Cheapest Bedroom Heating - Ducted Heating or Oil Column Heater?

LWoodChopper on 23/04/2022 - 10:55
Last edited 23/04/2022 - 14:26 by 1 other user

Really struggling to get a simple answer to this one. Without getting super technical, can anyone tell me which is option is cheaper?

I have a small double story townhouse and I just want to heat the bedroom overnight during winter. Currently have a 3 star ducted heating system installed.

Am I better off running the ducted heating overnight (not zoned so it will be heating the entire home) or using a 2400w Oil column heater? Just trying to get an idea of what is more cost efficient per hour, 2400w column heater or 3 star ducted heater when I only need heat in 1 room. Approximate house size 160m2 and room size 15m2

I am only concerned about heating one room. I know I can wear a jumper, buy an electric blanket etc so thanks in advance but I am only comparing these two options. Any advice would be appreciated. I know there are many variables that is why I am asking here as every forum I've read people argue specifics but please just a rough idea for would be great, thanks :)

Home & Garden Heating

Comments

  • pharkurnell on 23/04/2022 - 10:59
    +9

    as every forum i've read people argue specifics

    You think it will be any different here?

  • Hithere on 23/04/2022 - 11:06
    +1

    Talk to someone who installs ducted systems for a living, not randoms on a bargain shopping forum.

    A technician/fitter may suggest the possibility of installing dampers into your existing system.

    • bobbified on 23/04/2022 - 15:29
      +2

      Talk to someone who installs ducted systems for a living, not randoms on a bargain shopping forum.

      There's probably someone who installs ducted systems for a living on this bargain shopping forum! šŸ˜

  • Xyzzy on 23/04/2022 - 11:07
    +5

    2400w Oil column heater

  • netjock on 23/04/2022 - 11:43
    +3

    Depends. 3 star ducted is electric reverse cycle or gas? Also column heater you need to figure out kilowatt hours.

    Also what temperature do you want heating to be.

    I have ducted gas but I only set it to like 17C so you don't get the chill. Usually kicks in around 4 - 6am when it gets really cold outside and the house struggles to retain the heat (thanks to Australian cardboard construction standards). Next place is going to be double glaze, smaller windows, well insulated and try to get as air tight as possible. Fingers crossed 24 - 36 months (not because of housing market crash, if you don't build it yourself you're just swapping one cardboard house for another).

    • Euphemistic on 23/04/2022 - 12:22

      Column heater at 2400w at full gear will run 2.4kW/h.

      • netjock on 23/04/2022 - 12:39
        +1

        My reverse cycle 2.5kw air condition only does 0.8kwh on heating

        • Euphemistic on 23/04/2022 - 12:54

          Reverse cycle systems can be a little confusing. They advertise kW in terms of heat/cool output not so much energy consumption.

      • brendanm on 23/04/2022 - 14:39

        They element is only on for a small percentage of total time.

  • GrueHunter on 23/04/2022 - 11:46
    +9

    I know there are many variables

    Then for Christ's sake maybe fill some of them in?

    "Three stars" doesn't tell us how much energy your ducted system draws. We don't know if it's gas or reverse cycle. We don't know if you have a thermostat on either heater. We don't know if the bedroom is insulated differently to the rest of the house (for example, heavy curtains over the windows, while the kitchen window just has blinds).

    every forum i've read people argue specifics

    You've asked for a specific answer. Ducted or column? The specifics matter. We can't even generalise "well, the house is about 10 times larger than the bedroom, so the heater would need to be at least ten times as efficient as the oil heater, so the answer is…" because we don't know what kind of bloody ducted system you have or how much energy it draws.

    Just check your meter before you go to bed, run the ducted system one night, then run a column heater the next night and compare the difference in the meter reading in the morning.

    • Transient on 23/04/2022 - 11:52
      +4

      I'd say this would be easiest, ie, just read the meter before and after.

  • Transient on 23/04/2022 - 11:50

    I would:
    1. Work out the a/c running cost per hour. Guidance: https://www.hhaircon.com.au/general-news/what-is-the-cost-ofā€¦
    2. Borrow or buy an energy consumption meter and plug the oil heater into that. I borrowed mine from the local library.
    3. Work out the oil heater running cost per hour.
    4. Compare 1 and 3.

    I would think the oil heater is cheaper to run provided your room is relatively insulated, set the thermostat adequately and you keep the bedroom door and window closed at night, as the air con is keeping the whole house warm. Although, if your whole house is well insulated, then it might not have to turn on as often so the a/c might turn out to be cheaper. If you leave the door open or your room is draughty, then the heater will always be on so a/c would be cheaper. Another consideration is that with a/c the whole house will be toasty when you get out of your room and move around in the morning.

    Other ways to check:
    - use a/c one winter, use oil heater next winter and compare the bills. Not as accurate as winters can vary in intensity.
    - if you house is wired to a smart meter, it might allow you to work out daily electricity usage. Use a/c one night or week, use heater next night or week and compare the results.

    Let us know what you find out!

