Re: Economical efficient electric room heating.... ??
 

For wood it's 2.7 cents/kWh for me - hubby pays 12 cents per kg. Trouble is, it's not very efficient if you only have an open fire - 50% goes up the chimney!

Re: Economical efficient electric room heating.... ??
 

I think it's a lot more than that. I've got a pretty efficient double combustion stove and in the spec sheet it says 67%. Of the 33% that goes up the chimney not all is wasted though. For example I've got 2 metres of exposed stovepipe above my stove and that runs at about 500 degrees for a few of hours for each load of wood so some of that "wasted" heat is getting to heat the house.

Re: Economical efficient electric room heating.... ??
 

All round there are almost too many variables.... for example in our case, we have:

Large (7m x 4m) living room with front double wooden doors, two wooden windows and two arches to other rooms - no doors. Loza tiled floors. Thick (maybe 1m) stone walls. High (4m at its highest) ceiling, no roof insulation. Our fire is a built in wood burner (never can remember the type) in one corner of the room, and has a now defunct electric fan. The flue is built in to a concrete corner construction. That's the only room we attempt to heat with the wood burner. The rest struggle along with oil filled radiators, one of those econoheat jobbies on a wall and four rooms have aircon/heaters. But nowhere - and I mean nowhere - in the house EXCEPT right in front of the fire or right on top of a radiator is very warm in winter. Why? Well obviously ambient temperature outside at 900m, but I think lack of insulation, poor draughtproofing (I've done my best but the windows aren't double glazed, which would ruin the look of the house) ... blah blah. Quite what's for the best is one of life's imponderables.

Re: Economical efficient electric room heating.... ??
 

If you've got high ceilings all the heat is sitting up there. Run the ceiling fan in reverse (sucking up) cures that, but obviously you need to put sufficient energy into the system to replace what you are losing, i.e. have a big enough heat source and cut down on your loses with decent insulation. Also the wood needs to be cut split and stacked for at least a year before it is burnt. Anything else is desperate.

Personally wood is our only heat source in the winter. There is a stove in the living room and that heats the house no problem. On the coldest days if we put enough fuel on to keep the living room at 24ºC the rooms at the extremes of the house hover around 16ºC.

Re: Economical efficient electric room heating.... ??
 

I've had a busy morning looking at the things we've thought we should do to improve our enjoyment of the house, and (certainly for OH) warmth comes out a clear leader, hence this thread & pondering options. However the very idea of getting anywhere apart from the oven to anything approaching 24 in winter is a joke for us. If I get the living room over 20 I'm doing well:p
I've always reckoned the woman who had the property reformed paid scant attention to what a home needs because for her it was only ever going to be a holiday property. Big, but a holiday property nonetheless so no insulation, draughtstrips, double glazing, heating, nada:thumbdown:
btw whoever earlier in the thread suggested that many expats come over with no idea of the potential for low temperatures - that may be true for some but for others it's a balancing act between wanting a nice old property in the sticks and having it anything approaching a modern property in comfort terms;)

Re: Economical efficient electric room heating.... ??
 

I use an open flame gas fire and oil filled electric radiators. Not cheap to run, but what price can one put on comfortable living.

You could always wear an extra jumper. I know one couple who invested in his and hers skii suits which they wear in the house:ohmy:

http://www.delonghi.co.uk/product_pr...ection=Heating Products&key=Oil Filled Radiators.

Re: Economical efficient electric room heating.... ??
 

A bit off topic, but it must be really cold out tonight. for the first time this year I've come in and found inside a bit warmer than outside.

I will resist a few more days - if I get to december without the heating and the duvet, winter will seem much shorter.

Re: Economical efficient electric room heating.... ??
 

Seconded! Felt chilly late evening watching TV, and actually up in these 'ere hills only smokers (OH:frown:);) would be outside after dark. Might strike up the fire tonight, but you're right December would be a good threshold.:)


nb we DO wear 2 & sometimes 3 jumpers:rolleyes:

Re: Economical efficient electric room heating.... ??
 

Now I know why so many ex-pats resemble bag ladies;):rofl:

Re: Economical efficient electric room heating.... ??
 

http://almaer.com/blog/one-legged-pa...ne-big-slipper

Re: Economical efficient electric room heating.... ??
 

Reading in another forum, I'm amazed at what some of these expats wear to keep warm, even to bed! I fail to see the fun in that.:confused: Couple of pensioners shuffling around in a freezing cold house, what a marvellous retirement.

Re: Economical efficient electric room heating.... ??
 

Hey, It's called "Living the dreeeem":rofl:

Lugging the bombonas around should keep them warm anyway!

Re: Economical efficient electric room heating.... ??
 

...and/or the logs!:) We stayed in someone's house in Montefrio in May(not for nothing do they call it Cold Mountain!) and it's the coldest house we have ever been in! Absolutely bleeding freezing, and I'm not a "friolero". Fine during the day, but when the sun went down,...

Re: Economical efficient electric room heating.... ??
 

The comparisons of fuel costs on here are interesting. We use an open fire (which I would replace with a woodburner if I owned the property) and a radiant gas heater.

I have seen paraffin heaters for sale - does anyone know the economics of these? Do they smell?

Re: Economical efficient electric room heating.... ??
 

They have an automatic cut off when the fumes build up in a room, the parafin used is around 1E a litre.