2022 - I'm Cold - Heater Choices

xdivino on 31/05/2022 - 18:24
Last edited 01/06/2022 - 10:27 by 1 other user

I'm Cold.

I'm ok with blanketing up and the like but newborn and dog and the missus aren't as keen as I am for the warming up with blankets and clothing. So I'm tasked with finding a heater to suit a 5x5m living space and 4x3m bedroom space. Was going to Bunnings for whatever I could find but was warned off getting the cheaper heaters for the likes of Infrared heater and panel heaters now over the oil fin ones.

Any pro tips for the 2022 cold wave, seems like everyone has their recommendations and preferences in this space but 10+ years no heater for me hasn't been an issue but I guess little guy will have more to say if he could.

So far, and from previous recommendations I've been suggested Noirot panel heater and well a friend suggested the Dyson kit (maybe it got better?, was average last i heard.)

  • Also yes, i get Electric heater is 100% efficient etc. so let's keep to recommendations and not the technicals of it all.
Home & Garden Heater

Comments

  • HairyChickens on 31/05/2022 - 18:26
    +21

    Hi Cold!

  • bloom on 31/05/2022 - 18:29
    +4

    Definitely wouldn’t drop $800 on a Dyson heater, get anything cheap with a fan.

    Or cough up for a split system after you see your first power bill

    • xdivino on 31/05/2022 - 18:35

      Yeah ye olde apartment and wiring not up to having air con put in unforutnately.. that and strata etc. Tried over the years and just not supporting it.

      Yeah cheap and fan is the general advice but i'm kinda put off by the sub $40-50 little heaters vs something that could maybe heat up a whole area vs focus fan hence my suggestion for the older style oil fins.. but not up on infrared and panel things..

      Power bill will no doubt spike hugely but winter is hitting harder than previous years it seems.

      • xylarr on 01/06/2022 - 09:22
        +1

        This is the ridiculous thing. A split system uses LESS power.
        Now, it does need it's own wiring and breaker which may mean completely rewiring upgrading the breaker/fuse board - been there done that - so yeah, that can be a problem.

    • iDroid on 31/05/2022 - 23:50
      +2

      Split system heat pump.

  • djones145 on 31/05/2022 - 18:36
    +2

    big spoon little spoon

  • rektrading on 31/05/2022 - 19:10
    +2

    How about a used miner?

    They're perfect for cold climates and will pay for themselves over time.

    • xdivino on 31/05/2022 - 19:24
      +1

      Maybe why i feel colder cause my GPU died earlier this year… hmm

    • freefall101 on 01/06/2022 - 10:23

      The numbers probably don't add up in terms of risk, $5k for a 1500W mining rig vs $100 for a 1500W space heater.

      I bought a GPU off a guy selling his whole mining setup recently and he used it as his heating in winter in a small apartment though. Biggest problem was what to do with it in summer, basically he sweltered in the name of those big returns.

      • rektrading on 01/06/2022 - 10:26

        He should've directed the hot air outside.

        • freefall101 on 01/06/2022 - 10:33

          Definitely, although I think the same problem as OP. In an apartment, not allowed to make modifications and also looked like the place just lacked windows besides a balcony door (I didn't exactly explore the place though).

          But that's what I used to have as aircon, portable one with a window vent for heat, worked quite well. Would work just as well on a mining rig.

      • rektrading on 01/06/2022 - 10:39
        +1

        The numbers probably don't add up in terms of risk, $5k for a 1500W mining rig vs $100 for a 1500W space heater.

        That is a short term view.

        The space heater converts electrical energy to thermal energy. It does very well but it's costly to operate.

        A miner is a long term investment where the user takes electrical energy and converts it to potential energy. The generated heat is a "free" byproduct of the conversion.

  • apsilon on 31/05/2022 - 19:29
    +2

    I have a Dyson, definitely not worth the money.

    I'm a fan of oil column heaters but have no experience with the IR heaters. The cheapest option is just put more clothes on.

  • SF3 on 31/05/2022 - 19:39
    +2

    Convention heater in my experience warms room up fairly quickly and is ‘quiet’. Eg. https://www.amazon.com.au/DeLonghi-Portable-Electric-Convect… $69 and good rating too.

