need help heating house

J

Jane Doe

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Any suggestion for extra heating in house. I have gas but only on for a couple hours each day as I have only moved in and I want to see how the first bill will be.

I ws looking at 500 watt oil filled rad and also a new version of the Super Ser gas heater but I think they cause condensation?

Any other ideas welcome.
 
I have an oil filled radiator and find it great. It heats up very quickly and throws out loads of heat. It also takes a good while to cool down when switched off so is a great option.

In work we have one of those electric fan things that switch hot and cold. They're small, about the size of two bricks side by side, but again throw out great heat and also work a treat in the summer.
 
Surely your Gas heating is by far the cheapest heating option. The electric oil and fans are very expensive anything up to double the price!
 
I've used an oil filled radiator in the past (in addition to gas central heating) and find it's only useful if the room is small - it didn't offer much extra heat in my lounge (15 x 12 with fireplace, single door and double doors).

I got the Providence Gas heater (discussed elsewhere on the site) last year, found it much better and haven't experienced any condensation with it (used in a 24 x 12 kitchen/dining room).
 
Have you considered an electric convector room heater? We have a 3kw Bionair with a remote control (bought in ) and it is fantastic. You just turn it on and within a few minutes the room is warmed up. When it gets to your desired setting, the thermostat turns it off.

The main thing, with any heating system, is to ensure that your room is well insulated in order to preserve the heat (e.g. curtains drawn, chimney blocked up, etc.).

I don't think that it would be any more expensive than gas [central heating] - although I haven't conducted a scientific analysis on it! The gas needs to be on for a long time in order to heat up the radiators, and our heater needs only to be on for a minute or two per hour. Maybe on a unit per unit comparison, the electricity is more expensive, but on an hour by hour basis, I doubt that a central heating system can be as efficient.

It works fine for a 10ft x 18ft room - not sure how it work for a large room. With the convector system, as it doesn't really 'burn' anything, there are no issues with condensation or drowsiness, etc.
 
Would you need to be careful re. ventilation with this option?
 
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Electricity and bottled gas are far more expensive than natural gas so why go down this route?If you just want to heat one room then turn the rest of the rads off...
 
We were advised by a plumber not to switch off radiators as it "unbalances" the system.

Would it not be cheaper in the long run to use a space heater for the one kitchen/living room that we use than switching on the heating all over the house?
 
have you put draft excluders on on doors + a runner strip under doors downstairs ?
 
A oil filled rad gots a lot to heat up on electricity, get a Thermostat fitted (not a clock).Never turn rads off as it indeed unbalances the system, make sure that your house is draft proof. Has your boiler been commissioned and does it run effeciently. Gas is very efficient to run therffore I think a thermostat is the way to go.

You see most people think it is good to turn the heat off when you leave the house and turn it back on again when you come in. That is grant in the summer however in the winter the temperatures go down so does your house temperature. Now your heater has to work at top capacity for over two to three hours to get the house bearable in temperature, and you switch it of again as you go to sleep, in the morning its fresh you turn it on again, Again at top capacity wich uses more fuel and is inefficient. If you have a 7 day programmable thermostat you have a warm house in the morning when you get up say you get up at 7, the heating goes on at 6 set at 20 degrees C, you go to work at 8.30 boiler goes to 18 degrees C. This will be maintained during the day You finish work at 5 so you will be home say at 6 the thermostat starts at 5 to go again to 20 degrees. You arrive in a warm house. And Say you go to bed at 10.30 the thermostat give the signal again to 18 degrees at 10 or 10.30 what ever you require.

You never run at peaks any more and your fuel consumption goes down considerably,

A neighbour of mine (he is on oil) fitted a thermostat and his oil consumption is down, he used to have three fills a year now he has two and he still has left over from the two.

It is a misconception that your heating should be switched off during the day esspecially in the winter. When you run your heating on peaks it uses more fuel, with a thermostat your house will never go under the set temperature, and will do what it is set to do. It is a very efficient way of running your heating. Here in Ireland they usually put a clock on again you have peaks as you let your whole house cool down and it need three times as long to get warm again. In the summer my heating never goes ( by itself as it sences the temperature) on I do not have to look at my thermostat as I will alway have the same. (the temperature taken above are samples you can also set it higher and lower, however those temperature are effecient temperatures)

Hope this is a little help.
 
allaboutheat said:
....Here in Ireland they usually put a clock on again you have peaks as you let your whole house cool down and it need three times as long to get warm again. ...
Click to expand...

3 times as long as what exactly?

I would think it would vary depending on well your house retains heat, how warm/sunny a day it is, what temp you want to get back to. Maybe I'm wrong but 3 times seems a very arbitrary number. Where did you get that from?
 
Yes you are right, you set the temperature that you want for your house I did say that, I also said the figures that were taken were samples, a thermostat does what you set it to do. As for 3 times as long , if you have your house set at 18 degrees C, it take on average (depending on the size of the house) to get the temperature to 20 degrees celcius 20 to 40 minutes. If you have to heat up the house from 8 to 10 degrees (these are winter temperatures) it will actually take more than 3 times as long as your boiler has now to run at full capacity to get the house up to 20 degrees this will be more than 2 hours. There is a formula for this. Yes it depends, - warm sunny etc. however a thermostat will not work if on a sunny day your house stays at the required temperature, it will not go on. A thermostat will tell the boiler only to come on when it is required. If the house is well insulated and retains its heat well no issue, boiler will not come on, at all and you will not use oil or gas or pellets wichever the case maybe. (did I mention that the tempertures taken were sample temperatures) The whole idea of a thermostat is, that you do not over use your fuel consumption, by regulating it your fuel use will go down and you have no longer your peak boiler use. Its better on the pocket (fuel use) and better for your boiler.

