Expensive good quality 2 power 2kw/3kw thermostat oil filled radiator..cheaper than central heating?

DEBTMONKEY1A

As above...got a fab EBay deal. Max 3kw oil radiator, 12/13 fins I think, remote controlled thermostat & timer if needed.

£30! Apparently well over £100 new. Also has a dehumidifier.

I live in an old listed cottage & the living room ( back of room the wall is below ground) & only north facing room, the bathroom take HOURS to get to 20/21 or even 19 degrees. A small 6 fin £30 oil jobby at 1.5kw is on most if not all of time in bathroom with normal central heating radiator works very well....otherwise it would be too cool/cold in there for comfort.

The new 3kw one is much bigger, & can be set on auto/low(2 kW) for thermostat, or auto high (3kw) via a remote control. On testing with normal central heating radiator OFF in living room on low/19 degrees for overnight, seems to work brilliantly.

My question to you learned people...??JUST use oil radiator for living room OR put central heating radiator on but move radiator dial down from full to 1/2 level....been on maximum for years.

Energy tarrif is fixed for gas (heating) & electricity with company from Italy that Martin used for his deals.

Sorry to be thick but fed up of being quilt bound for around 3 hours every sm as central heating slowly heats room...?but am mindful of costs. Any advice? Leaving oil on overnight & look forward to not shivering tomorrow, only for living room/bathroom (BTW not checked meter yet for electricity use yet for bathroom oil radiator as only been in 3 weeks).

BTW.....2 in household, shower use only via gas, all other money saving tips already actioned......walls are 1m + stone.:beer:Thanks allif you can advise.

PS, No Smart meter, landlord not keen!

DEBTMONKEY1A

Why is this showing as locked? Will check tomorrow. Thanks all!

Mr.Generous

The thing to bear in mind is that gas per unit is about 1/3 to 1/4 the price of electricity, getting a much bigger or even a second radiator in the bathroom would be a much cheaper option.

DEBTMONKEY1A

:oHi.....good old insomnia lol! Landlord would not pay for extra radiator. So you think ' perhaps' after a day or 3 testing & noting meter readings for gas/leccy, maybe 1/2 turn on individual dial on living RM only for central heating radiator & for example leaving thermostat on 19 overnight/20 day on oil radiator in living room?

Honestly.....before I put oil rad in living room on FULL gas power for central heating living RM still took 2-3 hrs to get to temperature. Living high up in the Pennines doesn't help.

Went to bed 2 hrs ago & am in living room now, just on heat from oil rad (auto, low, 2kw, set for 19c), toasty! Ah well.....an episode of EastEnders & then try & sleep!

Cardew

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/5935922

busybee100

Hi
I'm struggling with what you are trying to achieve. Do you want it warm when you get up? What boiler have you got? Have the radiators got thermostats?

Is the boiler heating the water as hot as it can? Have you set the timer? Can you prioritise the living space?

DEBTMONKEY1A

Hi. Thanks for the reply. The living room has to be warm on waking as it takes ages as stated to get to a decent temperature via central heating gas powered radiators....even on full!

As well as the general comfort aspect my partner has been unwell as have I. Type of boiler, old but efficient gas heater. No digital on it...good old dials! Water is set to maximum heat on the boiler. No, the radiators don't have thermostats, just '1-maximum' circular knobs. They've always been on full/maximum.

Have not used timer as pump sound from heating on is enough to disturb sleep, we have just been turning central heating on full on waking & down when living room is up to heat. Kitchen/landing/2 upstairs bedrooms are fine. As mentioned....bathroom is only n. Facing room so definitely needs a boost. Just below bathroom window the outside stonework is next to the ground, I.e underground, this extends directly down to back wall in living room so would explain to a degree issues heating those 2 rooms.

BTW, no ultra high ceilings either.

Of course other issue is exposure/height (750 ish foot up in Pennines) & the fact the 1 q/2 m thick Yorkshire stone walls take ages to heat....a godsend in Summer, temperature NEVER been more than 24c in the last 7 years in summer in living room, but of course opposite issue in winterish months.

