Oil Heaters

[XFool]

I read this:

Is it cheaper to use an electric heater or put the central heating on?

https://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/bills/article-12850441/Is-cheaper-use-electric-heater-instead-putting-central-heating-on.html

Which led to me reading this:

The Best Oil Heaters (Review & Buying Guide) in 2023

https://www.thedrive.com/reviews/35752/oil-heater

Get toasty with these efficient and inexpensive oil heaters

"Oil heaters can be a great way to economically heat a room. A well-built oil heater can be up to 99 percent energy efficient because nearly all of the electricity consumed is converted to heat."

Really? As opposed to it otherwise being used to... what?

"As the air around the radiator is heated, the hot air rises to create a circulation that spreads the heat to the room."

So it's a convection heater? Yes. But see below...

"This process can be slow, but because there are no fans or heating coils, an oil heater uses less energy than an electric heater and is completely quiet."

Quiet yes, compared to a fan heater. However... With no "heating coils" how do they produce any heat? Let's ignore the "uses less energy"!

"Not only are they quiet and more energy-efficient, but oil heaters don’t dry out the air in your home the way other space heaters and forced-air heaters do."

Why not?

Benefits of Oil Heaters
"Energy efficiency. Oil heaters are among the most energy-saving space heaters since they don’t have fans that are required to push warm air out, but work simply on the principle of radiant heat."

The principal of "radiant heat" - but see above!

"Heat retention. Because it takes time for the oil to cool once you turn off the unit, an oil heater continues to heat the room for a while after being shut down."

Err... Yes but...

"Good air quality. Again, because a fan isn’t used to push heated air out into the room, oil heaters don’t dry out the ambient air in a room, and they make virtually no noise when in operation."

Quiet yes, but...

"Portable. Most oil-filled heaters are on caster wheels and are light enough to be moved easily from room to room to provide heat wherever you need it."

Unlike any other portable heater?

"Safety. With many portable heaters, the surface gets hot enough to burn anyone who may touch it, but not so with oil-filled heaters. They do get warm to the touch, but not hot enough to cause a burn."

OK, that could be a plus. Possibly the only real one?

Which led to me thinking:

"These things are obviously written by journalists who do not have a clue what they are talking about!"

So, out of a lingering curiosity: Does anyone here know if there actually is any point, or advantage, with an 'oil heater' - as opposed say to any ordinary electric convection heater? There may be, but it escapes me at present. (Apart from that possible cooler surface safety point)

[Tedx]

No, but I know folk who fell for similar Fischer Future Heat guff.

Last winter was....expensive.

[88V8]

So, out of a lingering curiosity: Does anyone here know if there actually is any point, or advantage, with an 'oil heater' - as opposed say to any ordinary electric convection heater? There may be, but it escapes me at present. (Apart from that possible cooler surface safety point)

None.
If one wants quick, simple, heat, then a fan heater. And they need not be overly noisy.

Oil heater has some advantage over a standalone convection heater in terms of heat retention, but I doubt that translates into lower running costs.

It's the sort of thing one sees in estate agent pics of 'old lady gone' houses, snuggled up alongside an ancient armchair as heat of last resort.

V8

[Mike4]

Doesn't matter which way you cut it, a unit of energy purchased as electricity costs 3.5 times the same amount of energy purchased as gas.

[staffordian]

I would suggest that an oil filled electric heater might feel more comfortable than a fan heater if used for any length of time. Whilst both usually have thermostats to control the room temperature, the more immediate nature of the heat produced by a fan heater will lead to the room temperature tending to see-saw up and down more than with an oil filled heater.

That said, both will cost an arm and a leg

[Maylix]

So, out of a lingering curiosity: Does anyone here know if there actually is any point, or advantage, with an 'oil heater' - as opposed say to any ordinary electric convection heater? There may be, but it escapes me at present. (Apart from that possible cooler surface safety point)

A 2KW Oil radiator cost upwards of £35 and a 2KW Fan Heater costs upwards of £12. Our boiler packed in recently and while we were waiting to get it repaired we got 3 oil radiator for 3 rooms and 1 fan heater for the bathroom. Fan heaters get a place up to temp faster but because I didn't feel comfortable leaving a fan heater unattended, we only turned it on while we were using the bathroom, whereas the oil radiators we had going all day while we were in an out of the house. And the fan heater does 'dry the air more' so the room doesn't feel as comfortable as with the oil radiator.
HTH
MayLix

[Gerry557]

Each has its uses. We used an oil heater in the kids bedroom when it was freezing during the night. Otherwise the whole house was heated all night. It was almost silent and covered a longish period.

I've used a fan heater to quickly warm the gym area just to take the chill off.

Nowadays with individual room control such as tado you can just have any one room on at the speed of you house central heating.

[Nocton]

The only advantage of an 'oil heater' is if it is not too cool and you just want to take the chill of one room rather than the whole house. That is were any saving comes. We have a couple - one in our living room and one in my wife's music room/study.

[XFool]

Our boiler packed in recently and while we were waiting to get it repaired we got 3 oil radiator for 3 rooms and 1 fan heater for the bathroom. Fan heaters get a place up to temp faster but because I didn't feel comfortable leaving a fan heater unattended, we only turned it on while we were using the bathroom

I wouldn't be comfortable with that! I'm not even sure if it's strictly legal...