  • docpol on 31/05/2022 - 19:57
    +1

    I have this one for the bedroom: https://www.staxonline.com.au/kambrook-5-fin-oil-column-heat…
    I only use it when temp <10C - set it to max power for ~15-30 min and put it on low setting for sleep. It's mainly for the wife and kid. I'm happy with just my thick blanket if it was just me. You can get a 7- (or 11-) fin one for the living area.

    I got mine from Kogan for $11 on sale. Looks like Bunnings has a similar spec one for $35: https://www.bunnings.com.au/click-1000w-5-fin-oil-heater_p03…

    Convection heater like the one linked above is also good. It heats faster but I find that the oil fin one retains heats longer and thus save more on power.

    • chrisn26 on 31/05/2022 - 20:38
      +4

      What?! Where did you pull the 35% from?

      My understanding is all "conventional" electric heaters are 100% efficient i.e. for each unit of electricity you supply, it outputs the same amount as heat. Most electric heaters are convection, aka "space heaters" as they heat the air in a room. The other kind are "radiant" type such as ceramic/infrared heaters. These you feel the heat much quicker and theoretically can save money since you're not heating the whole room.

      Then you have heat pump type heaters, which can operate at higher than 100% efficiency ie. for each unit of electricity, it outputs even more as heat. Since heat pump technology is heating the air and expelling it, it is in essence a convection heater so you end up heating the whole room. This is the superior option if you need space heating. The downside is you need it installed so harder if you're renting. The initial costs will be offset as you save a lot of money on electricity (especially if you use it a lot).

      • mskeggs on 01/06/2022 - 07:19
        +4

        I guess they are talking about the efficiency of burning coal to make power, as converting electricity to heat is 100%.

        Heat pump/reverse cycle AC for the win!

      • xylarr on 01/06/2022 - 09:28
        +2

        Yup, heaters are 100% efficient. Even if there were inefficient parts of the heater, those inefficient parts would produce …anyone .. anyone … heat.
        Heat pumps can be over 500% efficient. I have an 8kW three head system at home. The maximum input power is 2kW - i.e. less than a bar heater and this can lounge/dining plus two bedrooms at once.
        Maybe you're thinking of internal combustion engines which at best are in the range of 35% efficient.
        Electric motors can be up to 98 or 99% efficient

        • cuteseal on 01/06/2022 - 10:22
          +1

          What about the power to run the fan?

          I'm just spitballing here and am in no way putting any "science " behind this but what if we have:
          1. A 2400W radiant heater, 2400W of which is going towards generating heat, vs
          2. A 2400W fan heater, of which say 200W is powering the fan and oscillating mechanism, so only 2200W is generating heat.

          Is the fan heater then truly 100% efficient? Or is the loss of 200W offset by the effect of pushing hot air around the room?

          • freefall101 on 01/06/2022 - 10:29
            +1

            @cuteseal: The energy going into the fan turns into heat as well via friction (either against air itself or internal parts). Thus why you need to keep supplying power to the fan, to overcome that friction.

            • cuteseal on 01/06/2022 - 11:36

              @freefall101: Sorry I meant 100% efficient in terms of heat output, not in terms of converting energy.

              Yes, the motor may have some heat byproduct but surely 200W of energy going into a motor does not result in 200W of heat output (not sure if that is the right unit of measure).

              So I'm genuinely curious regarding the suggestion to just pick any heater, doesn't matter which one as they are all the same. Surely not?

              • freefall101 on 01/06/2022 - 12:00

                @cuteseal: Yup, it produces 200W of heat output (however it's measured).

                Thermodynamics comes into play, you cannot destroy energy. If you are not producing heat and the fan eventually stops moving, where is the energy going? It's not being stored anywhere and there is no motion going on. Even the sound turns into heat when it eventually hits something.

                And yes, they're all essentially the same in that regard, the only difference is how well made they are (and how likely they are to catch on fire in some number of decades). Heat pumps are better because they're about heat transfer and not just straight converting electricity into heat.

                • cuteseal on 01/06/2022 - 12:20

                  @freefall101: Huh, consider me astonished!

