Post #101,039
5/9/03 9:15:45 AM
|
Home heating question.
Some of you may be aware that I moved out on my own about two months ago, after living with my parents since I was born. I am currently renting a nice flat in a quiet place. However, it isn't especially blessed with the autumn sun and I am thinking of purchasing some kind of space heater, particularly as the only heater I have is a fan-heater. As it happens, the place is fitted with natural gas appliances and there is an extra socket in the wall of the living area, so I'd thought I check out a portable gas heater.
Ick.
A unit rated for a room up to 52 sqm that consumes up to 15Mj/hr is AU$699. The salesman in the store said this was roughly 2.3kW - and also that to heat the same sized room the same amount would require three (3!) 2.4kW electric column heaters (~AU$170 each). It goes without saying that these would also be vastly more expensive to run...
So. Is this guy blowing smoke? Is a gas heater worth a purchase? What are other people's experiences in such? Note that the climate in Sydney does not get cold enough to snow: minimums of 0C at night are typical only during July and August and maximums in winter are rarely below 10C. Oh, and my living/dining/kitchen area is about 17x13ft (roughly 5x4m), but that's misleading because halfway down one side there is a wall about 4 ft in length which is the back of the kitchen.
Wade.
Is it enough to love
Is it enough to breathe
Somebody rip my heart out
And leave me here to bleed
| |
Is it enough to die
Somebody save my life
I'd rather be Anything but Ordinary
Please
| -- "Anything but Ordinary" by Avril Lavigne. |
|
Post #101,040
5/9/03 9:25:11 AM
|
cheaper to heat with gas
[link|http://www.hometips.com/help/wat2.html|from hometips] A 1991 study by the Department of Energy (DOE) rated residential energy sources by the average dollar cost per million Btus of heat they produce. Natural gas was found to be $6.05; heating oil $9.30; propane $9.74; and electricity a whopping $24.15. Obviously, these amounts vary with local energy prices and do change over time Darrell Spice, Jr. [link|http://www.spiceware.org/cgi-bin/spa.pl?album=./Artistic%20Overpass|Artistic Overpass]\n[link|http://www.spiceware.org/|SpiceWare] - We don't do Windows, it's too much of a chore
|
Post #101,044
5/9/03 9:48:54 AM
|
Gas is often more "gentle" than alternatives.
I don't know much about space heaters. In the US in one of the energy crises a few years ago kerosine heaters were the rage. They were cheap to operate, but no matter how good they were, they usually stank of kerosine. Gas heaters should be odor-free.
Eletric (resistance heated) heaters space heaters are often quite directional and can be rather harsh - there's a very large temperature gradient across the output port. I think gas heaters should be more gentle - have a more gradual temperature gradient.
In the US there are these oil-filled electric heaters now that act rather like water-filled radiators. Electric elements warm the oil in a radiator, and that radiates heat into the room. That should be more gentle than a resistance heater, but I've got no experience with it.
Heat pumps are horrible, in my experience. The output temperature is much closer to room temperature than with gas, but you often hear the fan running, so it seems like the room is colder than it is. It never feels "warm" even though the thermometer says it is.
I'd go with gas myself as I'd expect it to be cheaper to operate and give a "more natural" heat distribution. But you'll have to work out the economics and decide whether comfort is more important than up-front cost.
Good luck!
Cheers,
Scott.
|
Post #101,045
5/9/03 9:56:59 AM
|
Why is forced air heat so common?
I've never understood that. You might as well set fire to the inside of your house to stay warm. It's about as cost-efficient.
"We are all born originals -- why is it so many of us die copies?"
- Edward Young
|
Post #101,046
5/9/03 10:03:56 AM
|
Simple - A/C.
Forced air is the (probably) best way to do central cooling in residential settings. Since you've got the ductwork for cooling, you might as well use it for heating as well.
Modern forced-air furnaces are very efficient. I've got a 93% efficient, 2-stage [link|http://www.trane.com/Residential/Products/Furnaces/XL90.asp|Trane XL90].
Open fires are terrible for heating homes. Unless you're using a modern stove or fireplace, they suck inside air in for combustion so you need a leaky house to have sufficient air to feed it. But that's the opposite of what you want for efficiency. Plus, there's the issue of how you distribute the heat through the house...
Cheers,
Scott.
|
Post #101,247
5/10/03 11:04:18 PM
|
Liquid filled electric radiators
Are decent. I have one on my boat (for use in port with shore power as its 120VAC). It creates a nice warm glowing kind of heat. I think its more efficient than the open coil types of electric heaters too.
In general - radiant heat is the most warming. The main problem with forced air heat is what some call the "cold 70" effect. Forced air heat warms the air (duh) but it doesn't generally warm the surfaces around you (like the floor, walls, furniture, etc).
What makes you feel cold is not room temperature but rather how fast heat is conducted from your body. You can sit in a room that's 75 degrees F on a concrete floor and be shivering. I've been more comfortable in a 65 degree room with in floor radiant heat than a 75 degree room with forced air.
Were I you, I'd try to get a gas fired liquid filled radiator of some kind.
"Packed like lemmings into shiny metal boxes.
Contestants in a suicidal race."
- Synchronicity II - The Police
|
Post #101,143
5/9/03 5:24:35 PM
|
As to 'portable' gas..
You'd need to consider room volumes, estimate leakage of fesh air into house. Not having a vent for the combustion gases means: they will mix with the room air. You see the equation. People here often snuff selves in small trailers, er "mobile homes\ufffd" (or autos.. some few accessory heaters use petrol!) via No Ventilation and falling asleep with a propane or NG heater running.
It's a no-brainer though, as indicated above - as regards efficiency - about anywhere in the world (unless you have a hydroelectric plant next door and are on their freebie bus).
Keep a window cracked..
(besides, most folks prefer to 'sleep cold' as regards overnight air temp, no?)
Ashton
|
Post #101,178
5/9/03 11:06:49 PM
|
Ventilation noted.
The gas heaters ship with warning stickers to that effect, actually. Also, the range of heaters I was looking at have oxygen sensors and will shut off if it gets too low.
I normally have a few windows open, anyway.
Wade.
Is it enough to love
Is it enough to breathe
Somebody rip my heart out
And leave me here to bleed
| |
Is it enough to die
Somebody save my life
I'd rather be Anything but Ordinary
Please
| -- "Anything but Ordinary" by Avril Lavigne. |
|
