SEW247 Posted November 5, 2014 Share Posted November 5, 2014 Hi everyone I'd be interested in any recommendations for electrical heaters? Basically it's only me and the Mrs in a big Victorian house with a 30 year old plus Potterton gas boiler which is grossly inefficient and it makes no sense to be turning on the central heating when we're normally in the sitting room and then bedroom during the evenings after work. All the rooms can burn solid fuel but I can't be arsed with getting them lit etc during the working week. Planning to replace the in the next few years, but willreplace all the windows next year. The loft and roof spaces are already pretty well insulated. What do people here recommend or use - fan / convection / radiant /oil filled types? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chronyx Posted November 5, 2014 Share Posted November 5, 2014 Radiant are pretty efficient as they only heat the area they 'light'. So you're not wasting energy heating up nooks and crannys. Unless that's your thing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Masked Tulip Posted November 5, 2014 Share Posted November 5, 2014 How about a gas bottle fire? Very efficient and gives off more warmth than radiators. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LiveinHope Posted November 5, 2014 Share Posted November 5, 2014 My whole house (rented) is electric for everything. I have Economy 7 night storage, which, in a well insulated house, is OK, I think. I leave the heaters shut down during the day trickling out warmth and open them up as soon as I get home. I have the input set so that the heaters are run down to cool by about 11.00pm The night storage couldn't cope with single glazing in cold weather, but now the property is double glazed it's good. Because of the cheap O/N tariff I also run everything I can at night. Washing machine (and Tumble dryer in winter), and the immersion for the well lagged water cylinder goes on at 04.00 am and off at 06.30. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chronyx Posted November 5, 2014 Share Posted November 5, 2014 Our time clock has been busted for ages, peak/off peak gradually change so that off-peak comes on at 5pm. So there's that option. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
19 year mortgage 8itch Posted November 5, 2014 Share Posted November 5, 2014 I'm using a delonghi bambino variant for this purpose which had a fan heater and oil filled radiator. Fan heater is noisy but give a quick blast and then you can switch to rad only to keep warm and still hear the TV. Only put the central heating on for the first time this autumn, tonight, after spend 3 hours in the cold. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erat_forte Posted November 5, 2014 Share Posted November 5, 2014 Put another jumper on you wimp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Si1 Posted November 5, 2014 Share Posted November 5, 2014 Delonghi heaters are the best I've used. Don't go on wattage alone for cheaper no brands. Go on delonghi website, work out which one or more is most suitable, and then shop around online Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StainlessSteelCat Posted November 6, 2014 Share Posted November 6, 2014 You don't say if the solid fuel burners are open fireplaces or not. If they are, upgrading say the living room one to a multi-fuel stove will improve it's efficiency considerably (and be easier for cleaning too). Another thing worth considering given your house is likely solid walled, is wall insulation (either internal or external). Both can be pricey, but internal can be done a room at a time - and we found it made a hell of a difference to our living room as well as our bedrooms. Our small bedroom, which I sleep in if I have an early train to catch, now needs no heating as one person now keeps it warm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
200p Posted November 6, 2014 Share Posted November 6, 2014 If you are really skint (or just want to take frugalness to the max)- live on your own and literally cannot afford to put the heating on at all, put up a pop up tent in the lounge, and sleep inside it in a sleeping bag. Indoor tents are all the rage in South Korea this winter. Apparently they keep you really warm and save electricity as well. In fact, some tent-users say their heating bill has been reduced by half. While the temperature in rooms gets as low as 19 degrees Celsius, the 40,000 won (US$37) tents are quite cozy at 23 degrees. Given their multiple benefits, these tents are flying off shelves in South Korea. One tent maker claims to have sold 4 million in just a couple of weeks. Thousands of tents are on back order, and manufacturers are rushing to make more. We don’t know who came up with the ingenious idea, but it looks like almost everyone has caught on. This winter has been pretty harsh for the South Koreans; they are facing power blackouts and surging energy costs with six of 23 nuclear reactors being shut down. People have been looking for cheaper heating methods that save electricity, and the tent is apparently working wonders for them. Families are sleeping in tents setup within their homes to keep themselves warm. Some of them have placed tents on top of beds for extra warmth. http://www.odditycentral.com/news/south-koreans-use-bedroom-tents-to-keep-warm-this-winter.