what is the most convenient way to heat conservatory?

Question

i have 5*3 conservatory and there is a radiator on the wall (gas central heating)
I have heard that using this in a cold conservatory will 'drain' the heat from the other radiators and force the boiler to work harder.
Is this the most efficient way to heat conservatory or is it better/cheaper to use electric fan heaters or electric 'oil-filled' radiators.
Thanks for help!!

Answer 1

well if your conservatory is poorly insulated then yes the heat will be drained, and boiler will work harder thus reulting in a more expensive electric bill. BUT as long as the conservatory is correctly insulated the heat will be trapped inside and all will be fine

Answer 2

Are you using the conservatory for actual plants, or are you just using it as a sitting room? There are a lot of things you can do in winter to make it more efficient -- some are more attractive than others.

You can block off the windows that don't actually receive sun with styrofoam panels. You can paint or wall-paper these to make them more attractive. You can also make these for the other windows, and use them only at night -- then pile them in front of the unused windows during the day.

Do you have good solar mass? This is water or stone that traps the heat of the sun during the day, then lets the heat slowly radiate out during the night. Of course, if you have windows without curtains, shutters or panels, then the heat just radiates back outdoors pretty quickly. There are many ways you can get more mass in the room -- pretty jars filled with water, or even just plastic bottles filled with water and stacked near the window.

Whether the radiator or the electric is cheaper depends on your location, and how much you are paying for each -- also the efficiency of your appliances. You should be able to find info in the owners' manuals telling you how to figure how much you pay per month for each method.

Good luck and keep warm!

Answer 3

If you only want to heat it sometimes, and can't shut your radiator down to a trickle (to keep it from freezing!) and open it when you want to use the room (it would take some time for it to heat up)...then an electric or gas space heater is an option, so you can turn it on only when you use the room. A radiant heater is fast, and you can point it at whatever you want to warm (like yourself) Oil filled electric radiators have no advantage over any other kind of electric heat.
Anytime you add more load, the boiler will run longer and consume more energy.
The more heat loss you have in that room (poor insulation, single glazed windows, air leaks, etc.) the longer the boiler will run. Boilers only have "one speed"....a thermostat isn't like a gas pedal...they produce more heat by running longer, not "hotter" or "harder".

Answer 4

it'll only drain heat if it is poorly insulated, same would be true of any room.

If you choose to use air heaters then you'll still be paying more for heat than you need to because of poor insulation.

if you really want to the radiator off, maybe use a thermo controlled oil radiator.

A trickle heat in a conservatory seems to work better than off all night and them blasting it during the day.

If you have double glazing and double or triple glazed glass roof you'll be fine. If you have a polycarb roof then you've bought cheap so will pay the consequences of heat loss.

We have triple glazed roof in our 18ftx10ft and one decent radiator does just fine.

a decent conservatory will take negligible more heating than a room. Its great to sit out there when its snowing all around you !

Answer 5

Both forms of heating are expensive these days but gas is still a little cheaper at the moment. It is true that the boiler will work harder. Depends on how often you use the room, is it worth the warmth or the price you pay..

Answer 6

oil filled without a shaddow of doubt .this way you only heat the room your in and not all the house also cheaper they maintain the temp you want

Answer 7

depends what boiler you have,my corgi fitter mate. fitted one for me.he worked it out i had enough room for 1 more.it works fine its been fitted over 10 months.

Answer 8

If you can the most efficient way would be solar panels.