Whats cheaper? Electric or oil?

snaps

Just wondering if a 2kw electric heater uses 2 units every hour (Approx 30c) how much would oil fired central heating use? Considering kerosene is approx 75c a litre at the moment? I reckon its cheaper to use the electric? Those little fan heaters are very powerfull to heat a couple of rooms?

Heroditas

It is always cheaper to use gas or oil than electricity.
Think about it this way -> oil/gas are used to run many power stations -> gas/oil burn -> heat the water -> generate steam -> turn turbines -> geberate electricity -> fed into your home -> runs your heater

Even the most efficient power stations run at a maximum of 54-56% efficiency.

Instead, use gas/kerosene -> burn in boiler -> heat water -> heat room

Much more efficient.
This is why they recommend one should cook with gas instead of electricity.

rubadub

snaps wrote: »

Just wondering if a 2kw electric heater uses 2 units every hour (Approx 30c) how much would oil fired central heating use?

If your heater is set on a thermostat setting then it is clicking on and off once up to temp, so may not be using as much as you think

Heroditas wrote: »

Even the most efficient power stations run at a maximum of 54-56% efficiency.

Some power stations are/were run at a loss, not sure if this is still the case, but it was for polictical reasons they could not be shut down. But you are right in most cases it is cheaper to be heating with gas

It also depends on how you do heat your house. I was living with a guy who insisted on using space heaters. It was totally uneconomical since we were both out at work until around 6 or 7. The heaters kept the house lovely and hot when nobody was there! and when we got home we needed dimplex plug in ones too.

Same goes for central heating, a lot of people heat the entire house and never bother switching off radiators. If you have a large sitting room it would be cheaper to leave it empty unless needed, and just keep a smaller room hot. I used to have timers so dimplex type oil filled heaters would turn on so it would be warm when I got home.

Same with bedrooms, put timers on heaters and electric blankets.

Power showers work on demand so can actually be cheaper than immersion heaters heated by gas- depending on usage.

Another obvious but commonly overlooked thing to do is simply wear more clothes! I see people in houses with t-shirts when it is zero outside. In my workplace it is often warmer inside in winter than summer.

With an electric fan heater you are using up energy on the motor, and if you can see a red wire/red element then you are wasting radiant energy. This is why a oil filled rad is slightly more efficient, though slower to heat up it is slower to cool too.

Heroditas

rubadub wrote: »

Some power stations are/were run at a loss, not sure if this is still the case, but it was for polictical reasons they could not be shut down.

Yeah they were run at pretty much a financial loss - the peat burning ones.
There was also the issue of capacity.

To be honest, at home I simply run the gas boiler an hour in the morning and then a further two hours in the evening with a gap between them. Radiator is only ever turned on in the living room and maybe in the dining room when we have dinner ... oh and in the bathroom in the morning. I never use thermostats or timers for the radiators in those rooms because either I or herself turn the heaters on/off manually when it gets a bit cold/warm. Gives us far more control over the heating that way.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

snaps wrote: »

Just wondering if a 2kw electric heater uses 2 units every hour (Approx 30c) how much would oil fired central heating use? Considering kerosene is approx 75c a litre at the moment? I reckon its cheaper to use the electric? Those little fan heaters are very powerfull to heat a couple of rooms?

No question but the oil is better value for heating a home.