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Battenberg Posted November 6, 2014 Share Posted November 6, 2014 Delonghi heaters are the best I've used. Don't go on wattage alone for cheaper no brands. Go on delonghi website, work out which one or more is most suitable, and then shop around online +1 The Dragon range is excellent. I've got the 3 and 4, which is a beast. We bought them to use in our last house because a few rooms didn't have any heating at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StainlessSteelCat Posted November 6, 2014 Share Posted November 6, 2014 If you are really skint (or just want to take frugalness to the max)- live on your own and literally cannot afford to put the heating on at all, put up a pop up tent in the lounge, and sleep inside it in a sleeping bag. Indoor tents are all the rage in South Korea this winter. Apparently they keep you really warm and save electricity as well. In fact, some tent-users say their heating bill has been reduced by half. While the temperature in rooms gets as low as 19 degrees Celsius, the 40,000 won (US$37) tents are quite cozy at 23 degrees. Given their multiple benefits, these tents are flying off shelves in South Korea. One tent maker claims to have sold 4 million in just a couple of weeks. Thousands of tents are on back order, and manufacturers are rushing to make more. We don’t know who came up with the ingenious idea, but it looks like almost everyone has caught on. This winter has been pretty harsh for the South Koreans; they are facing power blackouts and surging energy costs with six of 23 nuclear reactors being shut down. People have been looking for cheaper heating methods that save electricity, and the tent is apparently working wonders for them. Families are sleeping in tents setup within their homes to keep themselves warm. Some of them have placed tents on top of beds for extra warmth. http://www.odditycentral.com/news/south-koreans-use-bedroom-tents-to-keep-warm-this-winter.html Fascinating. I have sometimes camped in caves and rough buildings (even a disused lighthouse) with my tent for the same reasons. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Bear Posted November 6, 2014 Share Posted November 6, 2014 We have had no heating for 2 weeks now - fan heaters going a lot of the time the past couple of days. British Gas told us the warm air unit needed replacing and they couldn't get the parts any more. OTOH the manufacturers - who you'd think would be the first to try to flog you a new unit - said it should be OK for a few years yet, and yes, they certainly did have all the parts. It has been a right old shambolic saga, but someone is supposed to be finally coming today. We have always found BR Gas fine in the past - as I have told them on the phone I now understand perfectly why other people bitch about them so bitterly. Interested only in getting us to buy a new unit. We are now supposed to be 'priority customers' so fingers Xed the buggers will get it fixed today. We have daughter and fiancé plus the fiance's folks coming to stay tomorrow night so a warm house would be nice... Easy to forget how cold a house can get - Mr B and I are reminded of our no-central-heating childhoods - thank heaven at least for the electric blanket - at least the sheets don't feel like ice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SarahBell Posted November 6, 2014 Share Posted November 6, 2014 . British Gas told us the warm air unit needed replacing and they couldn't get the parts any more. Their MO. They like to charge you a zillion quid for a new install of something shiny. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SarahBell Posted November 6, 2014 Share Posted November 6, 2014 If you are really skint (or just want to take frugalness to the max)- live on your own and literally cannot afford to put the heating on at all, put up a pop up tent in the lounge, and sleep inside it in a sleeping bag. I want a bath tent ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bossybabe Posted November 6, 2014 Share Posted November 6, 2014 We have had no heating for 2 weeks now - fan heaters going a lot of the time the past couple of days. British Gas told us the warm air unit needed replacing and they couldn't get the parts any more. OTOH the manufacturers - who you'd think would be the first to try to flog you a new unit - said it should be OK for a few years yet, and yes, they certainly did have all the parts. It has been a right old shambolic saga, but someone is supposed to be finally coming today. We have always found BR Gas