Electric fire or heating on

[Thejugglestruggle]

I've just seen Martin Lewis' predicted gas & electricity increases post October. It's even scarier than I thought.

I'm not sure how many people would know this but what's more likely to be more cost effective. Having the central heating on or the electric fire we have in the sitting room 🤷🏻‍♀️

^ the first hour of that used 7kwh of gas, the second used 3kwh. My boiler's a 24kwh one.

NewBootsAndRanty - That is really encouraging to know. Things can't be as terrifyingly black and white as I am interpreting them, even with the prices as high as they are now.

My gas fire is 6kW on high and 3kW on low. I am convinced that about 50% of the heat from it goes straight up the flue/into the outer wall.

Electric fires you can place in the middle of the room, so less heat is lost to the outside wall.

I'm not a fan of the "oil filled radiator is better claims". 500W is 500W whether it is put into an oil filled radiator or a convection heater. And my convection heater was about £15 (cheapest equivalent on Amazon is now about double that and the cheapest oil filled radiator twice the price). So oil filled radiators are also very expensive to buy. I guess if you have kids an oil filled radiator may be better as someone will find a way to spill drink into the top of it which wouldn't be good.

I only use electric heating when I want to heat one room. The gas CH is much more efficient for taking the chill off the entire house, then if I am in one room I will use a convection heater to top off the temperature or maintain the temperature.

Yes, I always understand it was only during the initial fire up boiler will be on full thrust. After it's heated up water and done some circuits, it's then about maintaining the heat.