                  Just went down the rabbit hole of reading and looks like you are right - all used energy is eventually converted to heat.
                  In my mind the energy for driving the motor ends up as kinetic energy but looks like that too ends up heating the surrounding area in one way or another.

                  • freefall101 on 01/06/2022 - 12:28

                    @cuteseal: Yup, that kinetic energy eventually has to convert to something else as well, usually heat. There's not really a difference between them, thermal energy is the kinetic energy of particles. When the air is warmer the particles are moving around more. But that's about the limit of what I remember from VCE physics.

                    I did leave out that you could turn energy into matter again, but if a $100 space heater can do that then something very odd is going on.

                  • ESEMCE on 01/06/2022 - 13:27

                    @cuteseal: Heat is just kinetic energy at a molecular level…

          • ESEMCE on 01/06/2022 - 10:39
            +1

            @cuteseal: Yeah end result is that the power required to turn the fan ends up as heat anyway.

  • Seraphin7 on 31/05/2022 - 21:08

    I've personally been a user of oil fin over the years. Frankly, I have no idea how they compare to others on a TCO basis, but you can get going for cheap and worry about the run costs later, especially if you using it more sporadically and not night after night for months on end.

    • xylarr on 01/06/2022 - 09:29

      Oil column heaters are no more or less efficient than a fan heater. What they have going for them is they're silent and almost maintenance free.

      • John Kimble on 01/06/2022 - 09:36

        Some tick and creak though.

  • BewareOfThe Dog on 31/05/2022 - 21:34
    +1

    Buying a heater? Noone on ozb can afford a heater, which is why we're here. Our bills are expensive enough with all the computers we bought cheap care of ozb. :)

    • BewareOfThe Dog on 31/05/2022 - 21:35
      +2

      Ps all the best with the newborn.

      • xdivino on 01/06/2022 - 09:27

        Thanks :) - Just gotta take the chill off for the unblanketed bits.. more a comfort thing.. gonna cost and bill no doubt going up.. but little one doesn't get to complain yet verbally..

  • John Kimble on 31/05/2022 - 21:36

    Dunno how energy efficient it is, but I got a convection heater with remote from Aldi for $60 on Sunday, good timing I reckon given the winds today. Same one from Catch/Woolies is $109.

    They also have a Delonghi oil heater for $129.

    https://files.ozbargain.com.au/upload/190487/96097/screensho…

    • deelaroo on 01/06/2022 - 08:41
      +2

      Both will be practically 100% efficient.

  • jolee3 on 31/05/2022 - 22:40

    We have a Kogan smart panel heater for the baby room. It's less drying than fan heaters, and it only kicks in when the temperature drops below what you have set. Plus being smart heater, I can turn it on remotely without going into the room. Being Kogan of course it won't be perfect - I find sometimes I set it to 20 but it drops to 18 before it starts heating, so it's a bit inexact. Probably not the best and likely not the most efficient, but it does the job for the few months we need it. Had it for 3 years now.

    https://www.kogan.com/au/buy/kogan-smarterhome-2400w-smart-g…

    Like this but we have an older model.

  • nfr on 31/05/2022 - 22:48

    I like Mistral's carbon fibre heater at Bunnings ($55 no remote). It's not listed on website but I found plenty in local store. It is more energy efficient than the halogen heaters that I've used. I just use 450w and it's warm enough for me.

    • deelaroo on 01/06/2022 - 08:40

      It is not more energy efficient it will be practically 100% efficient and the comparison you said will be practically 100% stop spouting this garbage.

      • nfr on 01/06/2022 - 11:00

        As I said, it's more energy effcient in the sense that it's warmer despite using less power than the halogen heaters I've used.

        • deelaroo on 01/06/2022 - 11:04

          All electric heaters convert practically 100% of their inputted electricity into heat. They are all practically the same efficiency.

          For the amount of heat outputted the same amount of electricity will be used. One may seem more comfortable about how that heat is delivered.

    • skillet on 01/06/2022 - 17:05

      If its putting out less light while consuming same amount of energy then it's a better heater. Carbon Fiber heater emits higher IR than normal halogen so you can absorb it rather than the wind.

