monty Posted October 24, 2023 Report Share Posted October 24, 2023 Considering changing one storage heater in a small cloakroom/toilet after redecoration. Does anybody have any experience in what is the most economical electric radiator to replace it? So many options out there, infra-red, German made, convector, oil-filled etc. All very confusing but I want something that is cheap to run & efficient in heating a small room, around once a day for only a few hours in cold periods. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RobH Posted October 24, 2023 Report Share Posted October 24, 2023 Despite what advertising guff you might read, All resistive electrical heaters are 100% efficient; there is no difference between them in how much heat you get for a given power consumption. The only differences are in how quickly they transfer the heat to the room. A fan heater will provide hot air immediately and stop as soon as the power is switched off. It is probably the quickest means of heating the air in a room but not being sealed is possibly not a good choice for a bathroom unless it can be wall mounted out of reach. An oil-filled radiator or similar storage convection heater will take a while to warm up to a useful temperature and will continue to provide heat long after the power is switched off. They are best for long-term background heat rather than for the odd hour or two. A direct non-storage convection heater will be quick to warm up but will be slow to heat the air in a room because it is relying on convection rather than fan circulation. Again, they may not be suitable for a bathroom. Infra-red heaters feel warm immediately to exposed skin facing the heater, but they don't warm the air quickly and skin not exposed to the IR continues to feel cold. Given the cost of electricity, no electrical heater is cheap to run. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Waldi Posted October 24, 2023 Report Share Posted October 24, 2023 Not sure how large your room is and how much heating (kWh on an annual basis) is needed, but the most energy-efficient way (by far) of electric heating is with an airconditioning unit. It is much more expensive to install however but can run 4-5 times more efficient compared to conventional electric heaters. So…. it depends on your situation if this is a viable option. Best regards, Waldi Quote Link to post Share on other sites
monty Posted October 30, 2023 Author Report Share Posted October 30, 2023 On 10/24/2023 at 6:36 PM, RobH said: Despite what advertising guff you might read, All resistive electrical heaters are 100% efficient; there is no difference between them in how much heat you get for a given power consumption. The only differences are in how quickly they transfer the heat to the room. A fan heater will provide hot air immediately and stop as soon as the power is switched off. It is probably the quickest means of heating the air in a room but not being sealed is possibly not a good choice for a bathroom unless it can be wall mounted out of reach. An oil-filled radiator or similar storage convection heater will take a while to warm up to a useful temperature and will continue to provide heat long after the power is switched off. They are best for long-term background heat rather than for the odd hour or two. A direct non-storage convection heater will be quick to warm up but will be slow to heat the air in a room because it is relying on convection rather than fan circulation. Again, they may not be suitable for a bathroom. Infra-red heaters feel warm immediately to exposed skin facing the heater, but they don't warm the air quickly and skin not exposed to the IR continues to feel cold. Given the cost of electricity, no electrical heater is cheap to run. No form of heat is cheap to run these days! No gas supply in the vicinity, oil prices will go higher & a heat pump or solar panels cost mean I will be long gone before costs are recouped! Electric is the only real option in my case. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Peter Cobbold Posted October 30, 2023 Report Share Posted October 30, 2023 Electric resistance heating has become my preferred option while I wait for the skills base in 'green' alternatives to fossil fuelling to mature and the installation costs to come down. When our 30-year old oil boiler dies we will save on its replacement cost, servicing costs, and oil costs - and use cheap, reliable, elecrical heaters. No need to find a plumber - we can let the c'heating die too -it is always giving problems. For power cuts we have a smokeless fuel/log fire. OK, its not green, but it saves a huge amount of hassle. Peter Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Lebro Posted October 30, 2023 Report Share Posted October 30, 2023 It always amuses me to see adverts for "effecient ceramic electrical heaters" as Rob says any resistive heater has the same "effeciency" Bob Quote Link to post Share on other sites
monty Posted October 31, 2023 Author Report Share Posted October 31, 2023 18 hours ago, Peter Cobbold said: Electric resistance heating has become my preferred option while I wait for the skills base in 'green' alternatives to fossil fuelling to mature and the installation costs to come down. When our 30-year old oil boiler dies we will save on its replacement cost, servicing costs, and oil costs - and use cheap, reliable, elecrical heaters. No need to find a plumber - we can let the c'heating die too -it is always giving problems. For power cuts we have a smokeless fuel/log fire. OK, its not green, but it saves a huge amount of hassle. Peter Given up trying to be ‘green’ Peter with the inflated costs for electric, gas or oil! 2 wood burners are our preference in our 2 main rooms! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
kevin bryant Posted November 6, 2023 Report Share Posted November 6, 2023 Infra red heater is the way to go. It's a people heater rather rather than a room heater. Given it's a bathroom you are not going to linger in, I assume there is no desire to heat the whole room, however small. An infra red heater can be switched on and off as you enter / leave the room. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ian Vincent Posted November 6, 2023 Report Share Posted November 6, 2023 3 hours ago, Kev bryant said: Infra red heater is the way to go. It's a people heater rather rather than a room heater. Given it's a bathroom you are not going to linger in, I assume there is no desire to heat the whole room, however small. An infra red heater can be switched on and off as you enter / leave the room. +1, any sort of radiant heat heater is the answer. It's why churches are frequently heated with radiant heaters pointing down from the roof. Rgds Ian Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Lebro Posted November 6, 2023 Report Share Posted November 6, 2023 One negative would be possibility of dampness causing mould in a normaly kept cold room. Bob Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RobH Posted November 6, 2023 Report Share Posted November 6, 2023 As a child the only heating we had was coal fires. I well remember winter evenings in the sitting room where your face and hands were toasty from the radiant heat but your back was freezing cold. Thats why people had high-backed wing chairs to sit by the fire. The same thing happens with electric radiant heaters - the only bit of you that feels warm is bare skin directly in 'shine'. As soon as you turn round, that bit feels cold again. There is a world of difference between a cloakroom and a church. Convector heaters don't work in a church because the heat just rises to the roof and never gets near the congregation - so radiant heaters are better than nothing. A small room will trap the heat so a small convector heater warms it pretty quickly and keeps it warm. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
TR NIALL Posted November 6, 2023 Report Share Posted November 6, 2023 My Son lives in a purpose built Cabin in the Back Garden it’s 40ftx10ft has 100mm of insulation and is heated with a 3kw blow heater after 1hr the Cabin is nice and warm and it needs to be turned off but after a couple of hrs they turn it on again to reheat. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RogerH Posted November 6, 2023 Report Share Posted November 6, 2023 Is this the cabin that has the 1/2" gap under the front door so that you can feed your son on Ryveta and Kraft cheese slices Roger Quote Link to post Share on other sites
TR NIALL Posted November 6, 2023 Report Share Posted November 6, 2023 8 minutes ago, RogerH said: Is this the cabin that has the 1/2" gap under the front door so that you can feed your son on Ryveta and Kraft cheese slices Roger The very one and he’s doing very well on it Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RogerH Posted November 6, 2023 Report Share Posted November 6, 2023 Very Nice Roger Quote Link to post Share on other sites
brian -r Posted November 6, 2023 Report Share Posted November 6, 2023 Just fitted an infra red ceiling mounted heater in the bathroom 450 watts only but very effective. It even gets approval from Senior Management who is always cold, even with the CH set at 20+ Have a look on warm4less.com. We had very good service from them. Brian Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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