Is it cheaper to run a 1kw oil radiator or central heating?

[zebrarobot]

I honestly do not know the answer to this.

My electricity tarriff is 18.5p per kwh.

I dont know how to work out the cost of using the central heating. We have a combi boiler.

Im wondering whether to just heat the living room when we sit in there for 2 hours at night, or when me and the baby are home during the day for 1-2 hours at a time with the oil heater, or is it cheaper to have the central heating on?

Can anyone advise? Thanks

My gas bill shows kwh used. If yours has m3 only you can multiply with 11 to get kwh (check formula online). I would try to figure out how many kwh 1 hour of gas heating uses. If you have the monthly gas used amount and can estimate how many hours a day you have it on usually, you can figure it easy enough. Gas is cheaper per kwh but you are heating entire house (?) whereas electric radiator heats one room only.

Thanks. I managed to find that gas per kwh is 3.23p. Its a fixed tariff until April and im aware itll increase.

We are in a 3 bed terraced house.

Not sure whether best to have central heating on intermittently when we're home, on steady all day, or use the oil heater in the living room when needed.

It's hard to tell but in my own experience : central heating steady on is most expensive (triple gas bill while elderly PIL visit ), central heating intermittently medium cost, 1 oil rad cheapest. BUT with 1 oil rad and no central heating at all the rest of the house is not comfortable.

Thanks again @Jenjenn
Ive since looked up the radiator I have and it has 3 heat settings so the highest uses 1000w. Lowest 400w and middle 600w and only while heating up then it will come on and go off to maintain room temp so I think it will use less electric than I first thought.
Trying it today on max power on lowest setting.
Extra layers and putting it on in the main room while we're home. We're out to bookbug shortly and my older son has a club we go to after school so the house is empty from 1 until about 5.30 tonight - definitely no point heating the whole house all day, as you said.

It'll cost you 18.5p per hour to have the radiator on.

The only gas I use is for central heating - it's a combi so if I run the tap in the sink that's gas, too, but it doesn't happen that often. My gas bill is more than 3 times my electricity bill, so I'm using the oil radiator from now on, except for an hour in the morning and evening.

By the way, mine is slightly under 21p - who are you with? I'm with EDF.

@HollowTalk

It'll cost you 18.5p per hour to have the radiator on.

The only gas I use is for central heating - it's a combi so if I run the tap in the sink that's gas, too, but it doesn't happen that often. My gas bill is more than 3 times my electricity bill, so I'm using the oil radiator from now on, except for an hour in the morning and evening.

By the way, mine is slightly under 21p - who are you with? I'm with EDF.

Thank you.

Same here combi boiler. Inevitably will use gas to fill the kids bath at night but we dont have a gas cooker or anything so if I can figure the heating out I should save a bit.

We are with British Gas. Its a fixed deal until 30th April. I checked last night what fixing a new deal until Dec 2023 would be and the gas has went from 3.23 to 8.65 and electric from 18.5 to 40.6. Couldnt believe it. I guess even higher if not on a fixed deal. Im going to wait until nearer my deal ending and shop around maybe but as we all know, the hikes are coming 😩