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Original poster

How do i heat one room all day cheaply?

131 replies

ssd · 01/10/2021 18:45

Ds is studying at home, hes cold during the day. We're in Scotland. I put the heating on yesterday but it heats all the house including radiators that are broken and I can't turn them down.
So is it cheaper to buy him a wee heater for his room alone? Rather than turn the house heating on all day?

OP posts:
PigletJohn · 01/10/2021 20:18

tell me more about the broken radiators. I have a feeling it will be the knob that is broken. Post some photos please of whatever is broken.

KeflavikAirport · 01/10/2021 20:19

Thermal undies, dressing gown or onesie and a couple of hot water bottles would be cheapest.

PigletJohn · 01/10/2021 20:22

btw, depending on the tariff you're on, the price of electricity per kWh is probably about 5 times the price of a kWh from gas.

so we are approaching the point where it is more economical to heat the house, and keep it dry, with CH turned low, than a single room with an electric heater.

If you do use an electric heater, my choice would be an oil-filled radiator. A 600W one is quite small and can keep a bedroom tolerable. Unlike a convector or fan heater I don't believe it can start a fire, even if you accidentally drop papers on it, or a curtain blows against it.

Interested in this thread?

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Home improvement
2bunny · 01/10/2021 20:30

I bought an oil heater years ago it looks like a normal wall radiator but with legs I love it, cheap to use, easy to move around, keep the room lovely and warm

2bunny · 01/10/2021 20:32

One like this

How do i heat one room all day cheaply?
mumwon · 01/10/2021 20:39

find the room in the house that is the warmest or easiest to heat (small window small room or if one has the water tank in it)
thick curtains cling film on window draft proof draft proof draft proof
& as pp oil filled rad next to desk

Chloemol · 01/10/2021 20:39

I just put my big fluffy dressing gown on, plus thick socks

Works for me

Crystal90567 · 01/10/2021 20:40

Heating isn't that expensive and it's a basic human right.
Heat your house. These threads are beginning to annoy me.
18 is min for school / work.and should be for home. A lot of people prefer 20/21.

walksen · 01/10/2021 20:40

My boiler broke down last einter Took a month to fix and caught covid at work to boot.

I heated the main bedroom with a heat pump air conditioner. It was a portable one that needs a hose out of the window and but it produces 3kw of heat for about 1.2kw in. Noisy though. I'd bought it for the occasional hot spell but was far better than my 2kw oil radiator

mumwon · 01/10/2021 20:41

doh hot water tank (if you have one)

Guiltypleasures001 · 01/10/2021 20:43

We have an oil filled radiator on wheels we just plug in
It's very powerful only needs to be on for a short while
Has a timer everything

DogInATent · 01/10/2021 20:50

"it heats all the house including radiators that are broken and I can't turn them down"
Use the isolation valves.

batmanladybird · 01/10/2021 20:51

@PigletJohn

btw, depending on the tariff you're on, the price of electricity per kWh is probably about 5 times the price of a kWh from gas.

so we are approaching the point where it is more economical to heat the house, and keep it dry, with CH turned low, than a single room with an electric heater.

If you do use an electric heater, my choice would be an oil-filled radiator. A 600W one is quite small and can keep a bedroom tolerable. Unlike a convector or fan heater I don't believe it can start a fire, even if you accidentally drop papers on it, or a curtain blows against it.

Hello piglet John I love that you are still around, posting amazingly helpful things like this You don't know me, as I have name changed but I have been around these parts for many years I would also recommend a heated seat pad. Works wonders in my cold office
SquareWindow · 01/10/2021 20:54

@Crystal90567

Heating isn't that expensive and it's a basic human right. Heat your house. These threads are beginning to annoy me. 18 is min for school / work.and should be for home. A lot of people prefer 20/21.
Oh wow! Maybe all people don’t live in your nice little new build, but older draughty homes that require the heating on constant. I bet yo8 have yours on for 30mins on the morning and you’re set. Please consider finding some empathy, there will be a lot of people this year who are choosing between food and heating. In an ideal world we’d all have the heating on constant, but that costs.

And I like my house heated to 20, 22 is too hot!

RiverSkater · 01/10/2021 20:56

Get a plumber round to fix the radiators.

Have most on low except room you are in. I say this because I think if you don't heat the whole house early on in the winter, it never gets warm at all!

Or maybe it's just just our old cold house

VerbenaGirl · 01/10/2021 20:58

I had an oil filled radiator as a student and it was really good.

DumplingsAndStew · 01/10/2021 21:00

@Crystal90567

Heating isn't that expensive and it's a basic human right. Heat your house. These threads are beginning to annoy me. 18 is min for school / work.and should be for home. A lot of people prefer 20/21.
It annoys you that people are worrying how to afford to heat their homes?

Wow.

FrazzledY9Parent · 01/10/2021 21:02

@Crystal90567

Heating isn't that expensive and it's a basic human right. Heat your house. These threads are beginning to annoy me. 18 is min for school / work.and should be for home. A lot of people prefer 20/21.
Heating isn't a human right, central heating is a very recent invention. In our parents' childhoods houses would have been much colder. By all means heat your house to whatever temperature you like, but it's a perfectly legitimate discussion to have (not least for environmental reasons).
BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz · 01/10/2021 21:06

I wfh and dont heat the house until the family are heading home (if needed).

I use a variation of:
Oil filled radiator
Sheepskin rug on my chair
Slippers and thicker cardigan
Hot water bottle
Tea (I use a thermos flask so it stays hot).

I'm lucky that I dont need to do it all in one go, just do a few as needed.

Deffo recommend oil heater over fan.

Moonface123 · 01/10/2021 21:15

I have one son working from home, and younger one is home schooled. I don't want to put heating on just yet so l told them to jump on treadmill or rowing machine to warm up, kill two birds with one stone. Also got hooded blankets that are warm and cosy from Amazon, and lots of hot drinks, that will do for now. Also my youngest son keeps reptiles in his room so with the heaters and lights his room is warmest in the house.

Leftbutcameback · 01/10/2021 21:19

Recommend an oil filled radiator with a thermostat. I have a 2kw de longhi one. It's excellent. I think you could get one for £80 or so. Much more economic than an electric heater

Iggly · 01/10/2021 21:20

@Crystal90567

Heating isn't that expensive and it's a basic human right. Heat your house. These threads are beginning to annoy me. 18 is min for school / work.and should be for home. A lot of people prefer 20/21.
Hahahaha maybe not for you.
Leftbutcameback · 01/10/2021 21:20

Good point from a pp too about the oil filled ones being safer.

MotherOfCrocodiles · 01/10/2021 21:23

Oil filled radiator

Under the desk

Blanket over the desk so legs are in a tent with the radiator

So cosy

Don't do it with a fan heater or electric fire with element though or you will start a fire

RampantIvy · 01/10/2021 21:26

I'm one of those people where if the ambient temperature is too cold, no amount of jumpers, gloves, blankets etc will keep me warm.

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