


I was thinking a 1.5 kw in the living room area, a 1.0 kw in the dining area and same in bedroom.


Does the kw denote the amount of heat they generate or how much electricity they use (or both) ?


Sorry if this might seem a basic question but we really don't know.

TartanSaver

spiritus wrote: »

I was thinking a 1.5 kw in the living room area, a 1.0 kw in the dining area and same in bedroom.


Does the kw denote the amount of heat they generate or how much electricity they use (or both) ?

Both. The "lost" or "wasted" energy in most electric devices is turned into heat. With electric heaters, heat is actually desirable, and so nothing is wasted. They are (for all practical purposes) 100% efficient.

It's impossible to say what you'll need without knowing more about the flat. Is it well insulated? Double glazing? How old is it? What floor is it on? Is there a flat above it? Is it exposed or sheltered?

You should get a basic idea from the energy performance information, which would have been available to you as a buyer. If it's well insulated, your suggestions will likely be enough. I'm intrigued as to how you come to own a property with no heating. Did you buy it as a fixer-upper?

Nada666

Even if small and insulated you don't want too small a heater as one of the (few) advantages of electric panels is that they can be used on demand. If you buy only what is required on average you risk having to have it on for hours on a timer to have warmth when you arrive home. And if you have poor insulation it will be useless.

As above difficult to specify a rating without knowing insulation - but any panel will have a thermostat. You want a decent rating cycling on and off rather than a low wattage.

lstar337

spiritus wrote: »

Our preference is electric, wall mounted panel heaters but was wondering about what power to get.

Your preference is the most expensive form heating bar none?

Have you done any research on heating options?

It would be nice to not see you back here in 6 months time saying that you cannot afford to heat your place.

Ebe_Scrooge

lstar337 wrote: »

Your preference is the most expensive form heating bar none?

Electric heating is pretty much the most expensive way to heat a room, but if the OP is stuck with electricity then a panel heater is no more or less efficient than any other type of electric heater. 1KW is 1KW, and will consume the same amount of electricity and produce the same amount of heat.

The only difference is how the heat is released. For instance, an oil-filled rad will take longer to warm up, but will carry on releasing heat after it's switched off. A fan heater will give instant heat and will stop producing heat the moment it's switched off. The energy consumed and the heat produced is the same overall for both ( well, apart from the miniscule amount used to power the fan, but that's negligible. )

footyguy

spiritus wrote: »

We have just purchased an apartment but have been told that only electric heating can be used.


Our preference is electric, wall mounted panel heaters but was wondering about what power to get.


It's only a one bedroom flat-quite tiny.


I was thinking a 1.5 kw in the living room area, a 1.0 kw in the dining area and same in bedroom.

No one can answer that question as it would depend on lots of factors you have given no indication of.
e.g. size of room (volume in particular), levels of insulation, position of flat (which floor, number and size of outside walls, etc)

You need a professional survey ideally.

My thoughts are that a 1kW heater is not going to be enough to heat a room, and only 3.5kW (only 500W more than a 3kw fan heater, is unlikely to provide enough heat to an entire flat that despite you say is 'small, does have a separate living area and dining area. (is it really a 2 bedroom flat?)
What about kitchen (not so important) and bathroom???
When I had a flat, that had a 2kW fan heater in the bathroom alone.

spiritus wrote: »

Does the kw denote the amount of heat they generate or how much electricity they use (or both) ?


Sorry if this might seem a basic question but we really don't know.

For electric heaters of the type you describe, both
(they are essentially 100% efficient)

stator

Well you do have several options, and discussions about what is best can get quite controversial.

The easiest option is wall mounted panel radiators, yes all of the energy they use is converted into heat so pretty efficient. Make sure you get one that is thermostatically controlled, so you can pick a temperature. It's best to have a remote control thermostat too, a built in thermostat measures the temperature near the radiator, a wireless one measures the temperature in the part of the room that you chose.

If you can change the meters to economy 7 then night storage heaters are worth considering. They use cheaper energy overnight and store the heat until the day when you need it. If the flat is empty during the day these can work out pretty cheap. If you are home and using energy during peak hours then it doesn't work out cheap. Once they run out of heat though you have to switch to something more expensive.

Another option is infra-red electric heaters. They can save energy if you have a particular spot you want to sit in and have the heater pointed at you, eg if you have an office or stay on the same sofa. They save energy because you feel the warmth directly from the heaters, they don't have to heat up the whole room. However they aren't great if you have lots of people or if you move around a lot. Anyone not sitting in the path of the heater would feel colder.

If you have lots of money you could consider an air source heat pump. They suck heat energy from outside and pump it inside, it doesn't have to be warm outside either. They are expensive to install but more efficient than standard electric heaters.

mnw1888

For each space you wish to heat take separaetly :-


take U Value of ( Roof, walls and Floor ( U for these will be different)) x Area of ( roof, Walls and floor) x delta temp( Outside temp say minus 5 Deg C ( outside temp in winter) minus room temp 18 or 21 Deg C.= xx kW


You can do the cals for the roof , walls and floor separately for easy.
Repeat calculation for any windows which will have a different U valve and area, use the same delta temp = xx kW


Add the two KW figs up= the total is the nearest heat output for the heater.


Clearly small areas/ room will require less, large rooms will require higher output heaters.


Ask builder / architect/ landlord or previous tenants if the have the infor for the U values. Some one would have it to get building permission, if this is a new flat . The energy pact sold with the property might also provide this.


One question, why is the apartment been sold without heaters? that is unusual and might even be against building Regs. Just a separate thought!


You might typical replace the old heaters for different style or move position etc but the basic flat should have heaters fitted unless it is super insulated which I doubt.

lstar337

Ebe_Scrooge wrote: »

Electric heating is pretty much the most expensive way to heat a room, but if the OP is stuck with electricity then a panel heater is no more or less efficient than any other type of electric heater. 1KW is 1KW, and will consume the same amount of electricity and produce the same amount of heat.

Yeah, I did physics at school.

Ebe_Scrooge wrote: »

The only difference is how the heat is released. For instance, an oil-filled rad will take longer to warm up, but will carry on releasing heat after it's switched off. A fan heater will give instant heat and will stop producing heat the moment it's switched off. The energy consumed and the heat produced is the same overall for both ( well, apart from the miniscule amount used to power the fan, but that's negligible. )

What you say is only true for direct electric heating. Which is the most expensive bar none.

E7 and Night Storage Heating is cheaper to run than direct electric heating with panel or oil filled heaters.

And heat pumps would be another cheaper alternative to direct electric heating.

Cardew

You really don't need a professional survey.

A larger heater has the advantage that it will warm up the room quickly and then use no more electricity than a smaller heater to maintain the required temperature - assuming you buy one with a thermostat.

Above all don't believe any adverts that state/imply that their electrical heaters give out more heat for the same running cost as other electrical heaters.

spiritus

stator wrote: »

Well you do have several options, and discussions about what is best can get quite controversial.

The easiest option is wall mounted panel radiators, yes all of the energy they use is converted into heat so pretty efficient. Make sure you get one that is thermostatically controlled, so you can pick a temperature.

Do you mean electric, oil filled radiators or electric convector heaters ?