portable heaters that will heat a large room properly

Scot_39

Qyburn said:

Scot_39 said:

Direct line were recommending 15C 

I'll try to remember to check that if I ever consider Direct Line. There's no way all parts of our house rema8n above 15 Deg.C at all times, nor do they need to. Frost protection for our heating is triggered by air temperature below 2 Deg.C inside the boiler housing and return temp below 20 Deg.C. Typically that means on a cold winter day the pump occasionally runs, but the boiler isn't needed. I'd set that return temp lower if I trusted the stat.

We ran similar two stage protection on commercial buildings, run pumps if outside air temp below a certain value, fire boilers only if return temp was below some other value. That was primarily because in big buildings there are often pipe runs though unheated areas.

Beware I didn't say 15 was in the insurance contract, just on their website as general guidance.

And pipes run through unhet spaces in lots of domestic properties too.  Under floors in lofts etc.

My house still has a cold water tank in loft, so supply / outlet pipes and shower pipes running for couple of meters above several inches of insulation (everywhere but below tank) - essentially in free air - and on a windy day - there's a decent draft through the loftspace.

And despite lagging on the pipes there was a couple of inches at the twin stopcocks and T for tank inlet and shower supply split - inches from the tank where they froze during beast from east and -5 daytime highs.

And that was with the hall and bedrooms below het to 14-15C.

Luckily - pipes held - but it was a nervous 24 hours waiting for them to defrost gently.

The insulation and shielding of exposed pipework been improved since.

I've seen the weeks or months of disruption a bad leak can cause in friend's home.

So combining 2, I don't take low temperatures in really cold snaps lightly.


PS Sory if highjacked OPs thread.

Jyana

QrizB said:

ButtercupDaisies said:

I work from home (in my 11 sqm bedroom).

House was built in 1880 but renovated in 2015. Insulation is pretty good. EPC E but only because hot water + heating are electric. 

Wait, so you already live in this property? Until now you've given the impression that you're comparing estate agents details for flats you're looking at.

If you already live there, all this talk of EPCs is less important.

How long have you lived there? If it's a year, how much electricity have you used in the past 12 months?

They were only looking for a new flat to move into as of last week, there was a thread asking what was best between this all electric one and one with gas heating last weekend from them. So no, I don't think they have moved in yet, or tested the current heating system to see how much it costs.

They have also referred to the radiators as both NSH and wet electric ones but am not sure if this is something they are sure of (guessing from the picture in the second comment linked), or if have gotten updated information on either.

Scot_39

The OP has made 6 posts about heating a potential mix of flats in the last week or so - and it is not entirely clear - whether talking about a current flat - or perhaps more likely a future flat - as has been asking about asking for history from potential landlords in one.

The Op seems to want a fairly hot - whilst occupied - work space - mentions 20C above - 18C would suit many - 16C the govt advice minimum - and some happy to go lower.

Just taking the one room example - square 11m^2, 2.4m ceilings (a victorian era sandstone tenement flat could be over 1.5m taller, with far larger - and if listed / restriced planing zone - potentially leaky SG sash windows), smallish 2m^2 DG window, 1 external, cavity wall - top floor, 50mm roof ins, wooden floor etc - in the dimplex calculator linked above - using -3 external advised for England - recommends the following output ratings for convection panel

14C ( a common figure referred to in damp / mold articles ) 0.98 kW

16C (gov advice) 1.16kW

18C 1.33 kW

20C (as OP) 1.51 kW  - an increase of 30% over 16C.

21C (Dimplex default to that for living room calcs) - 1.6kW - a further increase of 6% on OP's temp - nearly 40% up on gov min advice.

All ratings are of course for that cold day assumption - as they are heater rating calcs - which have to cope. So the average use on a typical day for many would need less power (kW) / lower energy over time (kWh).

But the OP also said the whole flat area is 55m^2 - 5x that one room - and I suspect the WFH bedroom wouldn't for most be the main bedroom - if need space for a decent desk and chair - if working standards akin to office DSE regulations.

So will be heating most rooms at least to some min temp part of the time.  And if not - the heat leakage internally is likely to be significant anyway (every time opens internal door)

As @QrizB - electric central heating or NSH could be used to establish a core temperature - say 14-16 - and then this boosted for a few hours as required by portable plug in or other means (heated wraps, throws etc) in occupied spaces.

And if the flat is all electric - it could be E7 (the vast majority of restricted meters in UK now) or other legacy tariff (E10, SP Whitemeter/Comfort, SSE Flexiheat, EDF Eco20:20 ? etc) - and so their could be a big difference between unit costs - using EDF E7 published tables as a guide c38-40p/kWh day vs 14-16p / kWh night in several regions. And so using plug in's at peak rate can be really expensive option - even compared to non E7 SR c30p/kWh

Of course there are much flatter E7 and other legacy tariffs out their.

But if - and it appears the OP may be - hunting for a new rental flat - getting a good picture of what the likely need for them personally on a brief viewing - is going to be pretty difficult.

But make no mistakes - if used to cheap gas central heating - electric heating can be much more expensive to run - unless get into a high COP ASHP/GSHP scenario - and for many flat owners let alone tenants - they may not be an option.

But on the upside I don't pay a penny to maintain my 3 NSH cf what my sister pays to have her boiler and GCH serviced.

And as gas boilers disappear from new bulds potentially in 2025 - and 2035 for reinstall in old (if not sooner in Scotland if Harvie has his way - where an estimated 40% of homes are flats / with many older heat inefficient tenements - and he has no good low cost answer to the no ASHP route for them)