Is a Halogen or Ceramic heating more cost effective to run in a single room?

Edelman

We are looking at getting a new heating for a bedroom.  We have a small oil one in there, but it takes ages to get going, and Halogen and Ceramic heats up almost instantly, so is already more cost effective.

Ceramics stay hot for a while after, whereas I read that Halogen if turned off, suddenly lose the heat.

I think Halogen is slightly less energy usage, but because Ceramic keeps the heat around it, it doesn't have to remain on full whack when in use.

Anyone got any advice on this please?  We would get one that is 400/800/1300W.  I found a Ceramic one with a Thermostat on it too, so you set the temp...

Any advice would be great.

Simon

Reed_Richards

All electrical heaters use the same amount of electricity to generate the same amount of heat.  Some release their heat almost instantaneously, others are slower to heat up but then slower to cool down after you switch them off.  A thermostatic control may stop you from heating the room to a higher temperature than you need/want.

If you only use the bedroom in the morning and at night then a heater with a timer control, built-in or at the plug, might be what you really need.    

Exiled_Tyke

Halogen is highly directional.  The heat is great when you are in it's path and it has less of an effect in heating the room as a whole.  Beause of this you also feel cold very quickly when it switches off or when you move out of its path.   So the choice should be made on the basis of what kind of heat you need.  

I'm not sure what the benefit of a ceramic would be over an oil-filled radiator. As RR says why not simply get a timer for the heater that you have or buy a new one with a timer.

propnut

Personally I find the good old fashioned resistive 2KW heaters to be hugely efficient. As has already been said 2KW is 2 KW whether it is halogen, ceramic or resistance element. Thing is the element type starts heating the air almost instantaneously. Halogen is, as has been said, directional and ceramic has to heat the surface before conduction takes place to the air. Everyone will have their own take but that's my 2 pennies 

70sbudgie

I've got a couple FIR (far infrared) panel heaters. I think these are a similar technology to halogens. I use them to "heat the person not the room" which I think they are very good at. The one that gets used the most is right next to my desk when I wfh, so it is about 30cm from me, when I'm not moving about. It is only 300W, so much lower power than most other heaters. And it is very noticeable when it turns off, because it is only me that gets warmed and the air around me is still cool. I found that the different way it heats took a bit of getting used to.

(Edit to add: it is like on a bright sunny winter's day when the sun goes behind a cloud. You realise you feel warm, but the air around you is cool)

Although it may seem a good idea for a bedroom (unless you sleepwalk) I'm not sure how I'd feel about having one close enough to the bed. Perhaps at the bottom of the bed to warm from the feet up? As long at you can't kick blankets onto it.

Reed_Richards

70sbudgie said:

"heat the person not the room" 

Sorry, but that's tosh.  They will heat any solid object that is close to them which will in turn lose heat to the air in the room.  The one that @70sbudgie uses works for her because she is only 30 cm away from it.  An infrared panel heater is fine so long as you keep close to it.

Ectophile

Reed_Richards said:

70sbudgie said:

"heat the person not the room" 

Sorry, but that's tosh.  They will heat any solid object that is close to them which will in turn lose heat to the air in the room.  The one that @70sbudgie uses works for her because she is only 30 cm away from it.  An infrared panel heater is fine so long as you keep close to it.

The aim is to ensure that the solid object that's close to them is you.

70sbudgie

Which bit is tosh @Reed_Richards? (I haven't heard / seen that word for ages? )

I don't disagree with any of the above comments: yes my 300W panel works so well because it is so close to me. Yes, it does heat other solid objects in the room and yes, I believe it works well for me because I make sure I am the closest solid object to it. 

The reason I mentioned the smaller of the two heaters is because I think it is the better way to use that type of heater.

My other FIR heater panel is larger at 700W. I have been using (trialling) it instead of an oversized CH radiator that is perhaps 4000btu (though similar in physical size). It heats the room quite nicely (imo), slowly and gently, but I'm not convinced that it is cheaper to run per hour. The only savings (if there are any) come from the fact that I only run it when I am in the room (and don't intend to be there long enough to light the stove), whereas the CH radiator would be on all the time the CH is on. 

Therefore, as this is a money saving forum, I would only suggest an FIR panel if you want it to heat someone that stays relatively close to it. 

Reed_Richards

70sbudgie said:

Which bit is tosh @Reed_Richards? (I haven't heard / seen that word for ages? )

I meant the advertising slogan, "heat the person not the room".  It's tosh because you can't help heating the room and also you only heat the person effectively if the person is near the heater.

I have an idea for converting a room into a giant microwave oven and heating the person inside by cooking them very gently.  But I have not been able to attract the funding necessary to develop this idea.  It's such a pity because it really would "heat the person not the room".

70sbudgie

Reed_Richards said:

70sbudgie said:

Which bit is tosh @Reed_Richards? (I haven't heard / seen that word for ages? )

I meant the advertising slogan, "heat the person not the room".  It's tosh because you can't help heating the room and also you only heat the person effectively if the person is near the heater.

I have an idea for converting a room into a giant microwave oven and heating the person inside by cooking them very gently.  But I have not been able to attract the funding necessary to develop this idea.  It's such a pity because it really would "heat the person not the room".

I think the idea is that traditionally people have tried to heat their whole house, where the advertising slogan is meant to get people to think about only heating what they need - usually themselves. The easiest way to do that is to wear more clothes instead of wearing summer clothes and heating the house to 25 degrees. Also, heating the person takes into account that different people have different heating needs. So think about your heating needs and set your heating accordingly, don't just heat your house to the temperature that you've been told is the average, or minimum for someone who is vulnerable (not applicable to everyone, but often vulnerable people have higher heating requirements). 

I get the impression that you don't like FIR heaters and I am curious why. I don't deny that their marketing may be a bit dubious, but I was interested if a 700W panel could provide a comparatively comfortable level of heat compared to a 2000W heater. Based on my experience, I think it can. So why not use the lowest powered heater that works? Yes it is a different technology to other electric heaters, but in a similar way that an LED light bulb is different to a tungsten filament bulb, or a compact flourescent, or even a halogen bulb. 

Reed_Richards

70sbudgie said:

I get the impression that you don't like FIR heaters and I am curious why. 

In 2018 we were looking to buy a house in a new area and so visited various properties for a viewing.  One house was occupied by an elderly couple who had recently installed wall-mounted FIR heaters throughout their house.  They had been convinced by a salesman that these were highly efficient and cost-saving whereas we know that direct electrical heating is the most expensive form of heating available.  I felt very sorry for them; they had clearly been mis-sold these heaters and these helped to put me off wanting to buy that house.

So I have nothing against FIR heater but everything against those that mis-sell them.  Inaccurate advertising slogans only help those who wish to deceive.