Heating small box room (now home office!)

Homer_home

You could of course adapt your central heating to have more than one thermostat to give you better control but that won't be cheap

Nah the simple thing to do is what jeepers says just spend the two mins running around the house turning down or off the other rads , therefore just heating your office , simple, quick , cheap 

valuehuntress

rob7475 said:

If you wanted to make an investment in smart heating controls, I'd highly recommend Tado.

How does the Tado work? Can it shut down a radiator in a certain room.

DanM92

valuehuntress said:

rob7475 said:

If you wanted to make an investment in smart heating controls, I'd highly recommend Tado.

How does the Tado work? Can it shut down a radiator in a certain room.

Indeed.
Another thumbs up for smart radiator valves from me. Tado isn't the only option you have, a quick google search brings up plenty of others -> https://diyworks.co.uk/best-smart-radiator-valves/
--
As mentioned in that article, you will need to have a "hub" already installed, which is where the main investment comes in. Once the hub is installed, you can connect multiple devices. I personally have Hive installed and run two thermostats (1 for the rads and the other for underfloor heating) as well as multiple smart radiator valves.

Homer_home

DanM92 said:

valuehuntress said:

rob7475 said:

If you wanted to make an investment in smart heating controls, I'd highly recommend Tado.

How does the Tado work? Can it shut down a radiator in a certain room.

Indeed.
Another thumbs up for smart radiator valves from me. Tado isn't the only option you have, a quick google search brings up plenty of others -> https://darimo.co.uk/best-smart-radiator-valves/ 
--
As mentioned in that article, you will need to have a "hub" already installed, which is where the main investment comes in. Once the hub is installed, you can connect multiple devices. I personally have Hive installed and run two thermostats (1 for the rads and the other for underfloor heating) as well as multiple smart radiator valves.

And how much will it cost the op to install all of this versus spending 2 mins running around turning rads down?

FreeBear

Homer_home said: And how much will it cost the op to install all of this versus spending 2 mins running around turning rads down?

Using Screwfix as a source.. https://www.screwfix.com/p/tado-smart-radiator-thermostat-starter-kit-white/981ht to get the hub (£120). https://www.screwfix.com/p/tado-smart-radiator-thermostat-white-4-pack/626ht for a four pack of TRV heads (£230)... So, the best part of £350.

Cheaper options available, but one can still expect to pay £30-80 per head on top of the central "smart" control.

I've looked at integrating smart TRV heads with my Home Assistant control, but the savings would be negligible (and eaten up by the cost of batteries).

Emmia

Homer_home said:

DanM92 said:

valuehuntress said:

rob7475 said:

If you wanted to make an investment in smart heating controls, I'd highly recommend Tado.

How does the Tado work? Can it shut down a radiator in a certain room.

Indeed.
Another thumbs up for smart radiator valves from me. Tado isn't the only option you have, a quick google search brings up plenty of others -> https://darimo.co.uk/best-smart-radiator-valves/ 
--
As mentioned in that article, you will need to have a "hub" already installed, which is where the main investment comes in. Once the hub is installed, you can connect multiple devices. I personally have Hive installed and run two thermostats (1 for the rads and the other for underfloor heating) as well as multiple smart radiator valves.

And how much will it cost the op to install all of this versus spending 2 mins running around turning rads down?

But the OP would need to repeatedly run around turning their rads up or down on a daily basis - whereas this type of system could do it automatically for them.

So it also depends on what price the OP puts on their time / convenience vs. the cost of installing the system.

twopenny

My experience of working in a small box bedroom 10x8ft was to have a two bar fire. I only used one bar and would turn that off when it got too warm and then on when I was colder.

Yes electic costs more but when you're sitting you get cold. I'd sometimes use a rug/quilt/sleeping bag over my legs and that seemed to keep the rest of me warm. Padded or fleece jerkins (sleeveless jackets) are comfy and keep you warm. Also get a small stool or books to keep your feet off the floor. You'd be amazed how much warmer they are. The folks of the past knew a thing or two

It was all adjustable depending on the weather so the fire wasn't on all the time.

The little wire element ones aren't as good as the glass bars. Unfortunately the only ones of those you can get now are ugly but they throw out heat like there's no tomorrow!

https://www.argos.co.uk/product/9189836

Mine was cheaper than this.

I tried just about every type of heating during the Beast from the East when I had no heating. The little log burner fan heaters make a noise all the time. Radiators are only good for background heating and the others mentioned gave not enough heat to the overall room.

The only electric radiator I found any good had a small fan and thermostat. You can also get them with time controls

https://www.argos.co.uk/product/9121911

Not sure if it would be warm enough to work by and the amount of electric used is the same as a bar fire which chucks out loads instantly.

Jeepers_Creepers

Sigh.

2kW oil-filled rad. Jobbie jobbed.

Jeepers_Creepers

https://www.toolstation.com/airmaster-oil-radiator-with-24hr-timer/p90196 or https://www.wickes.co.uk/Wickes-Electric-Oil-Filled-Thermostatic-Radiator---2kW/p/148250

Or two of these: https://www.toolstation.com/daewoo-mini-oil-filled-radiator/p85086 (if it gives more flexibility, tho' prob not since it's a small room).

Tbh, I reckon a 1kW version will do that room.