Convection Heaters Cost

• 

  mskeggs on 31/05/2016 - 21:44

  +1

  Apparently its the most cost effective way of heating a room 4mx4m.

  Whoever told you that doesn't understand life cycle costs. These heaters are cheap to buy, but cost a lot to run.

  Each of the options you linked to will cost the same to operate for a set amount of warmth produced, but the lower wattage heaters will take longer to produce that heat (note the one with the fan will use a fraction more electricity because of the fan).
  Gas heaters are slightly less costly to operate, and reverse cycle AC much less costly.

  So it doesn't matter which of these you buy, in terms of running costs. I would choose the fan heater, as it will heat up fast. I notice you didn't list any radiant heaters. These are more useful in most situations, as the panel and convection heaters take a long time to produce much warmth.

  • 

    tradiesunited on 31/05/2016 - 22:03

    So I should get a kmart fan heater $15 2200W? I already have one at home and it sounds like I am on a plane

    http://www.kmart.com.au/product/fan-heater/615843

    • 

      mskeggs on 31/05/2016 - 22:42

      Fan heaters have a fan. Not sure what you are after. The costs of running the heaters don't vary much, just pick what you think is best.

      • 

        tradiesunited on 31/05/2016 - 22:57

        I'm after the running cost. Mostly use at night for a small room with all doors and windows closed

      • 

        airzone on 31/05/2016 - 23:40

        @tradiesunited: Get a reverse cycle air con if all you care about is the running costs. They're about 3 times more energy efficient per unit of heat.

        Other electric heaters have about the same energy cost. You can do better than the $15 kmart job if you want something with a quieter fan.

      • 

        tradiesunited on 31/05/2016 - 23:51

        @airzone:

        Renting can't have an air con

      • 

        tradiesunited on 31/05/2016 - 23:53

        @tradiesunited:

        any recommendations other than kmart $15 heater w/ a quieter fan?

      • 

        MrMcHairyHead on 01/06/2016 - 07:30

        +1

        @tradiesunited:
        2200W is more than you need for one small room. My bedroom gets satisfactorily warm on about 500W.

        As for the cost, at any given wattage, whichever electric heater you buy will cost the same amount. They're all equally efficient because all of the energy they use becomes heat eventually.

  • 

    Lukian on 04/06/2019 - 21:23

    I use a dehumidifier (~300W) to keep my room at an acceptable temperature overnight (and provide white noise to enhance sleep). Bonus points because it dries any clothes I've washed overnight. The hourly-interval off-timer also acts as a 'soft' alarm for when the white noise ends.

    http://www.iwilltry.org/b/heat-your-home-with-a-dehumidifier…

• 

  scrimshaw on 31/05/2016 - 23:52

  +1

  Conservation of energy dictates that all of the energy drawn by the heater has to go somewhere. The vast majority of this will be as heat, but if the heater is emitting any sort of energy like a buzzing sound (or moving an electric motor or showing a LED display) then it's converting less than 100% of the electricity to heat.

  Regardless of which heater you buy — a cheap one from Aldi or an expensive one from the Good Guys, you're pretty much guaranteed that both will have very similar energy 'efficiency' and so both are just as good turning your hard-earned dollars into heat!

  The most cost efficient method of heating a home is as Airzone suggested, a HVAC system (basically, a heat pump).
  Heat pumps work by moving thermal energy from one place to another — it draws heat from the cooler exterior air or from the ground and moves it into your home. According to Wiki, heat pumps are three to four times more efficient in their use of electric power than simple electrical resistance heaters, but they cost a crapton to install.

• 

  slowey on 05/06/2019 - 00:29

  Hey tradiesunited, not sure if you’ve bought a heater yet but thought I’d chuck in my 2c worth.

  Essentially you can get a heater that’s cheap to buy or cheap to run, but not both. Cheap to by are the ones you listed, cheap to run would be oil column heaters or panel heaters. Noirot make some heaters that are around $400 but only 15-30c per hour to run and have a lifetime replacement warranty. So a good long term option - but keep in mind the ones hat are cheaper to run don’t have fans, so as stated above will take time to heat a room.

  TLDR: choose whether you want to pay more now, or more in your power bills.

  • 

    mskeggs on 05/06/2019 - 06:00

    This advice is not correct. Panel heaters and column heaters cost the same as a radiant heater to raise your room temperature from E.g. 12 to 18 degrees.
    Some models have a thermostat to turn off the heater when the desired temp is reached, so can be more cost effective if you want the room to be kept at a temperature lower than the heater's maximum output.

    • 

      slowey on 05/06/2019 - 07:42

      To raise the temperature that’s true, however a lot of people will leave the heater on the make sure the room stays warm - an accurate thermostat and an element that retains heat will reduce the overall running costs. Oil column heaters are a few cents per hour cheaper, and the Noirots are as quoted above.