    • WoodChopper on 23/04/2022 - 12:02

      "I would think the oil heater is cheaper to run provided your room is relatively insulated, set the thermostat adequately and you keep the bedroom door and window closed at night,"

      Thanks, this is what I assumed and appreciate your answer. Nice and simple, cheers :)

  • WoodChopper on 23/04/2022 - 12:00

    ok, 3 star ducted gas heater vs 2400w column heater. Maybe set at 20 degrees. Both have thermostat. Average Australian home insulation.

    I'm not wanting to know the exact cost difference, just which is cheaper. I can only assume if no one can answer it absed on an average setup it must be damn close!

    Like if someone asked me which is cheaper to run, a Holden commodore or Holden Barina, I would generally say the Barina.
    Or I could ask what speed are they travelling, do they have 5 overweight people in the car and 200kg of dumbells in the boot driving against a headwind up a hill while driving in first gear with flat tyres :) You catch my drift.

    • Quantumcat on 23/04/2022 - 12:16
      +1

      How to find out:

      1. Buy a column heater
      2. Write down the number on your electricity meter and your gas meter before you go to bed
      3. Sleep with neither turned on
      4. Write down the numbers on your meters in the morning
      5. Write down number on your electricity meter before you go to bed
      6. Sleep with oil column heater on
      7. Write down number on your electricity meter
      8. Subtract #2 (electricity) from #3 (electricity) and 9. Subtract #5 from #7
      9. Subtract #8 from #9. This is how much electricity the column heater uses
      10. Repeat steps 5-10 with the gas heating
      11. Look at your bills to determine the costs of each

      Congratulations you now know which is cheaper without having to guess and hope.

      This would be a good question if you didn't yet have a ducted gas system installed (you're not going to install one just to find out if it is cheaper to run as it is expensive to install). But yours is already installed and a column heater costs like $30 so it is easy to find out in your particular circumstances without needing to do any guesswork.

      • afoveht on 23/04/2022 - 14:54
        +1

        Then repeat 5-10 a number of times to account for environmental differences.

        • Quantumcat on 23/04/2022 - 16:13
          +1

          Like what? You can get the background electricity level first (fridge, computers and TV on standby etc). Nothing much is going to change between then and the very next night when you test what the column heater uses.

          • afoveht on 23/04/2022 - 19:41

            @Quantumcat: Daily differences in weather / temperature.

            • Quantumcat on 23/04/2022 - 23:35
              +1

              @afoveht: If the costs are so close that a difference of a degree or two overnight is enough to tip the more expensive one to end up cheaper and vice versa, then the costs are close enough to call that a wash. You only need to know which one is more expensive to run. If one isn't a lot more expensive it doesn't matter a huge deal which you choose.

              • afoveht on 25/04/2022 - 16:18

                @Quantumcat: As someone who monitors some air conditioned chambers regularly, across consecutive days with what would be considered normal daily changes, I can tell you that small environmental differences can have major significance on load and power consumption. That's my experience anyway.

  • MilkDrinker on 23/04/2022 - 12:19
    +3

    Oh you live in Victoria here join powerpal, they will stick it to your meter and you can get an estimate of your hourly electrical usage, in Victoria its free.

    PowerPal

    Once you get that, you will have an hourly estimate of your systems electric bill (ideally measure at 2am when minimal other appliances are running)

    If its larger than say $1.00 an hour then an column heater is usually cheaper

    This website is also pretty good.

    https://www.canstarblue.com.au/electricity/winter-heating-coā€¦

  • Euphemistic on 23/04/2022 - 12:27
    +2

    We used a small column heater to take the chill off kids room when they were little tots. Might have been 1800w rated, but only used on low setting. It would likely have used a lot less than 1800w and only for a portion of the hour.

    Given the lower power consumption and only heating a much smaller area I would think that an oil column heater would use a fair bit less than ducted

    Then you also need to consider is it cheaper to maintain temperature in the rear of the house or use additional energy to heat it back up after being cold?

  • WoodChopper on 23/04/2022 - 12:31

    Thanks for your suggestions guys. I just found this and it appears the oil column heater is the clearly the winner for an average small room in an average home.

    https://www.sustainability.vic.gov.au/energy-efficiency-and-ā€¦

  • freefall101 on 23/04/2022 - 12:42
    +1

    3 star ducted heater

    This is meaningless, the star rating is how efficiently it turns gas into heat, not how much gas it uses. That'll change depending on how big your gas heater is.

    The size of the house doesn't matter either, because they could have installed any size gas heater in, we don't know how good your insulation is, etc. Go tell us how much gas you use in a winter month vs a summer month and it'll give a much better idea (or even better, the usage overnight as suggested).

    Also, look at replacing it. 3 star is horrible inefficient and quite old for gas ducted heating. 6 star has been the required minimum for over a decade now, you'll save a lot more money that way.

  • JIMB0 on 23/04/2022 - 13:03

    These days gas is only about the half the price of electricity per thermal unit. This doesn't take into account the many losses you'd suffer from a ducted system (heat lost directly from the unit, leaky ducts, thermal loss from going through roof space and underfloor area). Given your bedroom is much less than half the size of your house using a resistive electric heater will be cheaper.