[XFool]

I would suggest that an oil filled electric heater might feel more comfortable than a fan heater if used for any length of time. Whilst both usually have thermostats to control the room temperature, the more immediate nature of the heat produced by a fan heater will lead to the room temperature tending to see-saw up and down more than with an oil filled heater.

I hadn't thought of that. If there is more thermal inertia when using an oil filled heater that might, if effective, be an advantage over a direct air heater.

[pochisoldi]

I wanted a 2kW oil filled radiator, and went through three of them before I gave up.
One came from Toolstation, the other two from Screwfix.
None of them got up to a useable temperature, all of them cycled on the overheat thermostat.

I used a power meter to determine the amount of electrical energy consumed over an hour. The worst unit was 250W, the best about 500W.
The only difference between the 800W, 1200W and 2000W settings was how long it took for the overheat thermostat to kick in.
Put another way - I might as well have bought a 500W heater instead.
The unit wasn't warm to the touch - it was "warm to the grip" - you could put your hand on the unit indefinitely without risk of injury!

In the end I gave up, and returned to using a fan heater.

[Mike4]

I used a power meter to determine the amount of electrical energy consumed over an hour.

Point of Order M'Lud.

Power and energy are different things, even though related.

Energy (loosely) is 'work done'. Power is (loosely) the speed at which said work is done.

So a power meter measures the instantaneous rate at which energy is being consumed at any point in time. An energy meter will tell you how much energy was used over a given period, from which you can work out what it cost you.

[pochisoldi]

I used a power meter to determine the amount of electrical energy consumed over an hour.

Point of Order M'Lud.

Power and energy are different things, even though related.

Energy (loosely) is 'work done'. Power is (loosely) the speed at which said work is done.

So a power meter measures the instantaneous rate at which energy is being consumed at any point in time. An energy meter will tell you how much energy was used over a given period, from which you can work out what it cost you.

Yeah - you got me on that - measured consumption was between 250Wh and 500Wh. My brain was focused on the power consumed by equivalent device running all the time, rather than a 2000W device spending anywhere between 75% and 87% of its time doing nothing.

[Dicky99]

I wanted a 2kW oil filled radiator, and went through three of them before I gave up.
One came from Toolstation, the other two from Screwfix.
None of them got up to a useable temperature, all of them cycled on the overheat thermostat.

I used a power meter to determine the amount of electrical energy consumed over an hour. The worst unit was 250W, the best about 500W.
The only difference between the 800W, 1200W and 2000W settings was how long it took for the overheat thermostat to kick in.
Put another way - I might as well have bought a 500W heater instead.
The unit wasn't warm to the touch - it was "warm to the grip" - you could put your hand on the unit indefinitely without risk of injury!

In the end I gave up, and returned to using a fan heater.

Perhaps you'd have had better results with a Dimplex. I'd imagine they're the market leaders in oil filled rads and have been making them for many years.

[Mike4]

Point of Order M'Lud.

Power and energy are different things, even though related.

Energy (loosely) is 'work done'. Power is (loosely) the speed at which said work is done.

So a power meter measures the instantaneous rate at which energy is being consumed at any point in time. An energy meter will tell you how much energy was used over a given period, from which you can work out what it cost you.

Yeah - you got me on that - measured consumption was between 250Wh and 500Wh. My brain was focused on the power consumed by equivalent device running all the time, rather than a 2000W device spending anywhere between 75% and 87% of its time doing nothing.

Your electricity meter is an energy meter. You didn't need to buy a separate power meter! Just turn everything else off except your heater, and watch the leccy meter rack up the £ over your chosen period of use.

[BobGe]

The unit wasn't warm to the touch - it was "warm to the grip" - you could put your hand on the unit indefinitely without risk of injury!

Would you have welcomed the alternative? (That said, they do usually get reasonably warm. Maybe they were faulty, they all tend to be 'made in China'...)

Just turn everything else off except your heater, and watch the leccy meter...

That rather assumes one could see it...

[BobGe]

Perhaps you'd have had better results with a Dimplex. I'd imagine they're the market leaders in oil filled rads and have been making them for many years.

Dimplex = good, but usually expensive. Try CPC / Prolec. There are 'dry' ones (no oil) available too (from Dimplex and elsewhere), both looking like radiator style and just more conventional element in free standing vented enclosure types. Latter being generally cheaper.

All are equally efficient: effectively 1kWe in = 1kWth out.

[Mike4]

Perhaps you'd have had better results with a Dimplex. I'd imagine they're the market leaders in oil filled rads and have been making them for many years.

Dimplex = good, but usually expensive. Try CPC / Prolec. There are 'dry' ones (no oil) available too (from Dimplex and elsewhere), both looking like radiator style and just more conventional element in free standing vented enclosure types. Latter being generally cheaper.

All are equally efficient: effectively 1kWe in = 1kWth out.

What are these newfangled units you are using please?!

I've only just got used to the SI I was taught at skool where a kW is a kW is a kW.