To ask which oil radiator to buy?

[Marshmallow12345]

I work from home and it feels daft to put the heating on for the whole house when I'm only sat in one room. I want to get an oil filled radiator but I'm a bit overwhelmed by the choices... What wattage do I need? How many fins? Any recommendations please?

Mostly I work in the small box room, but sometimes I use the larger living room so I guess one that's adjustable?

It's not what you asked but do you have a heated blanket? They are fab for keeping you cosy when WFH - and cheaper to run than an electric heater.

I'd recommend the Delonghi 2kw. You can get it from Argos, it costs £110 and has a range of settings. We bought 3 last winter and they work a treat

Oh now I'm even more bamboozled! I'd assumed an electric blanket wouldn't be much warmer than a regular blanket? And super interesting on the ceramic heater - I though oil ones were supposed to be much more efficient than the halogen/fan ones. Thank you though I'll keep researching!

Glad you saw the ceramic heater. I’ve asked MNHQ to delete my post as it has personal info in it I should have edited out!

Can you repost the ceramic one please. This is on my list too and I plan to order tomorrow as my house is freszing. Friend recommended This which I was considering until I opened this thread.

I'm another one for a heated blanket- ours is brilliant. During lockdown, our boiler broke down when it was -6 outside. The kids had heated blankets (which are washable too) and it was so useful. They now have them on their beds- it has a timer so we pop it on for an hour, just before bedtime.

Ok. Have scratched out the personal info. Here is the one my DH bought.
It uses less electricity than the screw fix oil radiator you posted ( plus that would need oil).

We’ve got Delonghi Dragon, the one with wheels and electronic climate control. it’s about 15 years old. It can be easily moved from one room to another. It heats up the space very quickly and keep temperature stable. I absolutely love it and can’t live without.

I have the 1.5kw version of this radiator & find it very good for heating a cold, north facing room which is 2.4 x 2.4 m (I’ve had it 5 years, use it on days when WFH but not using the CH. I put it on for about 40 mins in the morning, same in the afternoon to heat the room

Seems like only the 2kw version is available now but you can use it on a lower setting/only 1 of the 2 parts on

I have a smaller one too 800w and that is ok as an under desk heater but might not be enough when it’s really cold - I’d get something more substantial and use it on a lower setting

@Discovereads THANK YOU!

I work for a gas safe engineer. He's recommending that customers have a 2kw convector heater available to use over the winter.

It could be used to heat 1 room for someone working from home but would also be useful if there are any gas supply issues.

In case it's of interest I have a delongi 1.5 v which is years old. I tested it recently with one of those power meters that you plug in. I used the radiator for 4 hours and on my tarrif it cost me 86p to run. My tarrif is roughly 30p kwh

Anytime. 😉
We are quite pleased with the ceramic heater.

Do you have my heated throw reccomendations? I have had a quick look and they seem to be £60-80 pounds which is a big outlay. Especially if we end up getting a small heater as well 🙈

I don’t myself. We just have regular sofa blankets and we have extra blankets we use on top of our duvets on cold nights.

I have both a monhouse & cosi home throw: both have good reviews

Unfortunately electric blankets/throws seem to have gone up stupidly on price - what is now £60-70 was £40 last year. I find they save hugely on heating though - I use mine in the evenings so don’t need heating at all. Am going to experiment with using one while working too

@Marshmallow12345

i don't have one. But from what I've read on the many threads here is that the cheap thin ones (around £20) are great because they drape better around your body.

people have said they only need them turned on for a short while & they keep you warm.

personally I prefer several thin layers & warm socks & skipper boots. I don't like blankets when I'm trying to do stuff,

I loved my oil filled radiator before I got the CH. I think it's 1.5kw. It would heat up one room (10ft x 15ft) quite quickly then I'd open the doors & let it warm the other rooms, or just turn it down very low & maintain.

I haven't need mine since I got the CH installed, but it's in the loft for CH emergencies, it isn't expensive to run.

though have you considered TRV's instead?

I recommend a ceramic fan heater with 750w/1500w settings, and point it towards yourself. Instant heat with no waiting for the room to heat up, and most of the time the 750w setting should be sufficient. This will really help keep your bills down this winter while keeping you comfortable.

Something similar to this.

www.amazon.co.uk/AMOS-Ceramic-Setting-Portable-Radiator/dp/B08L4C88VF/ref=sr_1_15?crid=2K72SQJVVW1FT&keywords=ceramic+fan+heater+750+1500&qid=1665801608&sprefix=ceramic+fan+heater+750+1500%2Caps%2C125&sr=8-15

Or this may be better.

www.amazon.co.uk/Warmlite-Adjustable-Thermostat-Protection-Efficient/dp/B008UQ560U/ref=d_pd_sbs_sccl_4_6/257-4230333-5100240?pd_rd_w=GRlm1&content-id=amzn1.sym.bc241c2a-2b0b-4e19-9fc1-7da3c72c76ce&pf_rd_p=bc241c2a-2b0b-4e19-9fc1-7da3c72c76ce&pf_rd_r=6ZTJEC1Y5W23KXDP2N6R&pd_rd_wg=MxDJi&pd_rd_r=da210b70-b704-4cb3-b83e-563526cdd379&pd_rd_i=B008UQ560U&psc=1

There are plenty on Amazon at reasonable prices.

There are some good sites which compare the two types.

Oil can be more convenient if you are trying to maintain a room temperature as more consistent heating rather than the hot or hot hot operstion of a ceramic

To correct a previous poster, oil filled doesn't mean it uses oil as fuel, just the liquid inside which heats up and retains heat is an oil, it doesn't need replacing it is a closed system.

Oil also is near silent, when on low temp setting it spends more time off than on to retain a temp - so even if you have a 2kw one it isn't drawing that much energy continuously. We have one and have it on low power usage, with the thermostat on low - and it spends more time off than on.

It does however heat the whole room - not directional like a ceramic one.

www.google.com/amp/s/heattalk.com/ceramic-vs-oil-filled-heater/

Hot or not hot*

Hi folks. Here's my personal recommendation for a heated overblanket.

Heated Throw Over Blanket - WeeklyDeals4Less

It's fab and cheap too!

Above all else, however, I'd recommend getting a (branded) Oodie. I am in a chilly basement flat in Scotland, and it has been my saviour!

Oops, sorry, link for the blanket didn't work. You can just pop it into Google.

It does however heat the whole room - not directional like a ceramic one.

The oscillating ceramic heaters do also heat a whole room. Rule of thumb is 1KWH to cover a 10ftx10ft room.
Our 1.8KWH one heats my DHs garden room which is 12ftx16ft to 22C for around £1 a day (9am to 6pm). He uses the garden room to WFH and has his hobby 3D resin printers in there that need consistent warmth to print properly.