  • HardQuiz on 23/04/2022 - 13:45
    +2

    I experienced winters in several countries, Australian insulation standards are the worst.

    • brendanm on 23/04/2022 - 14:42

      Then insulate your house to your standards? Nothing stopping you.

      • HardQuiz on 23/04/2022 - 14:47

        My comment was regarding the overall waste of energy trying to heat houses.

        • brendanm on 23/04/2022 - 15:18
          -5

          Yes, and that's fine, however, just because the government mandates a minimum, nothing stops you from using the maximum. Does the government have to hold everyone's hands?

          • HardQuiz on 23/04/2022 - 15:21

            @brendanm: Sadly sometimes they have to.

            Seat belts? Airbags mandates.

            Iā€™m all for the government to be out of my business, but then again setting a minimum standard that is comparable to advanced nations is common sense but what do I know.

            • brendanm on 24/04/2022 - 10:21
              -2

              @HardQuiz: Surely you realise that safety mandates, on vehicles that are churned out on a production line, are very different to insulation in a house.

              You can spec your house however you want, if you want to use less energy, go nuts with insulation and sealing. If you don't, don't. We don't need the government to tell us to do this, surely we can use our own brains, and make out own decisions?

      • rektrading on 23/04/2022 - 14:58

        Make better use of the energy conversion

  • brendanm on 23/04/2022 - 14:41
    +1

    The column heater. It only has to heat one room, and not an entire two story house. Also, "3 star" means nothing.

  • rektrading on 23/04/2022 - 14:56
    -2

    I get free heating when the temp drops.

    https://twitter.com/CaliInKansas/status/1454164683989168129?ā€¦

    Not my setup but something similar.

  • AustriaBargain on 23/04/2022 - 15:31
    +2

    Aren't reverse cycle heaters the most efficient?

    • mskeggs on 23/04/2022 - 16:31
      +1

      Yes, but this is apparently gas whole house versus 1 room electric.

  • pharkurnell on 23/04/2022 - 16:00
    +3

    Electric blanket for 40 bux…

    • mskeggs on 23/04/2022 - 16:31
      +2

      Clear winner by a factor of 10 or more.

  • lgacb08 on 23/04/2022 - 21:52
    +1

    Profile say your in Melbourne so for a house that size running ducted gas for 10 hours a day you will use over 300mj a day, which will bring your gas bill to $250 a month easy with current cheapest rate. I ran ducted in winter last year not over 8 hours a day so I can tell.
    as for electricity, I used to do that years ago when kid was small but she wanted bedroom door ajar, cost about 8kwh a night if memory serve me right. But electricity is now only 18c/kwh so you're in luck.

  • altomic on 23/04/2022 - 21:53

    Ducted Heating or Oil Column Heater

    user name does not check out

    • SF3 on 24/04/2022 - 11:44

      Missing firewood as ā€œcheapestā€ option.

  • [Deactivated] on 24/04/2022 - 07:52

    Currently have a 3 star ducted heating system installed.

    Yeah the star system is junk to refer to after the fact as the system keeps changing. Itā€™s sole usefulness is in a retail sales setting when comparing one item to another at that specific point in time.

    One example: star system used to be out of 5 stars, now itā€™s out of 6.

  • eddieboy2 on 24/04/2022 - 08:10
    +1

    Ducted is best. I bought a column heater years ago when our first child was born. I nearly died when the electricity bill came in and I gave the oil column heater away as fast as I could.

    • lgacb08 on 24/04/2022 - 09:49

      with current electricity price less than 20c/kwh, oil heater will be less than $2 a day (keep it on 24h a day in a standard room will consume around 10kwh at most, unless you use it for a large open air living room).

    • Euphemistic on 25/04/2022 - 16:58

      Maybe you shouldnā€™t run it flat out and expect the room to be 25 degrees 24/7.

      It does depend on how much you need to heat the room by

  • pebee47 on 24/04/2022 - 12:28

    My home has ducted reverse cycle air con. I have to run 2.4 of the 6 zones to stop the ducting from blowing off their connections. I usually run it for an hour just before Sunset to take the chill out of the air (solar power). Due to this requirement to heat/cool half the house at any one time, if I need further heating I use a gas space heater in living/dining/kitchen space (25 sqm) or oil filled column heater on thermostat in bedroom.

  • LFO on 24/04/2022 - 14:00

    Approximate house size 160m2 and room size 15m2
    I am only concerned about heating one room.

    Categorically heating one room only will be better.
    In particular when "fully thermally insulating" (or trying to) only one room is more feasible than an already built house.

    Probably radiant heat from infrared heaters will be more efective and better (comfort wise) than actually heating (aka= raising overall temperature) the whole room and its contents.

  • skillet on 25/04/2022 - 19:55

    Make sure your room is sealed well. Ensure door and windows seals in good condition. Close up all gaps and use a snake for sealing underdoor. So now the heat can be trapped and you will be more comfortable.

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