Heating my office

GlasgowExpat2

I work from home. The room I use as an office is freezing cold (north facing, flat roof). What is the cheapest way to heat it? Previously I’ve worked in the lounge in the winter which is south facing but I would like to keep work and home separate 

subjecttocontract

Do you have gas central heating ?
Solar panels ?
Do you want something portable ?
Would you consider a log burner ?

GlasgowExpat2

subjecttocontract said:

Do you have gas central heating ?
Solar panels ?
Do you want something portable ?
Would you consider a log burner ?

Yes, but don’t want to put it on to heat one room. I have a Nest which is located in the lounge
No, live in a flat
Yes
No option for a log burner

subjecttocontract

Your comfort will depend on the temp you want the room & the cost will depend on how well it's insulated. I would think any plug in electric heater is likely to cost more to run than a portable calor gas heater. If you haven't already got either an electric heater will be cheaper to buy. 

ThisIsWeird

Oil-filled leccy heater.

A nice even level of heat output. Yes, leccy is x3 the cost of gas, but I doubt there's much to choose between them once you take into account other factors such as wear to the boiler, having to shut off every other rad, that sort of stuff.

Also consider a heated seat cover - they do work. These will probably keep you comfortable with just an 18oC ambient room temp, so may balance out running costs if you can turn the main heater down.

If you can cope with their directionality, these wee 'halogen' heaters with 2 or 3 400W elements are quite effective. The warm - sometimes excessively so - 'glow' can also give an added sense of 'warmth'! They don't seem to last very well, tho'.

FreeBear

subjecttocontract said: I would think any plug in electric heater is likely to cost more to run than a portable calor gas heater.

A portable gas heater must always be paired with a working Carbon Monoxide (that is CO, not CO2) alarm. In a small enclosed space, those things can be fatal.

A small oil filled electric heater would be my choice.

Cairnpapple

If it's just you in the room, you may want to combine whatever solution you decide on with some more 'heat the person not the room' solutions if you don't already have them,  e.g. the seatwarmer mentioned above, heated gilet, USB gloves, footwarmer.

If the room is well ventilated and if it works with any need to be on camera, I have a friend who finds that a heated airer provides enough heat to warm her small office while also drying her clothes at the same time. 

Sarahspangles

I do ‘heat the person’ if OH isn’t also at home for a few days. I’m not going to sit under a blanket though. I have some thermal tops, socks and slippers.

GDB2222

You either heat with electricity, or you turn the central heating on. All electric heaters are equally efficient, so I don’t know why people are recommending oil filled? 

Electricity costs three times as much as gas, so you can probably heat the whole flat with the central heating for the same cost as heating just this room with electricity.  

If you leave the heating in the rest of the flat off during the day, the central heating will have some catching up to do when it comes on in the evening. So, you may not be saving as much as you think. 

elsien

Sarahspangles said:

I do ‘heat the person’ if OH isn’t also at home for a few days. I’m not going to sit under a blanket though. I have some thermal tops, socks and slippers.

I have an Oodie Which is warmer and it is easier than sitting under a blanket because it has proper sleeves with cuffs so no loose material getting in the way or slipping off. Extra layers of socks and fingerless gloves for typing, although I’ve not needed those. 

It only becomes an issue when I have a video meeting with professionals and realise that I’ve got cartoon characters running all over me. I chose a very bright one because it cheered me up. 

greenbee

Under-desk treadmill - exercise and warmth at the same time!