What is the most cost effective heating system ??

SlowInternet

SlowInternet

Executive Member
Joined
Oct 11, 2006
Messages
9,832
Reaction score
2,475
Location
Heidelberg
What is the most cost effective heating system ?? Which heaters use the least amount of electricity per hour ?
Thanks
 
I think gas would have been the cheapest. But given there is a shortage - probably not an option immediately.

I have heard those white panel heaters (looks like a board) that you mount against the wall are pretty good.
 
catweasel said:
I think gas would have been the cheapest. But given there is a shortage - probably not an option immediately.

I have heard those white panel heaters (looks like a board) that you mount against the wall are pretty good.
Click to expand...

If you have about 4 to 8 per room (depending on the size of the room). They are not very good at heating a room. We have one on our daughters room to take the bite out of the air, it stands right next to her bed (has stands unlike many of them so dosen't have to be wall mounted) and it only keeps her bed area warm.
 
Latest Stuff magazine had a comparative article, giving cost per kWh.

Oil heaters and gas heaters come out at about R1.30/kWh.

Those funky closed system fireplaces (expensive!) are the cheapest- while they're still ~R1.30 when using anthracite, they go down to R0.20 (~!) per kWh when using dry wood. Woods 'carbon neutral' too. I was surprised how much cheaper they were...
 
A woodburner is still the cheapest way to heat your home – especially if you can get free firewood

Heat pumps are one of the cheapest heating options to run. They can be retrofitted – but they must be the right capacity for the house and they must be installed properly.

LPG Gas. Running an unflued heater on 9kg bottles is the most expensive way of using LPG. It also presents a health and safety hazard. Unflued gas heaters create condensation and produce CO2. If a fault develops the heater may emit carbon monoxide.

The sun It's free, and the most environmentally-friendly home heating option available. You'll need large north-facing windows to allow the sun to shine in during the day, a large thermal mass such as a Tiled floor to store the heat, and insulation so the heat isn't lost too quickly at night. And you'll probably still need other heat sources for the coldest days.
 
I find underfloor heating very expensive. One room around 4 kilowatts... Runs around 40% of the day.
 
F111 said:
LPG Gas. Running an unflued heater on 9kg bottles is the most expensive way of using LPG. It also presents a health and safety hazard. Unflued gas heaters create condensation and produce CO2. If a fault develops the heater may emit carbon monoxide.
Click to expand...

What do you mean by an "unflued" heater? I'm about to buy a gas heater, one of those Goldair ones for R599, that take 9kg bottles. Please advise...
 
ToxicWazte said:
What do you mean by an "unflued" heater? I'm about to buy a gas heater, one of those Goldair ones for R599, that take 9kg bottles. Please advise...
Click to expand...

A flue is a duct, pipe, or chimney for conveying exhaust gases from a fireplace. So any gas heater without a Chimney is unflued. the one you want to get is no good in my opinion.
 
F111 said:
A flue is a duct, pipe, or chimney for conveying exhaust gases from a fireplace. So any gas heater without a Chimney is unflued. the one you want to get is no good in my opinion.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the reply. Why do you think the Goldair heater is no good? And what would you recommend instead, and how much would it cost? Also, why would an unflued gas heater be less efficient?
 
ToxicWazte said:
Thanks for the reply. Why do you think the Goldair heater is no good? And what would you recommend instead, and how much would it cost? Also, why would an unflued gas heater be less efficient?
Click to expand...

They work by combustion which draws in oxygen from the surrounding air, and releases water vapour and carbon dioxide into the room. This means they should only be used with adequate ventilation to avoid condensation problems. The older the less efficient they become and the more carbon monoxide gets released. Also Unflued portable gas heaters are banned in several countries. They are expensive to run and extremely dangerous because people use them in poorly ventilated rooms.

Aircons and Heatpumps are more efficient and prices have come down.
 
Last edited:
ToxicWazte said:
Thanks for the reply. Why do you think the Goldair heater is no good? And what would you recommend instead, and how much would it cost? Also, why would an unflued gas heater be less efficient?
Click to expand...
It's only really an issue if you're using the heater in a room that is sealed or you have allergies/asthma.
 
F111 said:
They work by combustion which draws in oxygen from the surrounding air, and releases water vapour and carbon dioxide into the room. This means they should only be used with adequate ventilation to avoid condensation problems. The older the less efficient they become and the more carbon monoxide gets released. Also Unflued portable gas heaters are banned in several countries. They are expensive to run and extremely dangerous because people use them in poorly ventilated rooms.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the reply. I understand the safety and health risks of using an unflued gas heater vs a flued heater (fumes, burning up of oxygen, carbon monoxide), but still don't understand why an unflued gas heater is more expensive/less efficient to run than a flued gas heater. Is it because of the change in oxygen levels, and because oxygen is the primary ingredient in combustion? That was my initial guess, but doesn't make sense - while flued heater should allow carbon monoxide to escape safely from the room, it won't necessarily help draw in new oxygen. You'd still need to have a well-ventilated room.

Why is a flued heater/fireplace more efficient/less expensive than an unflued heater?

F111 said:
Aircons and Heatpumps are more efficient and prices have come down.
Click to expand...

I've heard from several people that installed aircons recently that they are quite expensive to run in winter. It seems that most people can't agree on which is the most energy-efficient/cost-efficient form of heating. We need a conclusive source that can back this info up with credible science.

Also, the answer to this question will depend on where in the world you live, as gas vs electricity prices vary greatly, as well as cost of hardware (gas heaters, aircons, heat pumps, etc). Citing an American article isn't gonna help much.
 
Not sure about this flue thing myself.

Found the longer I used my gas heater the more efficient it became.
First use burned the gas out in a week, 2n'd use was 2 weeks, currently it uses a bottle every 3 weeks.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top
Sign up to the MyBroadband newsletter
X