Replacement for Ceiling Heating

mml14119064

Hi All,

My first post here so please be gentle.

We moved into a rented ground floor apartment/flat about 6 months ago and have been worried about the level of heating we are going to have during the winter. The apartment is relatively new and has underfloor ambient heating and radiant ceiling heating. No access to the gas mains unfortunately.

So far it's been OK for heat as the weather has been OK, but with the weather turning a bit colder we have turned the thermostat all the way to 30. In every house we have had, if the thermostat was at this temperature as soon as you walk in, the heat would be very noticeable and comfortable whereas where we are at present this is not the case. Over the past week, we have been cold every night, and I think this is really unacceptable for the price we pay for rent a month.

So my question is - does anyone have any experience with ceiling heating (ours is ESWA) and if so how do you manage to heat your home. Our other option is to forgo the central heating, except for water which is on a separate system and to buy a few oil filled radiators. In our quick calculations most of these are coming in around £30-£35 a month to have on continuously for 5 hours 7 days a week which is ALOT cheaper than we are paying now and is excessive usage. Does this sounds like a reasonable solution. We really don't want to move from where we are unless completely necessary as it is perfect in every other way.

Sorry for the very rambling narrative!

Thanks to everyone who replies in advance.

southcoastrgi

If you want the short answer electric ceiling heating is crap

ic

What on earth is ceiling heating? Heat rises?!

missbiggles1

mml14119064 wrote: »

Hi All,

My first post here so please be gentle.

We moved into a rented ground floor apartment/flat about 6 months ago and have been worried about the level of heating we are going to have during the winter. The apartment is relatively new and has underfloor ambient heating and radiant ceiling heating. No access to the gas mains unfortunately.

So far it's been OK for heat as the weather has been OK, but with the weather turning a bit colder we have turned the thermostat all the way to 30. In every house we have had, if the thermostat was at this temperature as soon as you walk in, the heat would be very noticeable and comfortable whereas where we are at present this is not the case. Over the past week, we have been cold every night, and I think this is really unacceptable for the price we pay for rent a month.



So my question is - does anyone have any experience with ceiling heating (ours is ESWA) and if so how do you manage to heat your home. Our other option is to forgo the central heating, except for water which is on a separate system and to buy a few oil filled radiators. In our quick calculations most of these are coming in around £30-£35 a month to have on continuously for 5 hours 7 days a week which is ALOT cheaper than we are paying now and is excessive usage. Does this sounds like a reasonable solution. We really don't want to move from where we are unless completely necessary as it is perfect in every other way.

Sorry for the very rambling narrative!

Thanks to everyone who replies in advance.

30 degrees in the middle of a balmy September in the south - you'll melt!

Furts

You say the apartment is relatively new so it should be well insulated. Consequently you should have little need for heating. Add to this you will have fewer external walls than a house, and neighbours all around you supplying heating to your perimeter.

I wonder if you understand the concept of under floor heating. Here the heat input is low and the idea is not to keep turning the heating on and off, or playing with the thermostat. The heating is like trickle heating - it gradually builds up a temperature and this heat is retained in your apartment. You will probably find you will leave this heating on when you are out at work so that a warm apartment awaits you when you return from work.

Oil filled rads may be the answer but how is your apartment wired and metered? If you will be paying punitive rates for the electricity to power them then you may want to think again.

Davesnave

missbiggles1 wrote: »

30 degrees in the middle of a balmy September in the south - you'll melt!

I'd no idea that Newbury's microclimate was so severe!

Here, at 500', and at a similar latitude, we haven't used any heating since some time in late May.

southcoastrgi

Furts
It's ceiling heating not underfloor heating

Le_Kirk

^^^ See post #1 it is also under floor ambient heating.

missbiggles1

southcoastrgi wrote: »

Furts
It's ceiling heating not underfloor heating

Actually, it's both.

"The apartment is relatively new and has underfloor ambient heating and radiant ceiling heating. "

Davesnave

missbiggles1 wrote: »

Actually, it's both.

"The apartment is relatively new and has underfloor ambient heating and radiant ceiling heating. "

So, presumably, the radiant heat is the boost and underfloor the background heating?

Furts

Davesnave wrote: »

So, presumably, the radiant heat is the boost and underfloor the background heating?

This is what I was thinking. Possibly separate circuits because ceiling heating in an apartment sounds crazy. Heat rises so this will tend to heat the apartment above. Plus if it is concrete floors (likely in an apartment block for both sound reduction and fire proofing) then these will act like an enormous storage radiator. OK to an extent provided one does not expect control and instant responses.