A friend of mine says that it takes at least 2 days for this type of wall (Yorkshire stone) in living room/bathroom to heat through....

So far overnight & this morning the new oil radiator is BRILLIANT & downstairs living room is lovely, using low (2kw) setting on auto for thermostat, not high which is 3kw. As mentioned just wondering if during day (always someone in) maybe turn dial on radiator in living room 1/2 down to say, 3 & running in conjunction with new oil radiator on thermostat?

Thanks again for helping!

Cardew

As stated in your other posts on this subject, any form of electrical heating produces EXACTLY the same amount of of heat for the same running cost. However depending on a number of factors heating with electricity costs between 3 and 4 times as much as gas.


So you need to get as much heat from the radiator as possible and top it up with electrical heating.


Are you saying that you don't use the Central Heating pump at all?

DEBTMONKEY1A

:beer:Hi! No....central heating & pump on for landing, bedrooms, kitchen. Works fine for these. No 2-3 hr wait on full blast to get to say 18 or 19 celcius.

As an example of issue with living room, in the beast from the east snow where daytime maximums were -1 here, boiler/heating full pelt , 24 hrs for 3 days, struggled to get to 20 degrees. Partners sister visited for a week who REALLY feels the cold, she insisted on central heating being on 24/7 & bill that month for gas/leccy was over £200! We're both careful to get right energy tariff & fixed amount is £91 PCM for gas & leccy, guaranteed no increases for a year. BTW, landlord has flushed/drained all radiators this Summer.

So Cardew....the gist of your reply is leave radiator on full via central heating, & the oil radiator on thermostat which obviously won't 'click on' anywhere near as much as help from central heating radiator....& at night when asleep central heating OFF but leave oil filled radiator at say 17/18 c ........on low? Quite often on winter mornings (& indeed early spring & mid- late Autumn) temperature in living room on rising before heating is put on can be 10-13 degrees!

Followed all practical AMSE tips but as cottage is listed I'm limited (as is owner):on any other modifications.

Thanks!

busybee100

Have you rooms which could be less warm? I found if I turned our hall radiator off the living room got much warmer. There just didn't seem to be enough heat to get around the whole system. Could you try turning the heating down using the 1- maximum circular knob in rooms that could be less warm.

Cardew

DEBTMONKEY1A wrote: »

:beer:Hi! No....central heating & pump on for landing, bedrooms, kitchen. Works fine for these. No 2-3 hr wait on full blast to get to say 18 or 19 celcius.

As an example of issue with living room, in the beast from the east snow where daytime maximums were -1 here, boiler/heating full pelt , 24 hrs for 3 days, struggled to get to 20 degrees. Partners sister visited for a week who REALLY feels the cold, she insisted on central heating being on 24/7 & bill that month for gas/leccy was over £200! We're both careful to get right energy tariff & fixed amount is £91 PCM for gas & leccy, guaranteed no increases for a year. BTW, landlord has flushed/drained all radiators this Summer.

So Cardew....the gist of your reply is leave radiator on full via central heating, & the oil radiator on thermostat which obviously won't 'click on' anywhere near as much as help from central heating radiator....& at night when asleep central heating OFF but leave oil filled radiator at say 17/18 c ........on low? Quite often on winter mornings (& indeed early spring & mid- late Autumn) temperature in living room on rising before heating is put on can be 10-13 degrees!

Followed all practical AMSE tips but as cottage is listed I'm limited (as is owner):on any other modifications.

Thanks!

We're both careful to get right energy tariff & fixed amount is £91 PCM for gas & leccy, guaranteed no increases for a year.

The tariff does not guarantee a fixed amount of £91 PCM for a year, it guarantees that the unit(kWh) price and standing charge will not increase in price.


The problem with your living room could be that the radiator is too small for the size of room.


It could also be that your CH system is not balanced correctly.



https://www.diydoctor.org.uk/projects/balancingcentralheatingsystems.htm


You could try adjusting the radiator 'lockshield valve'. see link above. Note the position of this valve and open it a little - say half a turn - and see if that improves the situation. You can always return it to its original position.