Bedroom heating

Liberal

Hi
We were going to move a bedroom radiator across the room which would involve expense with pipes under the floorboards and still not great space. Now thinking of just taking it out completely and having electric heater instead for when we need it. Have they improved? Are they expensive? Anyone done the same?
Thanks

Veteransaver

If it's not a regularly used room then it may be the cheaper option to have electric. Bear in mind you probably need to hard wire it in, or install a storage heater to run off night time cheap electric
There's quite a lot of variables though I wouldn't have thought it should be that expensive to relocate pipe work to a radiator, yes the floorboards may need to come up but they generally run round the edge or they could even come from the circuit below
You could even just get an Aircon unit installed which wouldn't be that expensive, they can heat the room quite efficiently and give cooling in summer too.

grumpy_codger

Liberal said:

 Now thinking of just taking it out completely and having electric heater instead for when we need it. Have they improved? Are they expensive? Anyone done the same?

Improved in what respect? All  electric heaters are 100% effective (1kWh of electicity = 1kWh of heat).
Heat pumps, reportedly, are 3-4 times more effective (1kWh = 3-4kWh of heat). I'm only saying this because many split-system aircons can work in reverse - for heating - and are essentially heat pumps. 
Underfloor heating doesn't take any space, but is expensive to install.
Personally, I don't heat my bedroom at all, but have an electric underblanket (single) across the leg space of my king size bed. It's controlled by a timer.

EssexExile

Many years ago when I was knee high to a grasshopper I had the only room in the property that wasn't connected to the central heating system, I just left the door open and let the warmer air waft in.

DullGreyGuy

Liberal said:

We were going to move a bedroom radiator across the room which would involve expense with pipes under the floorboards and still not great space. Now thinking of just taking it out completely and having electric heater instead for when we need it. Have they improved? Are they expensive? Anyone done the same?

Electric storage heaters have gotten better at holding their heat and outputting it when you want it rather than bleeding it out throughout the day. All electric heaters are almost 100% efficient the issue is electricity is more expensive than gas. If you think it's expensive having some heating pipes moved having a new meter (or wiring to the existing), a night ring and connecting a storage heater is also going to be off the cards. 

A basic plug in heater is ok but expensive to run. If your thinking of potentially moving some may have issue of a room without heating. 

Albermarle

It depends when you want the room warm, for how long, and how big the bedroom is.
If you just want to take the chill off during cold weather, then a plug in oil filled radiator could work OK and not that expensive if only on low/medium  for say 3 hours a day.
For more short term, more immediate heat, a fan heater can be effective, but you would not want it on too long due to the cost.
Why were you going to move the current radiator in the first place ?

grumpy_codger

Albermarle said:

If you just want to take the chill off during cold weather, then a plug in oil filled radiator could work OK and not that expensive if only on low/medium  for say 3 hours a day.
For more short term, more immediate heat, a fan heater can be effective, but you would not want it on too long due to the cost.

Why do you think that fan heater is more expensive to run?

Albermarle

grumpy_codger said:

Albermarle said:

If you just want to take the chill off during cold weather, then a plug in oil filled radiator could work OK and not that expensive if only on low/medium  for say 3 hours a day.
For more short term, more immediate heat, a fan heater can be effective, but you would not want it on too long due to the cost.

Why do you think that fan heater is more expensive to run?

I fully realise that 1KWh of energy is the same as another.
However there is research which sort of makes sense, that the temporary blast of heat, and then quick room cooling synonymous with fan heaters means they tend to be switched on for longer than the equivalent oil filled radiator/convector giving a more steady background heat, once the room has warmed up. 
It is not a physics issue, more of a human psychology one .

Liberal

Thanks for comments. The initial reason behind moving was space. Positioned badly. But we never have it in when sleeping. It's our main bedroom.  Just thinking of getting rid and having some kind of electric heating. The bedroom is triple glazed as well. I will sleep on it as I am painting the wall tomorrow!!

DullGreyGuy

grumpy_codger said:

Albermarle said:

If you just want to take the chill off during cold weather, then a plug in oil filled radiator could work OK and not that expensive if only on low/medium  for say 3 hours a day.
For more short term, more immediate heat, a fan heater can be effective, but you would not want it on too long due to the cost.

Why do you think that fan heater is more expensive to run?

Because the price per KW of electricity is 4 times that of gas and whilst electric is more efficient a new gas boilers are vastly more efficient than older ones were

grumpy_codger

DullGreyGuy said:

grumpy_codger said:

Albermarle said:

If you just want to take the chill off during cold weather, then a plug in oil filled radiator could work OK and not that expensive if only on low/medium  for say 3 hours a day.
For more short term, more immediate heat, a fan heater can be effective, but you would not want it on too long due to the cost.

Why do you think that fan heater is more expensive to run?

Because the price per KW of electricity is 4 times that of gas and whilst electric is more efficient a new gas boilers are vastly more efficient than older ones were

My question was about an electric fan heater vs an electric oil-filled radiator.