Cost Effective Electric Heater?

[divegirl]

Good evening Ab'ers.

I need to buy a small electric heater for a medium size bedroom. Which would be the lowest cost to run? Halogen, fan, oil?

Lisa x

[gingejbee]

The best for a constant background heat is oil-filled radiator...no contest, IMO.

[daveygh]

doesn't give a purchase cost but these look quite good
http://www.funkyheat.co.uk/infrared-heating/

[Buenchico]

Theoretically there shouldn't be that much difference. Putting 2kW of electricity into ny heater should produce (almost) 2kW of heat. The 'almost' there is because of losses powering the fan in a fan heater or heating the metal (rather than the air around the heater) using other types of heater.

However (other than when I was in a hall of residence at college) I've never lived anywhere with central heating and nearly always had to rely upon portable electric heaters. I've found that, while they're best for getting an initial 'boost' of heat, fan heaters cost more to run than other types of electric heating. (They're also noisy and tend not to last very long either). Although they cost more in the first instance, I'd now only use oil-filled radiators (unless I had a lot of money and could afford the outlay for an 'oil-free' radiator, which get really good reviews).

However I assume that youre planning on using your heater in a bedroom which will also serve as a study, playroom or similar. If you're only going to sleep there you shouldn't need any heating at all. A nice warm duvet is far cheaper! (I've only got a single oil-filled radiator, in my living room, to provide all the heating in my house. I turned it on, for the first time since April, earlier today and I'm feeling really cozy now!).

[buildersmate]

Good answer Chris. It scarcely matters what sort of electrical heating method you use, they are all close to 100% efficient in turning electricity into heat.
Electricitys problem is that it is one of the most expensive sources of heat known to man. The only redeeming aspect is that they are relatively cheap to purchase and install.

[Graham-W]

How good are storage heaters these days? Does your supplier have an "economy seven" tariff? That's the avenue I'd be looking down.

[buildersmate]

Storage rads are cheaper to run because they source their electricity at less than 50% of the price of peak rate electricity. And the modern ones have better insulation that holds the heat in the hot bricks inside until you let it out. But for a single room, perhaps a bit impractical.

[gingejbee]

Incidentally, coming shortly to Lidl...

http://leaflet.lidl.co.uk/d3054eaa-51f6-45fe-8ae0-d58b06d960ec/?ar=3#/34

[gingejbee]

...it's page 35 that the oil-filled radiators are on, btw...

[divegirl]

Sorry for taking so long to get back to this but thank you for all your answers.

Oil-filled it will be :)

Lisa x

[harrylggy]

No, dear, i can't say you something about this because I have no vast knowledge about this topic. But, i am using an electric heater that was sold by my dad.