  • DemocracyManifest on 31/05/2022 - 22:59

    Radiant heater: can't beat them for decent sized rooms, they heat up really quickly and you don't need to keep them running for ages https://www.bunnings.com.au/euromatic-2400w-3-bar-quartz-con…
    If I had the money i'd get a gas bottle from Elgas or Origin installed and a gas heater to match

  • outlander on 31/05/2022 - 23:02
    +3

    A heated blanket is the cheapest, easiest, most practical method of electrically heating your body. Aldi has them sometimes for $40

    • Quantumcat on 01/06/2022 - 07:03
      +1

      Not going to help with the newborn though

  • nephilim on 31/05/2022 - 23:06
    +1

    We have a kmart oil heater we used with our baby, according to our inverter on eco, low 22c. used 1Kw a hour.
    1 hour on, would keep the room warm for 3-4 hours with door closed.

    But they are pretty useless for bigger rooms like lounges, need something with a fan.

  • Prong on 31/05/2022 - 23:50
    +10

    Re: Strata - if you own, then you are the strata (body corporate) and IMO it's worth getting involved to get what you want. If you rent, then point out to strata that a $15 2400W fan heater from Bunnings puts the exact same peak load on the wiring as a 2400W split system aircon. The 2400W split system will produce about 3x the heat, so 3x fan heaters to do the same job will be much worse ;) (pro tip - don't run 3x fan heaters on a single 10A circuit).

    If you power sockets all run on the same circuit, then you can only really run 2400W of heaters together. I'd go a 2000W fan heater for the living room, and a 1000W (or higher) convection heater for the bedroom to maintain temp overnight. Or two 1000W heaters if you have to run them together. Or run the 2000W heater on the low setting, which is usually around 1000W.

    Ultimately all the heater types will do a similar job, just in different ways. They will all cost the same to run for the amount of heat generated. So no matter the type, a 2000W (for example) electric heater will produce the same amount of heat as any other 2000W heater. Things like 'ceramic' heaters are just the way electricity is turned to heat, and ultimately no better or worse. More expensive heaters won't heat any better - they just have more features, or quieter fans, nicer looking designs etc.

    Most heaters max out at 2000W - 2400W, which is more than enough for a 5x5m room. They will all include a thermostat, so will cut out when the desired temperature is reached, and turn back on when it cools.

    Fan heaters are cheap and very good at evenly heating a room quickly. The downside is they are noisier. Modern ones have cutout switches if knocked over or overheated and are pretty safe, and there are no hot bits to touch. Some can be wall mounted. You can also set them to easily blow hot air on you, making it easy to warm up fast in front of them.

    Convection heaters, oil heaters, radiator heaters etc just use convection rather than a fan, so are quieter and last longer. They don't move the air as quickly, so it takes a little longer to get even heating in a room, but output just as much heat. Some styles can get hot to the touch, while others hide the hot bits under covers. The ones that hide the hot bits are probably better, but less fun for warming yourself by touching them.

    'Panel heaters' are typically just convection heaters in a different form factor, and are more likely to be wall mounted. Glass panel heaters are mostly just convection heaters with a glass panel on the front - underneath is the same. Sometimes panel / convection heaters also include a fan, so are ultimately the same thing as a fan heater, just in a different form factor. The fan ones can be quieter than a standard fan heater depending on the fan type they use.

    Radiant / IR / Micathermic etc heaters output much of the heat as infrared directly, so are good for directly heating people when you can't really heat all the air (such as outside), but don't have any advantage indoors unless you want to sit in front of it. Ultimately the infrared will heat the walls, which heats the air, and overall heating felt after a while will be similar. They also output a lot of heat by heating the air, much like a convection heater.

    IMO, the key difference is noise, and safety. For a bedroom, no noise is probably good, so I would go a a convection or panel heater. Opt for one with a digital thermostat, as they are easy to set the temperature. You can leave it on low overnight to keep a room warm. Some have inbuilt timers, or if you use smart home gear, can connect in via Wi-Fi. Which IMO is great, as you can set schedules for it to turn on and off etc.

    For a living space, I'd probably use a fan heater. Wall mounted if you can, just to avoid more stuff on the floor and improve safety a bit. Digital thermostat is nice, as if smart connectivity. Or just use a $20 smart power switch to turn it on and off. But if to just warm things up while in there, a $20 will do the same job as a $200 one - just a bit noisier. Check the noise ratings if they have them.

