Recommendation for a cheap source of heating

[Ivor the Engine]

I have no heating in my basement though it is fully insulated and below ground. Was thinking of putting in a small wall mounted electric heater, but would like some recommendations as what the most economical/least thirsty means of heating this space may be. I have been told that oil filled radiators are cheaper.

[johntheexpat]

tricky, because a KWh is a KWh. So to heat it to a given temperature is going to take a set amount of electricity, no matter how it is put there. There may be small variations overall between heating it quickly (a 3KW fan heater) and slowly (a 1KW oil filled) but the bottom line is all but the same. So long as the room is well insulated from heat loss, the choice is yours. Fan-heaters are quick and noisy, oil filled radiators slower and quieter. Economy 7 may save you money, but storage heaters aren't cheap and if you have to pay for the new meter too, it may never pay for itself.

[robh2002]

Originally Posted by johntheexpat

tricky, because a KWh is a KWh. So to heat it to a given temperature is going to take a set amount of electricity, no matter how it is put there. There may be small variations overall between heating it quickly (a 3KW fan heater) and slowly (a 1KW oil filled) but the bottom line is all but the same. So long as the room is well insulated from heat loss, the choice is yours. Fan-heaters are quick and noisy, oil filled radiators slower and quieter. Economy 7 may save you money, but storage heaters aren't cheap and if you have to pay for the new meter too, it may never pay for itself.

Agreed, oil radiator or not, the cost will be the same...My sister in law got rid of some storage heaters on ebay so you could look there and use the Economy 7 tariff. Can you not run a normal (i.e. wet) radiator down there?

Then insulate, insulate, insulate!

[cheekymonkeyme]

Oil radiators are cheap enough to run but it will take alot of time to heat a large room

[Ivor the Engine]

Thanks for the input. I toyed with the idea of a traditional 'wet' radiator while I was converting. The pipework was against the one wall and would have been easy to tap into. I elected not to do this as I felt that it would push the bolier too much.

I am running a small fan heater, and to be honest, it only needs 1/2 hour to warm up to a very pleasant level - it's just a bit on the noisy side.

Just for information, the temperature is 13.6C first thing in the morning with no heating, which I think is pretty good for a basement.

[captive8]

We use a portable gas heater for a similar purpose. It is very cheap to run - £20 for roughly 130hours of use and produces a lot of heat. There are some nice looking models available now, not just the old 'SuperSer' type!

[sjeffrey]

Yeah gas heaters are cheap and output alot of heat.

Most the ones ive seen arent very nice though.

[arthurdentpc]

Oil radiators keep their heat though. The ones with thermostats click on and off every now and then to maintain the temperature, whereas other types of heaters output no heat once they're off. Hence (imo anyway) oil-filled electric are much preferred.

[majorstare]

What are you using the basement for?

Is it a workshop/spare bedroom/storage?

If its a workshop, then perhaps a quartz/halogen heater above the work area?

Any other purpose, then oil filled heaters to keep off the chill and perhaps an instant heater (fan/convector) to use when occupied?

If you need heat in the room constantly, get it on a thermostat !!!

[Ivor the Engine]

I'm using it as a home cinema.

I purchased an oil filled radiator. If its on for an hour then the temperature - once I've been in there for a while reaches a good 18C. If the radiator goes on earlier then it obviously gets warmer.

I'm quite happy with this and thanks for all the input. Greatly appreciated.

I look forward to seeing my electricity bill, but in the current climate (no pun intended) will it look anything like any of my previous bills??

[DPinBucks]

You seem to have got it sorted anyway, but a general word of warning:

It's not that easy to ventilate a basement properly, so I would argue strongly against any direct combustion form of heating such as oil or gas burners. Go for electricity or indirect such as a radiator tapped into the central heating.

[Whichburner]

Hi Ivor,
I'm a great believer in MultiFuel Stoves & Stoves with Boilers. You might find these a help.
Multi-Fuel Stoves - A Beginner's Guide
Wood Burning Stoves, Which Logs to Use
Comparing Multifuel Stoves

[johntheexpat]

Re which logs to burn. A fairly esoteric point, but I disagree that elm should be avoided. I burn quite a lot of wood, mostly chestnut, but am more than happy with the way elm burns. More ash than chestnut, but apart from that its very good. Also around here (Pays de La Loire) there is a lot of elm currently available since the elms that died during the Dutch Elm Disease saga have now started to rot through at the base and are falling like nobodies business)
I did say this point was fairly esoteric!

[psikey]

Most efficent would be an air or ground source heat pump but pricey.

Next cheapest would be to link off your gas fired boiler system with another wet radiator.

If your really wanting green then your looking at a Solar Water heater but usually a 8-10 year payback !!

If its infrequent, short periods then an the electric Oil heater you have is a cheap investment.

You could also look at Thermilate to reduce heat loss through the walls. Thermilate :: Delivering Nano and Insulating Technologies - Insulating Paint Additive, Insulating Paint, Eco Paint Insulation, Energy Saving Paint