Cheap electric heaters - worth it?

Isoei

I moved into a 2-bed top-floor flat earlier this year. It's great, but as it's gotten colder, I've noticed how cold it really gets!

The flat is electric-only, and is heated by electric wall-mounted heaters. They are pretty old, smell dusty when used (despite me cleaning them), and don't heat the space very well. And then there's the expense - I imagine running them for more than an hour each day through the winter would be painful on my poor bank account.

Does anyone have any recommendations as to whether a smaller plug-in space heater would be worth it? And if so, what type/brand are the most cost-effective?

I have one larger room in the flat (living area/dining area/kitchen) which I imagine will be costly to heat regardless of the heater I use due to its size and a balcony door being there, but if I can at least do the bedroom, that would be grand.

(It's my first flat, so I'm a bit green about all this - help is appreciated! )

fatbelly

Unless your landlord is going to install something expensive, whatever you plug in will take a kwh of energy for every kwh of heat.

A radiant heater can sometimes make you feel warmer because you absorb the infrared.

Maybe when the people below you turn on their heating you will get some of theirs!

x_raphael_xx

Those oil filled radiators are awesome. Very little usage cost and really warms up the room. I got mine from B&Q and we also got some for work.

cerebus

All electric heaters run at the same efficency,  if it has a 2kw input it has a 2kw output , you cannot make it any more effiencent than that despite what manufactures say!

You might benefit from storage heaters and an e7 economy tariff to charge them up overnight 

Also being a top floor flat have you checked what insulation is in the loft ? Have you considered internally insulating the walls too? This will help in bringing costs down 

At least you will have some heat from your downstairs neighbours coming up through the floor

Brie

I'm considering insulated curtains for our lounge doors - and I hate curtains but I also hate being cold.

CliveOfIndia

As per the previous replies, all electric heaters cost the same to run.  Doesn't matter if it's a £10 fan heater from Argos or a £1000 diamond-encrusted unit filled with magic pixie-dust from the planet Zarg - 1KWh of electricity consumed = 1 KWh of heat kicked out.  The only difference is in the way the heat is emitted; a fan heater gives pretty much instant heat, an oil-filled rad takes a while to warm up, but stays warm for a little while after you turn it off.  A fan heater obviously creates a bit of noise, which may or may not be an issue.

An infra-red heater will tend to heat you rather than the room - useful if you're sitting in a chair watching TV, for instance, perhaps not so practical for heating a large space.

If the heater has a thermostat then it can cost slightly less to run over a period of time since it's not constantly switched on - it'll turn itself on and off to maintain the preset temperature.  So for instance, over an hour it might only be running for 45 minutes.

But in terms of efficiency, all electric heaters will be identical.  There may be a slight difference in effectiveness (i.e. how effectively the heat is utilised).

The only way an electric heater can be run more cheaply is if you're able to make use of off-peak electricity (this usually means night storage heaters).

Isoei said:

but if I can at least do the bedroom, that would be grand.

On that note, do you actually need to heat the room itself?  There is an argument to say that an electric blanket on the bed, switched on half an hour before you go to bed, will make the bed nice and cosy without having to heat the whole room.  Of course, that's not much help when you get out of bed in the morning and the room is freezing !  To counteract that, a cheap plug-in heater that's plugged into a timer switch, timed to come on half an hour before you get up might do the trick.  Just a thought.

nofoollikeold

1. Worth checking if the old electric heaters are night storage heaters, and whether there is an economy 7 type off-peak tariff on the electricity meter.  
2. Storage heaters work by running at night to heat up bricks inside the heaters.  During the day, that heat is released into the property, and the cycle repeats the next night.
3. Storage heating is not as cheap as gas, but providing you have an overnight cheap rate tariff, not as expensive as peak rate electricity.  

markin

Are you on E7 day/night rates, Or single rate, is it a modern smart meter or old dials and timer.

Are the current heaters thin or big fat storage heaters?

Can you cope with the rest of the flat being 5--13c all winter?

Is the a separate water safe heater in the bathroom or will mold soon take over?

Is the a water tank for hot water, has it got a timer or switch on with E7 at night ?

danrv

Isoei said:

The flat is electric-only, and is heated by electric wall-mounted heaters. They are pretty old, smell dusty when used (despite me cleaning them), and don't heat the space very well. 

Sounds like they're convector type electric rads, being wall mounted.
Similar to a property I used to rent. 
As long as they work, maybe add an oil filled 
free standing rad to help in the main living area.
That's what was supplied in my property.

As for the bedroom, I find these really good for quick heat on a 24 hr timer.
https://www.toolstation.com/2kw-convector-heater/p98046?utm_source[0]=googleshopping&utm_source[1]=Rakuten&utm_medium[0]=feed&utm_medium[1]=affiliates&utm_campaign[0]=googleshoppingfeed&utm_campaign[1]=463901323707711209183634&utm_content=Redbrain&ranMID=46390&ranEAID=pfxNKSnglIM&ranSiteID=pfxNKSnglIM-8FlKMmKAP2p31Jg2QHlTNQ

It's possible that you have E7 for hot water 
either on a dedicated circuit or for whole property. Check the meter for dual rate.
A suitably sized storage heater on E7 in the main area would help with running costs but you'd need to check for suitability.

Isoei

This is all very useful advice for me - thanks!

markin said:

Are you on E7 day/night rates, Or single rate, is it a modern smart meter or old dials and timer.

Are the current heaters thin or big fat storage heaters?

Can you cope with the rest of the flat being 5--13c all winter?

Is the a separate water safe heater in the bathroom or will mold soon take over?

Is the a water tank for hot water, has it got a timer or switch on with E7 at night ?

^ Sounds terrible, but I'm not actually sure. When I say "I'm a bit green about all this", I mean I didn't even understand that there was day and night rate for electricity upon moving out. The last few months getting set up have been a real learning curve haha. However, it is a good question for the landlord. Would help with running my hot water a bit more efficiently too, as I've just been keeping the boost off until I need hot water (not that the bottom immersion tank which heats overnight provides much... might need to look at that...). There's no time function visible on the boiler, just three wall switches (pump, always on; boost (top tank), only used when needed; bottom tank).

The bathrooms have their own water-safe electric rads, which I haven't yet made use of but probably will as it gets colder to prevent freezing and mold, as you say. 

danrv said:

Isoei said:

The flat is electric-only, and is heated by electric wall-mounted heaters. They are pretty old, smell dusty when used (despite me cleaning them), and don't heat the space very well. 

Sounds like they're convector type electric rads, being wall mounted.
Similar to a property I used to rent. 
As long as they work, maybe add an oil filled 
free standing rad to help in the main living area.
That's what was supplied in my property.

I've heard oil filled can be very useful, and may look into that.

But in terms of efficiency, all electric heaters will be identical.  There may be a slight difference in effectiveness (i.e. how effectively the heat is utilised).

The only way an electric heater can be run more cheaply is if you're able to make use of off-peak electricity (this usually means night storage heaters).

^ Brilliant way to put it. I'll have a look at what's available.

At the end of the day, I'll have to bite the bullet and accept the cost, but the more efficient I can be, the better. Thank you all for your suggestions!

Eldi_Dos

Good quality thermal curtains for the balcony door would be a investment for your comfort and you can take them with you if you ever move.
Running a dehumidifier during the day if you are out will help, especially if heat is at a premium.