    • xdivino on 01/06/2022 - 09:29

      Solid comment.
      Will likely go the oil heater since it's what I know and more about taking the chill edge off overnight as sun does ramp up during the day.. when it's sunny..
      plus noise for sleepy baby..
      but the panel/wall ones look nice and seem interesting tho

      • TheWhizz on 13/06/2023 - 12:44

        what did you end up choosing? Are you happy with the oil heater?

        I am in exact same position- newborn, a big-sized bedroom, and cold winter. I've tried oil heaters before and they didn't keep us warm at all.

  • OMGJL on 01/06/2022 - 05:10
    +1

    my custom water cooled rx6800xt + i9 10850k dump enough heat to my room for me to not needing to turn on the air con.

    quick reminder electric heater is very expensive power bill wise, you'd be much better off using air con since it extract the heat energy from air, rather than create the heat energy using electric.

  • Quantumcat on 01/06/2022 - 07:06
    +2

    You should get an oil heater for the baby's room - a fan heater will dry out the air and make the baby more likely to cough, get sore eyes etc. And a heated blanket for yourself when you're in the living room.

    • xdivino on 01/06/2022 - 09:29

      Pretty much the plan based on feedback so far. Good point with the oil heater vs fan.

    • xylarr on 01/06/2022 - 09:35
      +3

      All heaters dry out the air - when the temperature rises, the relative humidity drops. Warm air can hold more water than cold air, this is why dew forms at low temps and why you see your breath in cold weather.
      But I can see a fan heater as being more drying because of the movement of air, not because the air is dryer necessarily.

      • Quantumcat on 01/06/2022 - 09:36
        -2

        Oil heaters heat objects, not the air. And they don't make the air move which is probably where the advantage lies like you said

  • Euphemistic on 01/06/2022 - 08:06

    Got a ceiling fan? If so buy a panel or oil fin heater and use the fan in winter mode to slowly move air around. Otherwise a basic fan heater may suffice.

    • xylarr on 01/06/2022 - 09:36

      I have run the ceiling fan in reverse (winter mode) in combination with a reverse cycle aircon. It doesn't blow directly on you, but will help prevent stratification of the air with all the heat just being trapped at the ceiling instead of where you want it.

      • Euphemistic on 01/06/2022 - 11:42

        Yep. Moves and spreads the warm air.

        I’m not a fan of fan heaters in general. I prefer to be able to stand next to a radiant source such as a panel or gas heater without having the air blown around.

  • deelaroo on 01/06/2022 - 08:38

    Reminder that all electric heaters that are not a heat pump (air conditioner) are basically 100% efficient so just buy whichever you prefer.

    More expensive makes absolutely no difference to efficiency and with extra features and BS could be slightly less efficient. Get the cheapest heater from Kmart or Bunnings that suits your comfort. Really only uneducated people buy these expensive heaters like Dyson it is the biggest con they rely on people not knowing better.

    Get a split system put in they are 300-400% efficient. Don't ask permission from whoever literally call up a company and just get them to come out and check if your circuit board can support the extra circuit.

    • xylarr on 01/06/2022 - 09:37
      +1

      I used to see the 300-400% figure. You'd be surprised how efficient they are these days - some are over 500% when heating, slightly less when cooling.

  • WT on 01/06/2022 - 09:43

    if you have gas and the meter is inside and bills "estimated" get a gas heater, you will only be paying for the heater itself.

    a 25mj paloma or rinnai will heat that space in 3 mins on high and keep it over 20 deg on low even with a sliding door cracked open

    Came home once and sis inlaw said it she was "freezing". Put the heater on high and within 5 mins she said it was too hot

  • Rayzorback on 01/06/2022 - 09:51

    Weren’t you cold in 2021…… or even 2020 ?? What did you do then ??

    • cookie2 on 10/06/2022 - 07:17

      I think the change is the consideration for a new baby and a parent probably home most of the day caring for it. Also OP seems to manage, which is why mentioned bub and partner.

  • ESEMCE on 01/06/2022 - 10:03

    Potential solution to the strata issue could be a window unit "temporarily" mounted.
    This way you're getting (low end) Heat Pump efficiency and a cooling option for Summer.

