As the leaves on the trees turn shades of brown, yellow and maroon, the nights get longer and the temperature drops a few degrees, people all across the country are reaching for their thermostats in an effort to maintain a decent temperature in their home. Fall is in full swing and winter is just around the corner. For those of us who heat our homes electronically this can be an expensive time of the year; it needn’t be this way though.
Electricity Tariffs
There are several options available with regards to purchasing electricity and, depending on the utility company you are with, many tariffs that are designed to save customers money can actually end up costing them extra. Electricity tariffs that provide cheaper electricity during the night often seem like a good deal, and if you use slow release storage heaters they often can be, but these tariffs often have more expensive rates during the day to recoup any savings they offer at night. If you use electricity on a cheap evening tariff to heat your home during the day then the chances are you will be paying too much for your electricity bills. If you suspect this might be the case then give your supplier a call to check alternative tariffs they offer.
Electric Heaters
There are a variety of electric heaters on the market but how do you know which one to buy?
Infographic supplied by The Economy Radiator Company
You will need a heater that is built from a good heat conducting metal, that is powerful enough to heat your room and has a thermostat that will not waste energy by overheating a room once it has reached an optimal temperature.
To figure out how powerful you heater needs to be you will need measure your room and figure out its volume in cubic metres. You can figure out a room’s volume by multiplying its width by breath by height. An electric radiator’s output is measured in kilowatts (kw) and it takes 1kw of electricity to heat 14 cubic metres of space to a comfortable temperature (22°C); so by dividing the volume of your room by 14 will determine how powerful your heater needs to be in kw output.
The thermostat is perhaps the most important aspect of an electric heater because electric heaters are close to 100% efficient. Thais means that every unit of electricity an electric radiator uses will be converted into heat; making temperature regulation the only way to truly economise electricity use.
By making the correct choices in both your devices and your tariffs it is possible to save money whilst heating your home electronically.