fine in the past - as I have told them on the phone I now understand perfectly why other people bitch about them so bitterly. Interested only in getting us to buy a new unit. We are now supposed to be 'priority customers' so fingers Xed the buggers will get it fixed today. We have daughter and fiancé plus the fiance's folks coming to stay tomorrow night so a warm house would be nice... Easy to forget how cold a house can get - Mr B and I are reminded of our no-central-heating childhoods - thank heaven at least for the electric blanket - at least the sheets don't feel like ice. When we were kids and had no central heating, we also had flannelette sheets - so much warmer than 800 thread count cotton on a winter night when the curtains are iced to the windows! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Masked Tulip Posted November 6, 2014 Share Posted November 6, 2014 When we were kids and had no central heating, we also had flannelette sheets - so much warmer than 800 thread count cotton on a winter night when the curtains are iced to the windows! Excellent observation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hp72 Posted November 6, 2014 Share Posted November 6, 2014 I can highly recommend a dehumidifier with a heater - Delonghi do a couple. Often the coldness is exacerbated by humidity (a gas heater will put out LOTS of water so avoid unless you want wringing walls). Having a 300w dehumidifier will warm the air and also take out the moisture; ideally 30-50% Relative humidity is good for people. The combined warming and drying really helps make the environment more comfortable. The Delonghi ones also have a (800w? 1000w?) element in which can be put on to speed drying, and/or heat the room or be used in "clothes drying" mode. I run four dehumidifiers 24 x 7 in our house and get around 20l water a day to bring the humidity down from 80% to around 60%. Dessicant ones can work down to 2 degrees C and compressor based ones are better above about 15C Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hp72 Posted November 6, 2014 Share Posted November 6, 2014 When I was still at home in my parent's loft room, there were three degrees of cold: 1. Ice on the outside of the window 2. Ice on the inside of the window 3. Twice, (1980's ISTR), there was ice on the glass of water by my bed. Didn't half get dressed quickly! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidg Posted November 6, 2014 Share Posted November 6, 2014 When I was still at home in my parent's loft room, there were three degrees of cold: 1. Ice on the outside of the window 2. Ice on the inside of the window 3. Twice, (1980's ISTR), there was ice on the glass of water by my bed. Didn't half get dressed quickly! Sounds quite pleasant. At uni our loo used to freeze up for days at a time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riedquat Posted November 6, 2014 Share Posted November 6, 2014 In fact, some tent-users say their heating bill has been reduced by half. While the temperature in rooms gets as low as 19 degrees Celsius, the 40,000 won (US$37) tents are quite cozy at 23 degrees."As low as 19 degrees Celsius"? Dear oh dear... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whocares Posted November 6, 2014 Share Posted November 6, 2014 I have no experience of the new kind of wall-mounted infra-red panels, but I think they sound interesing. http://www.thegreenage.co.uk/10-advantages-of-infrared-heating-panels/ . Instant heat. You can just heat whichever room you spend most time in, and they can be quite decorative I believe. No idea re cost but if I was going for "electric", I would have a look at these. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Bear Posted November 6, 2014 Share Posted November 6, 2014 When we were kids and had no central heating, we also had flannelette sheets - so much warmer than 800 thread count cotton on a winter night when the curtains are iced to the windows! Never had them at home, but once I was living in freezing shared flats I invested in some. Probably from good old Woolies. Made a huge difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hail the Tripod Posted November 6, 2014 Share Posted November 6, 2014 If you are really skint (or just want to take frugalness to the max)- live on your own and literally cannot afford to put the heating on at all, put up a pop up tent in the lounge, and sleep inside it in a sleeping bag. Indoor tents Or get a four poster bed, which is designed to perform this function but will have a dramatically different impact if you ever persuade a woman to your bed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northerner Posted November 6, 2014 Share Posted November 6, 2014 Or get a four poster bed, which is designed to perform this function but will have a dramatically different impact if you ever persuade a woman to your bed. Yes, it looks like she is complaining about being too hot ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.