  • cuteseal on 01/06/2022 - 10:50
    +1

    I assume everyone posting on here is from Victoria? Went out before to do the school dropoffs and it felt like I was at the snow or something…

    • Quantumcat on 01/06/2022 - 11:25

      Victoria isn't the only cold place. Right now here in Canberra it is 6 degrees and feels like -3 (according to BOM).

      • cuteseal on 01/06/2022 - 11:26
        +2

        I stand corrected! :)
        Cheers, fellow human popsicle!

  • tsunamisurfer on 01/06/2022 - 12:11
    +2

    Do not use any heaters.

    Wear a beanie.
    Wear gloves.
    Wear socks.
    Wear thermals.

    That is by far the cheapest way to warm yourself,

    • cookie2 on 10/06/2022 - 07:20

      Difficulty is that gloves you can't wear when cooking, typing etc. Only fingerless and they don't warm you fingers. Also any thermal sock options? Looking everywhere for but seems thermals are only as tops and leggings.

  • cupcake on 01/06/2022 - 13:53
    +1

    Drink lots of hot cups of tea and do chores around the house. Warms you right up.

  • Keplaffintech on 01/06/2022 - 14:48
    +2

    Have you got an air-con? If you do, use it. While all the plug-in heaters are 100% efficient, an air-con is 400-500% efficient at heating. That means that you can get 4-5x the amount of heat for the same amount of electricity you use, compared with electric heaters.

    • rektrading on 01/06/2022 - 14:49

      an air-con is 400-500% efficient at heating. That means that you can get 4-5x the amount of heat for the same amount of electricity you use, compared with electric heaters.

      😦.

      Please explain.

      It sounds like you're saying that 1,000W of input will give 4,000W of output.

      • Keplaffintech on 01/06/2022 - 14:52
        +2

        An air-con is a heat pump, i.e. it just moves heat energy around. In summer it moves heat from inside the house to outside the house. In winter it moves heat from outside to inside.

        So rather than having to convert electricity into heat (like an electric heater), it can instead use electricity to move heat. This is a lot more efficient, and results in a lot more heat for a given amount of electrical energy compared to an electric heater.

        It sounds like you're saying that 1,000W of input will give 4,000W of output.

        That's exactly right. Most modern aircons can give ~4x the heat output per unit of electricity they consume. The multiplier is advertised as the COP (Co-efficient of performance)

        • KeplersLaws on 03/06/2022 - 08:05

          forgive me friend, I've been digesting this entire thread since yesterday and it has made me slightly more willing to turn on the A/C in my super chilly house (small house, big windows designed to simulate lots of space, thus bad thermals). but in the middle of the evening, when outside is colder than inside, what does the A/C do then? does it still have backup heat generation function which would obviously be less efficient than simply moving heat?

          • rektrading on 03/06/2022 - 08:09
            -1

            @KeplersLaws: Moving 🔥 around the 🏠 is a fool's game.

            Get a shot heater and if possible one that can generate 💵 at the same time.

            ✌️ 🐦 1️⃣ 🪨.

            • KeplersLaws on 03/06/2022 - 08:14

              @rektrading: haha, I don't think I catch the reference but appreciate nonetheless.

              I ask because even doing some googling on this, i.e. on daikin website "A reverse cycle air conditioner is also known as ‘heat pump’. It simply draws in heat from the outside air, even on mid-winter nights, and transfers it inside using a refrigerant to warm (or cool) the air before distributing it around the room." and it just piqued my curiosity.

            • Keplaffintech on 03/06/2022 - 15:02

              @rektrading:

              Moving 🔥 around the 🏠 is a fool's game.

              Get a shot heater and if possible one that can generate 💵 at the same time.

              Care to elaborate here? Nothing foolish about generating heat efficiently. If you're talking about crypto miners, how much would 7KW of heat from a crypto miner cost you to set up?

          • Prong on 03/06/2022 - 09:27
            +1

            @KeplersLaws: The short answer is that it also concentrates the heat while moving it from outside to inside.

