Winter Is Coming! - Looking for a Heater for my house

Leverypenny on 27/05/2016 - 09:17

G'day Ozbargainers,

Happy Friday!

It is that time of the year where everyone gets sick, cough all night, come down with flu, pass the germs on to your family and colleagues and take a sickie from work and enjoy watching Game of Thrones at home.

But, with my house being 20 years old I am not sure if the insulation is not as good as it was it feels as if it is much more colder than outside.

So, I have been in the lookout for heaters and needed some suggestions. I am quite sure many of you out there might also be, so I thought i would ask the greater Ozbargain community to get some suggestions.

I have created a poll to choose on the type of heater first and also some suggestions on some known reliable brands.

I am planning for a heater in the lounge room which has a open kitchen and open dining hall, which is fairly a large area.

Hopefully this post helps us all to understand the types and good brands to go for.

Thanks in advance

Poll Options

  • 3
    Oil-filled column heaters
  • 2
    Electric panel heaters
  • 10
    Gas heaters
  • 1
    Electric fan heaters
  • 18
    Reverse Cycle air-conditioners
Home & Garden

Comments

  • pformag on 27/05/2016 - 09:59

    Gas would be the cheapest to run.

    • [Deactivated] on 27/05/2016 - 11:01
      +3

      I believe that the concernsus is that with current gas prices, ducted split systems are now cheaper to run, plus you get air conditioning and exact temperature control.

      • mskeggs on 27/05/2016 - 11:16
        +4

        Agreed. Reverse cycle aircon of any sort is now always cheaper than gas for the amount of heat delivered.

        • one man clan on 27/05/2016 - 12:18
          +3

          Gas is a much nicer heat though - AC dries me out like it's the sahara. Gas is cozy

        • everypenny on 27/05/2016 - 15:12

          Interesting. Thanks for the input

        • Davros on 28/05/2016 - 09:47
          +3

          @one man clan: Gas is cozy

          So is a jumper, blanket and woolen socks.
          No heater or a/c in my place, been here 20 years.

        • justcallmeboss on 04/06/2016 - 17:09

          Hi I'm very interested in this… Do you have a reputable source? (Genuinely interested).
          Cheers

        • mskeggs on 04/06/2016 - 19:13
          +1

          @justcallmeboss:
          Because reverse cycle AC doesn't heat the air, instead it 'pumps' heat from one side to the other, it is able to produce more heat than the energy you supply the device. This is known as the Coefficient of performance (COP). A COP of 2 means if you supply 1000W of electricity it produces 2000W of heat.
          In recent years gas prices have risen and RC AC COPs have increased (as high as 5 or 6!) so it is cheaper to heat this way.
          Try this as a source:
          http://theconversation.com/the-cheapest-way-to-heat-your-hom…

        • justcallmeboss on 04/06/2016 - 19:14

          @mskeggs: Awesome, thanks for explaining that, and providing the link!

      • everypenny on 27/05/2016 - 15:10

        Are you saying it will be comparatively more to run a gas heater now ?

    • everypenny on 27/05/2016 - 15:09

      I was also leaning towards a gas heater for that one reason. Thanks

  • CyberMurning on 27/05/2016 - 10:06
    +2

    how about heater for the bathroom? no major drilling installation, warm and safe that are the priorities

    • everypenny on 27/05/2016 - 15:13
      +2

      I have the heat bulbs which helps me right now ;)

    • [Deactivated] on 10/06/2016 - 12:44

      Does need to be legal, or just safe?

      • CyberMurning on 10/06/2016 - 13:16

        Safe… And not involved in drilling big holes on the roof (light heating types)

        • [Deactivated] on 10/06/2016 - 13:30

          When I was a kid, we used something like the below in our bathroom - obviously only for short amounts of time (whilst in the bathroom) and crack the window.

          http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Gasmate-Portable-Camping-Heater-w…

          This is not legal; meant to be piped through hole in wall and gas bottle outside.

  • ChillBro on 27/05/2016 - 10:09
    +16

    Have you considered buying an AMD graphics card?

    • airzone on 27/05/2016 - 13:00
      +4

      He wants a heater to keep him warm, not a fire hazard that will burn down his house.

    • everypenny on 27/05/2016 - 15:14
      +1

      I only go for INTEL, but thanks ;)

  • 2jzzzz on 27/05/2016 - 10:56
    +5

    I just put hinged weather seals at the bottom of my doors, then the foam seal around the edges and it keeps so much cold air out.

    I have ducted gas heating throughout and love it. Set to come on at 6.30 every morning til 8am, then back on at 6pm til 10.30.

    • mskeggs on 27/05/2016 - 11:17

      I have ducted too, but it is costly to run. The fan unit alone uses 800w, and the gas use can get pretty high.

  • Randxyz123 on 27/05/2016 - 12:20

    Are you really saying that you don't have heating in your house?

    • everypenny on 27/05/2016 - 15:24
      +1

      I am surviving with just a cheapy fan heater right now

  • airzone on 27/05/2016 - 13:09
    +4

    Aircon has a 3:1 heat:energy ratio, where other electrics are 1:1 typically. It's by far the most efficient and effective electric heater and the benefit is you can use it as a cooler too.

    A downside with gas is if it's not vented outside, you'll need to keep a window open. My folks have a permanently installed has heater and although it's quite warm, it's expensive to run.

