Hi,

I am a student in manchester and I live in a 10 bedroom house and I was wondering if anyone could advise me on the best way to heat the house. I want to know if it would be cheaper to use electric heaters to heat the bedrooms or to use the heating?

Any advise is greatly appreciated, Thanks

RuairiG:

Use the heating system. The electric heaters can be very expensive to run, so each room occupant will end up paying more, than they would have to chip into a communal utility bill fund.

With the heating system on, the heat can last longer, as it heats the building through all the pipes and radiators. Whereas with electric heaters, although you get instant heat, the heat can dissipate quickly. So you end up sat in front of the electric heating, keeping it on for longer.

If the heating system is not adequate, I would recommend the oil filled electric radiator type heaters. I think the best ones are made by Delonghi and some come with a timer and thermostat, so you can use it as a top up.

Huckster

Assuming it is a central heating system which passes hot water around the pipes and radiators, you may need to 'bleed' the radiators of air, as this will stop the radiators from heating up properly (hot at bottom, cold at top)

You can get a small 'radiator key' from b&q or other diy or hardware stores.

A quick google should give you instructions.

When setting your thermostat be careful not to set it too high (20 degrees should be ok)

If possible use a timer to get the heating to come on, this should help reduce the bills also. You may also be able to put the heating on for only an hour (in addition) depending on the control timer.

HTH

Sparky