Lets face it in the winter your house may cool down at least 10 degrees not all houses will be facing favorable to the sunshine if there is any, however if the sun does heat the house slightly, your house in the winter still cools down considerably, to heat a house from 18 to 20 is easy. To heat the house from 10 to 20 is easy too, except your fuel cost will rise considerably. Maybe it is arbitrary 3 times, as if I will calculate it properly in fuel costs I more than likely end up with 5 or 6 times more. Anything else??
 
I'm not really getting what you mean about peaks tbh.

18c to 20c= 20~40mins
10 to 20c= 60~120 mins

If the boiler has to come on more than 4 times to maintain 18~20 you'd be better turning it off as you'd be running it for longer than heating it from 10~20. Depends how long your out of the house, be it 3 hrs, or 9 hrs. I'm probably missing something.

Is there a gadget that will tell you how long you run your boiler for? Or how much fuel you use. If nothing else to notice how improvements to insulation of your use of the boiler (like leaving it on) makes to the overall cost of running the boiler.
 
Okay, switching your heating off in the summer months is good as long as the weather is fine okay. But switching off you will take at least five times as long from 18 to 20 is only two degrees in the winter it can be 10 degrees or more so that is 5 times say 20 minutes is one hour and 40 minutes (minimum)at the top working at full capacity.

During the day in a well insulated house set at 18 the heating may only come on for 2 to 3 times at just 5 to 10 minutes.

You never worked with a programmable thermostat that is obvious, if you do and have one fitted the economy of it is very clear. The boiler is not left on, it is not running all day, and it is not using as much oil/gas as running at top capacity twice a day for whatever lenght it takes to get your house at a comfy temp.

A thermostat is better for the house, ie dampness etc. better for the boiler, better for your health (esspecially elderly people), better in efficiency, better on your pocket.

Running a electric heater, that is what the question originally was, is expensive and the rest of the house stays cold, gas heating (with a cilinder in the room) with the door shut causes dampness but most of all will effect your health, if not kill you. You will need ventilation and lots of it, An open fire you will get heat its cosy, but once again only one room is hot and you will also need ventilation.

You can meter your gas intake on a monthly basis, if you are on metered gas, try it just by switching on and of when you come home (during the winter months as in the summer you require less heat) Try the same with a thermostat and you will notice savings that will add up during the winter months.

I just gave advice, I really are not going to argy with you. It has been adviced to several peopl to fit a thermostat and all say they saved on there oil consumption. As they had the same switched it on in the morning off when going to work, on again arriving home and off again for the night. they all use upto half or a full 1000 liter tank less. As they say the proof is in the pudding, do not knock things unless you tried them.
 
I'm asking genuine questions, bit confused how that is "argy". That wasn't my intention so apologies if that how it appears.

I know it was an off the cuff example, but I'm only pointing out it didn't prove or explain your point. All I'm doing is trying to understand your advice, because its likely something I will install if I thought it was worth it. But the maths isn't working for me here. I've said I'm very probably missing something. I'm just looking to see the logic and the figures that wrap this up.

I can't imagine there are many systems in place these days without any thermostat at all in place. The vast majority will have a manual thermostat at least. So you don't need a programmable thermostat to stop the boiler running all day a manual one will do that. Or a timer for that matter. You just have to remember to turn manual thermostat up and down and required. I'm sure a programmable thermostat would be mainly a saving for those times when you forget to adjust a manual one. That would be logical. Energy saving is about lots of small savings rather than any dramatic saving from any one thing.

There was a similar debate about this recently about heating hot water cylinders. Either via a boiler or an electric immersion. I think (could be wrong) the conclusion of that what that is very dependent on how well its insulated and long it retains heat. Also the cost of the energy source at the time. Because that can vary too.

I have to say my experience of domestic thermostats is that many of them are very inaccurate. But even where a room is strictly temperature controlled, people feel colder and hotter in themselves regardless that the actual room temperature hasn't changed. So they fiddle with the thermostat.

Anyway I'm not being "argy", its an interesting subject and worthy of robust discussion is all.
 
Does 'Zone Control' work in a similar manner to thermostatic control ?

I am about to start a self build and will not be going with Solar Panels etc, I will be going with an oil boiler and have been advised to go with automated thermostatic control and sone control, although I am not familiar with either..
 


Hi Jane I'm new to this forum. I would say that the gas option is by far the cheaper of the options out, however if your house is not insulated to standards all your options will be expensive. If I were you I would spend the money insulating the interior of my exterior walls especially if it's a new build. If you spend your money wisely you will be able to add good insulating value to your house and thus reduce your cost.
 


Hello Ivan it's O'Fla if you go with the thermostatic option make sure to ask the installer to place thermostats in different parts of the house as this will enable you to zone control the heat as they come with a temperature valve.As this is a new build Ivan I've got three words for you Insulation,Insulation,Insulation. There is no point in you spending serious money on heating systems if your house is poorly insulated, If I were you that is were I would be spending the money.
 
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