            It works because heat flows from a warmer area to a colder area. In the outside part of the air conditioner, the refrigerant has expanded into a gas and is even colder than the outside air temperature. So heat from the cold air flows into the even colder refrigerant, and warms it up. The now 'warmed' refrigerant is then compressed into a liquid by a pump, which concentrates the heat until the refrigerant is hotter than the temperature inside the house, which then flows into the air in the house, warming it.

            A fridge does the same thing, as the cold part is on the inside, and the hot part on the outside. The efficiency of a typical aircon heat pump drops the colder it gets, so some do have extra heating directly with electricity. They operate over a set temperature range, depending on the design used, and some are specifically designed for lower temps. There are also options such as moving the heat from underground, where the temperature does not get as low. In most areas of Australia it's not a big issue as we don't spend huge amounts of time at sub-zero temps.

            • KeplersLaws on 03/06/2022 - 09:35

              @Prong: ah so it has something to do with refrigerant and it's not just a simple transfer of air haha. very cool, cheers (Y)

              • Keplaffintech on 03/06/2022 - 14:52
                +1

                @KeplersLaws: Hey yeah A/Cs are pretty cool in how they can seemingly defy thermodynamics.

                As a simple explanation, it takes a lot of energy to evaporate a liquid, and as a consequence, if you force a liquid to evaporate it will suck in energy (heat) out of the air around it. Similarly, when a vapor condenses it emits heat energy into the air around it.

                Air Conditioners exploit this by forcing a refrigerant to evaporate and condense at will. It can do this by changing the pressure of the refrigerant, as the refrigerant will condense/evaporate at different temperatures at different pressures.

                So the electricity used is to power a compressor, which pressurises the refrigerant at the right time. The laws of thermodynamics do the actual 'pumping' of heat.

                As for how you can get heat out of a freezing winter night, well if you take 8 degree air and turn it into 4 degree air, you've pulled 4 degrees of heat energy that an A/C can move into your house (using the method described above).

  • bargaino on 02/06/2022 - 22:47
    +1

    In the coastal cities of Australia, we don't know what cold is. Even in a poorly insulated home, it rarely drops below 15C. That is quite comfortable if you dress appropriately.
    Its not like Europe or US.

    If you can't afford to install a split-system, you can't afford to waste money on electric heating. As above, a split system only uses 1/5 the power.
    Instead buy some thermal underwear and fleecy outer wear. A decent down-filled doonah makes even the coldest nights comfortable.

    • Domicron on 02/06/2022 - 23:41

      Depends. We have a split system at home, but do use the heater for a short period of time (10mins or so), such as shower, briefly heat up the kids room after shower etc.

      Split system is alot more efficient for a prolonged period, not short ones.

    • cookie2 on 10/06/2022 - 07:25

      My place showed 11 deg on the heating thermostat the other morning and between 12 and 14 the last week. 15 is daytime temp and I wouldn't call 15d quite comfortable at all. And trust me, I dress more appropriately for cold weather than the other 99%.

      • bargaino on 10/06/2022 - 09:54

        It depends. My kids walk around in t-shirt and shorts, while Europeans are so soft from central heating they find it bitterly cold. Humidity probably counts too. It is usually dry here when cold.

        • cookie2 on 11/06/2022 - 17:06

          I remember those days. Jumping straight into a cold pool of water, not wearing your jumper ever because you just didn't notice the temperature. But that's kids, not so much adults.

  • Bender Rodriguez on 04/06/2022 - 12:00
    +2

    I just had Bunnings price match (and beat by 10%) this Delonghi which is a great heater for $143

    https://www.target.com.au/p/delonghi-tower-ceramic-fan-heate…

  • Ryk on 04/06/2022 - 12:11
    +1

    intel laptop on your lap?

  • DemocracyManifest on 04/06/2022 - 12:12

    Radiant heater with a fan inside to blow the heat, and get some thick curtains to keep the cold out and heat in. Turn heater off and just get a electric bedwarmer also to heat the bed but don't leave it on all night

  • cupcake on 20/06/2022 - 16:18

    Last night was the first time I wore my new huggle hoodie and omg, it was soooo warm.
    Only thing is, it was bulky to wear to bed so I didn't sleep well in it.

    You could also try a fluffy dressing gown?

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