Working from home and heating costs

baggins11

Hi All
My husband has started working from home and I am trying to work out the cheapest way of keeping the house warm enough for him.  Previously he was office based and I am in and out of the house all day with work but have always put an extra layer on during the day if I am in for an hour or so.  I don't like heating the house for 1 person.

He feels the cold and sitting at a desk will need some heat.  His office space is in our lounge which is the biggest room in the house.  I am considering buying a plug in oiled filled 2500w radiator and have it on all day in the lounge.  I had one years ago and seem to remember they are quite cost effective.  At the moment he just puts the heating on ad hoc during the day and it heats the whole house.  We have very old radiators and don't have individual controls on them that work and we can't afford to update the rads or boiler at the moment.

Is the plug in oil filled the way to go and how does it compare in cost to heating a radiator?

The good news is that he found another job after being made redundant during covid but I am very keen to claw back some of the thousands of savings we have had to dip into during this period.  So any money saving tips will be most welcome!!

littlegreenparrot

I can't help with the comparative costs I'm afraid. 

I'm in a similar position and am sticking with thermal undies, lots of layers and slippers for as long as possible. 
Hot drinks in a thermal mug so they stay hot, and one of those microwave heated pads are helping. 

I'd check if everything was as draught proof as it could be, is there a smaller room that might work as an office and be easier to heat? 
We have a small electric fan heater, which is expensive to run but heats up a small room very quickly. So you only need to have it on for a little while. 

joedenise

I don't think an electric oil filled radiator would warm the room.  We use one in our motorhome when it's cold but only after using the gas heating to heat it up.  All it really does is stops it cooling down to quickly but it certainly won't heat a big room, and I suspect wouldn't keep it warm either.

I think it would be better if he just layered up as @littlegreenparrot suggests.  Hot drinks will also help, as will things like cups of soup, preferably home made as they would be much cheaper.  Could be heated up and kept in a flask and just have a cup from time to time.

baggins11

Thanks both of you good tips there.  Unfortunately we don't have a spare room so the lounge is the only option.  I have started looking for draughts but will continue with that over the weekend.  We have 2 windows one patio door and an open fire so plenty of potential for heat escape.

He will want to look relatively smart as he will have lots of conference calls but thermal undies is a great idea that I hadn't thought about.  I work outside and wear thermals so I know they make a massive difference.   

I had hoped the oil filled plug in would be the answer.  There are different sizes and the one I was looking at was the biggest.  Anyone use one with success in a larger room?

YORKSHIRELASS

We have used an oil filled radiator in a fairly large room when we had problems with the heating and it did keep it warm, but we pay 14.35p per kwh for our electricity, so a 2.5kw heater will use 35.8p per hour on full.  Multipy that by 8 hours x 5 days and it comes in at about £14 a week.  Now it depends what sort of central heating you have as to whether that's a cost saving or not.  Of course if you have it on a thermostat and not on full power it will cost less.

I work from home and hate being cold, but I am lucky that my office is small so I can get away with using a small 500w heater.  I am also saving money on diesel as I am not driving to work, so I can justify the cost.  I also find that going out for a walk at lunchtime helps me not to feel quite so cold for some reason, and yes to regular hot drinks (preferably from a flask), and thermals!

TimSynths

I just have a small oil filled radiator in the spare room as I work in here all day and would recommend, easy to control and heats the room nicely- I do sometimes turn the heating on first thing for 30 mins to get the room warmed up but after that the oil rad does the job nicely.

oystercatcher

My husband is working from home and the room he is in is always cooler than the main living room. He has crocheted himself a blanket that lives on his work chair and he wraps it around his shoulders when working, or if on a video call it can go unseen on his lap!

caeler

I have a blanket which lives by my desk. I have finger less gloves. I close the doors. I wear warm clothes and slippers. Getting up regularly helps too. I have had the heating on for a couple of hours over lunch to take the edge off. 

thriftwizard

Thermals - that sounds like the way to go! We're having similar issues; heating, gallons of coffee, and half-hourly snacks have all bumped our costs up quite considerably. I'm very glad my OH does have a job, and we have enough coming in to keep our heads above water while I'm unable to work, but I have a feeling that keeping on top of these extra costs is a good idea.

PollyWollyDoodle

I work from home (all the time, not just since the pandemic) and I have a small oil-filled radiator by my desk. It’s a small bedroom, not a large room like your lounge but I find it effective and I usually put a rug over my knees as well.  The other thing I have is a heated airer to dry the washing and it also lives in that bedroom, having that on really warms the room up. I just have to make sure it’s out of sight during Zoom calls!  

A bit of an investment if you are watching the pennies, but I recently bought a heated throw from L*akeland, not for the office but for snuggling on the sofa. Best thing ever - it’s so cosy, and if we get a really cold spell I’ll be taking it upstairs to the ‘office’ during the day. 

baggins11

Thanks everyone! A blanket tucked under the desk sounds a good idea and I love the sound of a heated throw. 

I have taken meter readings and I am going to monitor how much our heating is costing as I have read some reports that say heating the whole house in gas is no more expensive than one room with electric. I am not convinced but will track the heating for a week or two so I know how much an hour it's costing.