WFH Heating

Grumpy_chap

I have no doubt this has been asked in the past, so sorry if it is a duplication.

WFH (still) and another autumn has arrived so the temperature is cooling. 
Most of the day I am in the house alone, just in the study with occasional forays to the kitchen or bathroom.

Is the most cost, energy and environmentally efficient approach to heat just the study using an electric heater, or to heat the whole house using gas central heating?

Of course the answer may not be as simple as the most cost effective solution may not be the lowest energy and environmental impact solution...

Any thoughts welcome.

Petriix

Ultimately it depends how well insulated your house is, and how much of it you will be heating later anyway.

The most efficient solutions involve either installing a split air to air heat pump in your working space or put smart TRVs on all your radiators so that your central heating can heat just the one room.

Those are expensive options though. Cheaper would be to run around the house turning off unneeded radiators and then turning them back on when you do need them, or wearing a few extra layers. 

Grumpy_chap

Smart TRVs is definitely an option I'd like to get installed.
Infact, I even have a thread on the subject:
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6196995/individual-room-temperature-control/p1

I have not gone ahead as I never managed to find a product that was mains powered.  Needing to swap batteries is just more hassle than I desire.

Verdigris

Infra-red electric heating for the work area might work well in a poorly insulated house. You feel warm even though the air temperature may be low.

Or an electric poncho, topped off with an insulated sombrero, for Zoom meetings!

QrizB

Grumpy_chap said:

Is the most cost, energy and environmentally efficient approach to heat just the study using an electric heater, or to heat the whole house using gas central heating?

If you're not heating the whole house for other reasons, heating the room will use less energy and be greener. However with the current price differential between gas and electricity, heating the house could cost less.

If you want to experiment, a heated seat cover (link to a typical one) uses around 40 watts and will be both efficient and green. You'll need a suitable 12v power supply or (at a pinch) car battery charger.

(Ones like this are neater but you need to open the upholstery, which may or may not be practicable. I did fit one in my current car, it was an afternoon's work and the seat covering was split so needed to come off so I could sew it up anyway.)

Grumpy_chap

The car seat cover is a novel idea...

I have realised today that comfort is not just about the temperature. 

Today is a bit warmer outside than yesterday and warmer inside, yet I was feeling rather colder in of myself and gave in to the heating switch by 3pm (left until the auto-cycle at 5pm yesterday). 
The difference seems to be that yesterday was bright and dry whereas today is grey with much dampness in the air.  As well as the heating switched early, I also have the SAD light on, so a double-whammy from an energy impact.

My study is on the north side of the house, so solar gain in the sunny days is not a factor I expect to be a significant variable.

coffeehound

Someone posted a link a while back for a heated mat to put your feet on - sounds like a good idea when sitting at a desk for long periods.  I suppose an electric blanket could be used for the same plus extend up as a backside heater too.  They can be bought for very little from the likes of Groupon deals where I got one some years back for about £13.

Grumpy_chap

I am loving the heated floor mat idea - especially as it will directly heat my cold tootsies. 
Maybe Santa will bring me one of these?
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Fovely-Warming-Crystal-Electric-Carpeted/dp/B08N517R9F/ref=asc_df_B08N517R9F/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=534944287570&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=18185229294519631171&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9045935&hvtargid=pla-1438561465572&psc=1

Last year, I did buy a very small fan heater that I thought would solve the cold hands problem with a very small amount of directed heat.  Unfortunately the item was faulty so went back for a refund.

Grumpy_chap

Ooooh, I found there is actually a purpose-made office foot rest warmer:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Fellowes-Professional-Climate-Control-Adjustable/dp/B002YNU7YK/ref=sr_1_24?crid=ACXTRZ79YFUA&dchild=1&keywords=heated+foot+mat&qid=1635278000&sprefix=heated+foot+mat,aps,87&sr=8-24

Might be neater (and safer) than the current foot rest plus mat on top.

Heedtheadvice

Heated thermal undies!

They may make you feel warmer but so does movement!

Then again when it is cold and wet and you do not have warm surroundings and you are knocking on a bit there is an increased risk of pulmonary infections and a night or two in hospital is not a great idea either. Keep reasonably warm and ventilate appropriately too......ooops going a bit off topic!

Not heating your other rooms at all or having wild temperature fluctuations is not a good idea either. That risks dampness which then requires a lot of heat to dry out rooms/contents and can lead to mold growth. Hot wet air from bathrooms, kitchen or just your breath can condense on the colder areas/contents.

Some advocate keeping all areas at a confortable temperature but that increases losses. The best policy is to heat all areas to a level to prevent high relative humidity and condensation i.e. ticking over till you need a comfort temperature. A simple hygrometer can help establish that and of course smart controls can help manage the temperature changes.

Exiled_Tyke

Heedtheadvice said:

Heated thermal undies!

They may make you feel warmer but so does movement!

Then again when it is cold and wet and you do not have warm surroundings and you are knocking on a bit there is an increased risk of pulmonary infections and a night or two in hospital is not a great idea either. Keep reasonably warm and ventilate appropriately too......ooops going a bit off topic!

Not heating your other rooms at all or having wild temperature fluctuations is not a good idea either. That risks dampness which then requires a lot of heat to dry out rooms/contents and can lead to mold growth. Hot wet air from bathrooms, kitchen or just your breath can condense on the colder areas/contents.

Some advocate keeping all areas at a confortable temperature but that increases losses. The best policy is to heat all areas to a level to prevent high relative humidity and condensation i.e. ticking over till you need a comfort temperature. A simple hygrometer can help establish that and of course smart controls can help manage the temperature changes.

Before lock down I was working away during the week and coming home for the weekend. I therefore had the heating set to a frost-free setting during the week.  Each Friday, I found I needed the heating on for most of the day to get to temperature by the time I got in.  I then discovered that my insurance policy did not cover me if the house temperature was below 12 degrees. I promptly reprogrammed the heating to have a minimum of around 13 oC.  Now of course the house took less time to heat up each weekend but what I didn't experience was a huge increase in my gas consumption (which I was expecting).   Obviously it is impossible to make hard and fast claims without a scientific test and comparable weather conditions. However,  I am pretty confident that maintaining a temperature which keeps levels of damp down (for my house at least) is not significantly more expensive than have it cycling between a living temperature and pretty much off.  

I really didn't expect this result but I really do agree with this advice. Keeping the heating ticking over is definitely better for the house and may not need to cost a fortune.   

(Incidentally I have a friend who kept the heating off in a spare room all winter only to find that mould had ruined bedding etc.. what was saved in not heating one room may not have been a lot different to the  cost of what was lost).