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is using only one radiator or a portable heater in the office more economical?

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  • 03-11-2019 10:38pm
    #1
    ibrahimovic
    Registered Users Posts: 428 ✭✭


    Not sure if this is the right place to post this.

    I work at home and last year in my office was using an oil heater to heat the room up, didn't have it too high and turned it off when not needed but the bills were still pretty crazy, This year I was looking at an alternative heat source but I think the consensus is that any kind of portable heater will be pretty expensive.

    Therefore I was wondering.... there is a radiator in the office that works well, would switching off all the other radiators in the apartment and only leaving this one on in the day be more economical than using the portable heater? Or would putting on the heating fto heat just one radiator be a massive waste of electricity? I am not sure how the electricity gets used so would be only guessing, does anyone know? Thanks!


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    #2
    coylemj
    Registered Users Posts: 25,461 ✭✭✭✭coylemj


    ibrahimovic wrote: »
    ... there is a radiator in the office that works well, would switching off all the other radiators in the apartment and only leaving this one on in the day be more economical than using the portable heater? Or would putting on the heating fto heat just one radiator be a massive waste of electricity? I am not sure how the electricity gets used so would be only guessing, does anyone know? Thanks!

    Is the radiator in the office a storage heater? If it's not and it's just an electric heater running on the regular tariff (i.e. not on a separate meter) then it will make no difference in terms of cost whether you use it on it's own or a portable heater.


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    #3
    ibrahimovic
    Registered Users Posts: 428 ✭✭ibrahimovic


    coylemj wrote: »
    Is the radiator in the office a storage heater? If it's not and it's just an electric heater running on the regular tariff (i.e. not on a separate meter) then it will make no difference in terms of cost whether you use it on it's own or a portable heater.

    Hey thanks for the reply, the office its just a normal radiator, the one that you need to bleed every so often, and theres plenty of them around the house, we have a gas bill too thats usually very small though.
    So wondering if a normal radiator in the office left on but the others round the apartment switched off would be cheaper than running a portable oil heater.


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    #4
    MadYaker
    Registered Users Posts: 12,223 ✭✭✭✭MadYaker


    Trying to heat one room in the house is pointless as the heat will leech into the other cold areas of the house. If you have gas just turn the heat on and heat the whole house, I have gas central heating and I use it all the time and the bill is always small.


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    #5
    2011
    Moderators, Home & Garden Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators, Regional East Moderators Posts: 12,596 Mod ✭✭✭✭2011


    Hi OP, there are so many variables it is impossible to say for certain. You could always try the boiler for one month and measure how much oil was used. Then the following month use an electric heater and work out how much more electricity was used. Once you have completed this exercise a cost comparison table could be generated. Ideally would would factor in the weather conditions too.


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    #6
    Idbatterim
    Registered Users Posts: 17,853 ✭✭✭✭Idbatterim


    Is the room Draughty? That’s a major source of heat loss if so. Does your electric radiator have a thermostat? Lidl selling one with thermostat and remote control at the moment for e45

    Electric is hundred percent efficient, costs more per kwh than gas though. Just keep the temp of the room at 17/18 ideally ...


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    #7
    Bruthal
    Closed Accounts Posts: 13,422 ✭✭✭✭Bruthal


    If the one room is heated ok by a gas boiler rad with all other rads off, then that will be cheaper than either an electric heater, or having all rads on in the house, regardless of how draughty the room is.


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    #8
    Bruthal
    Closed Accounts Posts: 13,422 ✭✭✭✭Bruthal


    Idbatterim wrote: »
    Electric is hundred percent efficient, costs more per kwh than gas though..
    If only we had to pay for the final conversion from electricity to heat, and disregard where the electricity comes from.


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    #9
    coylemj
    Registered Users Posts: 25,461 ✭✭✭✭coylemj


    ibrahimovic wrote: »
    Hey thanks for the reply, the office its just a normal radiator, the one that you need to bleed every so often, and theres plenty of them around the house, we have a gas bill too thats usually very small though.
    So wondering if a normal radiator in the office left on but the others round the apartment switched off would be cheaper than running a portable oil heater.

    If it's just an apartment then you may be better off runing the gas boiler to heat the single radiator than running an electric heater.

    But you could try measuring it to see how it works out. Run the gas boiler for an hour (with nobody using the cooker if the oven or the hob is gas), then check the meter and see how many units it used. The electric heater will be easy to calculate, you don't even have to switch it on, the consumption will be stated on the appliance.


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    #10
    Bruthal
    Closed Accounts Posts: 13,422 ✭✭✭✭Bruthal


    If its heating a cylinder from cold as well, it will be a bit more expensive for the first hour or so, although it could be a combi boiler with no cylinder.


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    #11
    ibrahimovic
    Registered Users Posts: 428 ✭✭ibrahimovic


    Hey thanks for the replies, theres no draught in the office at all. The radiator in the office heats the room up well so think i'll try that for 2 months and monitor the bill, my dad thinks it will be cheaper to turn off the other heaters in the day and leave the one on in the office when needed. Cheers


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    #12
    purifol0
    Registered Users Posts: 868 ✭✭✭purifol0


    Is this domestic or residential? You keep mentioning office. If its an actuall office you can write the bill off as an expense. Home heating oil is a hell of a lot cheaper than electricity in Ireland - 4th most expensive electricity in the EU and quite the rip off.


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    #13
    Bruthal
    Closed Accounts Posts: 13,422 ✭✭✭✭Bruthal


    ibrahimovic wrote: »
    , my dad thinks it will be cheaper to turn off the other heaters in the day and leave the one on in the office when needed. Cheers

    He is right, it will be


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