    You neglected to have a slow combustion heater. They're very nice.

  • JDM4LIFE on 27/05/2016 - 13:51
    +1

    Just make sure you shut the door not hold it.

  • [Deactivated] on 28/05/2016 - 09:06
    +1

    Combustion wood heater.
    Free to run if you cut your own wood and they double as a stove top.
    I understand city councils like Brisbane have banned new installs because of perceived pollution and inversion layer type weather in winter.
    This is an apparent problem with low lying towns established on river banks also people buying green wood
    But there is no better way to heat a house, and with the price of electricity going up every year and,
    if you need an excuse for a little exercise,
    and can sharpen a chainsaw,
    It's the smart way to go
    As you didn't list it as an option, you have plenty of alternatives that you can pay through the nose for
    And maybe more insulation is required, walls and roof(that cheap silver foil stuff does nothing), this is the first thing to look at

    • everypenny on 29/05/2016 - 13:53

      Thanks Beach Bum.. Unfortunately wood heater wouldnt work for me, but good to know.

  • Dollars and sense on 28/05/2016 - 09:30

    Radiant panel heaters are very cheap and efficient to run (relative to other electric heating options) and you can adjust the thermostat to control the temperature. Downsides are that they do take a little while to warm up the house and you don't get that burst of heat from ducted gas.

    We just leave our radiant panel heaters on all winter (supplemented by oil column heaters), turning them down in the evenings. Our place doesn't have room for ducts in the floor/roof cavities so that may be another consideration for yours.

    • SydOzber on 29/05/2016 - 12:49

      https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/250158

      any of these or any specific brand that you would recommend ?

      • Dollars and sense on 31/05/2016 - 08:58

        We only have Nobo panel heaters - came with the house when we bought it. They're wall mounted and stick out a little bit from the wall. We've had them for nearly seven years and they still seem to heat effectively. Also relatively safe for curious little hands.

        If you can afford them, I would suggest considering thinner panel heaters that don't have the grills at the top, for better aesthetics. Since they heat through radiation (instead of convection/conduction) I've also wondered if they'll work better (and better aesthetically) mounted to the ceiling facing down.

  • ramshead on 28/05/2016 - 12:35
    +1

    Oil column heaters consume a lot of electricity. Put a meter on it and you might get an unpleasant surprise.

  • brotherfranciz on 28/05/2016 - 18:41
    +2

    Wow, I am shocked with the advice here…

    Heating costs are the biggest energy expenditure in the home. I would really discourage you from buying any form of heater if your house is so poorly insulated to begin with (my advice is purely based on the info you have provided). Also, 20yrs is NOT old for a house (i.e. they had good insulation techniques waaaaay back in the dark ages of 1996…). For comparison, I live in a house built in the 1940s… Let's just say waking up every morning is a refreshing experience…

    My tips: Wear more layers of clothes, wear socks, buy blankets and/or rugs, or maybe an electric blanket/throw… and/or get your house insulated! Door and window seals, thick window curtains, roof insulation, close off any rooms that are not in use, etc. You'll be surprised how quickly body heat can warm up a room once you have the insulation done right!

    • everypenny on 29/05/2016 - 13:50

      Thanks for the advice. I also realized that my tile flooring also adds to the impact..

  • [Deactivated] on 28/05/2016 - 20:36
    +1

    Yeah, check that you're insulation is in the roof and under the floor. And check or air leaks under doors and windows. Maybe try the Energy Explorer:
    http://home.nabers.com.au

    Don't buy a unflued gas heater!
    http://www.health.nsw.gov.au/environment/factsheets/Pages/un…

    • everypenny on 29/05/2016 - 13:51

      Thanks a lot FakeJames!

  • lainey13 on 30/05/2016 - 15:59
    +2

    Hope you can get your insulation and gaps sorted out first because it definitely helps a lot. I've moved to a well built townhouse and haven't had to turn on the reverse cycle once yet this winter. Only use a little fan heater during shower time because I'm a wuss without my clothes on. The insulation is brilliant and we only turned the aircon on in the middle level twice during summer.

  • Make it so on 30/05/2016 - 18:30
    +2

    We have a big gas heater, capable of heating around 100m². Bought it ten years ago, assuming gas was cheaper than electricity (which perhaps it was back then). However, winter bills at times exceeded $400 per three months. Running it less now.

    Things have changed since then: reverse cycle air conditioners have become pretty efficient, and solar panels are within reach of most. The advice I give to people who buy/build a new hours right now is: get a big reverse cycle airconditioner, and 3kW worth of solar panels. I think that works out cheapest in the long run. Central ducted is very expensive to install, and one or two split systems may be a cheaper alternative.

    I would not recommend a gas heater anymore, because it costs a lot, and is unable to provide cooling in summer. Also, installation is very expensive for built-in ones (flued), and for the portable ones you have to be very careful with CO poisoning (they are illegal in many countries - in Australia they are often legal provided you have those ventilation ducts). Many people are ignorant about having to ensure the ducts are working, and happily run gas heaters with the whole house hermetically sealed (very bad idea).

  • anonymoususer on 30/05/2016 - 23:13

    For a 3 bedroom house with mid size rooms what Reverse Cycle air-conditioners recommended?Appro price?

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