Best/most efficient type of electric fire ??

[Dave7]

Situation is.....our bathroom has a towel heater as against a radiator (my fault as I didnt do my homework). It just doesnt heat the room well at all.
I want a fire that I can just switch on first thing to give it a QUICK boost.
(Socket is outside the bathroom).
We have been using an oil filled type radiator which has just died. It was quite old so no complaints.
I am assuming that technology has moved on.......although literature still shows lots of similar rads.
Any advice appreciated....but wish to move quickly as it is a cold room.

 

[Accy cyclist]

I bought one of those fake log burner electric fires the other month. It has two 90 watt settings. You can have one or both on at the same time. I paid £49 for it,though you can buy one that has two100 watt settings for around £138. It's quite bigger in size but not much different in how much heat it'll pump out. Is it safe to have an electric fire,even though the plug's outside the bathroom,on in a bathroom?I thought the steam could get to the inside bits and blow the thing up.

 

[Dave7]

I bought one of those fake log burner electric fires the other month. It has two 90 watt settings. You can have one or both on at the same time. I paid £49 for it,though you can buy one that has two100 watt settings for around £138. It's quite bigger in size but not much different in how much heat it'll pump out. Is it safe to have an electric fire,even though the plug's outside the bathroom,on in a bathroom?I thought the steam could get the inside bits and blow the thing up.

It is just for a boost then ig goes off.

 

[mjr]

Stiebel-eltron heaters have some nice reviews on other sites for heating a bathroom up quickly and reasonably efficiently while the timer limits waste from accidentally leaving it on after use.

 

[Accy cyclist]

It is just for a boost then ig goes off.

Maybe don't keep it in the bathroom even if it's not on, as the next time you switch it on it could blow up. I remember the electric drill that'd been in my dad's shed for years after he died. I plugged it in one day and boom! The damp must've got inside the thing. Having said that,we kept an electric fan heater in our bathroom for years. We even had a socket in there,though the socket was there when we moved in.

 

[Piemaster]

What does the towel heater run off? Electric? Central heating? How about replacing it with something more suitable.

Or just man up. Summers not that far off.

 

[twentysix by twentyfive]

I'd fit another oil filled one with as many kw as is allowed by the circuitry for fast boosts. No tech changes really. Electric -> Heat is about as efficient as it gets (gas is cheaper but not for the bathroom)

Or

Or just man up. Summers not that far off.

 

[Dave7]

What does the towel heater run off? Electric? Central heating? How about replacing it with something more suitable.

Or just man up. Summers not that far off.

We may well replace it come spring/summer. Its a standard type that runs off the combi boiler.
As its "fixed" to the wall.....which was re-tiled last year Mrs Dave, for some reason, is not too keen on the idea.

 

[Dan B]

I don't understand what "efficient" even means in the context of a heater. A more efficient energy transformation converts a greater % of energy into the form you want (in this case, heat) and a smaller % into ... er ... waste heat. But it's not waste if you want the heat ...

 

[Globalti]

Those DeLonghi Dragon oil-filled heaters are excellent and the thermostats are very sensitive.

http://www.argos.co.uk/search/delonghi-dragon/price:£150-%2D-£200/type:oil-filled-radiators/

 

[cisamcgu]

How about a heating lamp bulb ?

https://www.thelightbulb.co.uk/250watt-bc-b22-bayonet-cap-clear-front-infrared-14133

or

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ceiling-Mounted-Light-BATHROOM-Heater/dp/B006Z96748

 

[Levo-Lon]

As this seems to be a bathroom I'd recommend taking advise from someone who knows the regulations.

Damp wet environment etc.
Bulbs or lights should be sealed etc.

I'd go for a bigger towel rail

 

[mjr]

Electric -> Heat is about as efficient as it gets (gas is cheaper but not for the bathroom)

Let's just not mention the gas/oil/coal → electric step, eh? And yes, it might come from renewables, but the UK isn't there yet and people tend to use heaters when there's less solar although I guess often when there's more wind.

I don't understand what "efficient" even means in the context of a heater. A more efficient energy transformation converts a greater % of energy into the form you want (in this case, heat) and a smaller % into ... er ... waste heat. But it's not waste if you want the heat ...

Indeed. I think efficiency in an electric heater usually means how quickly it can chuck that heat out into a given size of room, rather than spending time heating its own body up. Quartz lamps with reflectors are very good at radiating the heat quickly, whereas oil radiators which are good for some situations take a while heating themselves up - I suggest there's good reasons why many bathroom heaters tend to be the lamp type.

 

[Fnaar]

Install a fireplace

 

[Aperitif]

Install a fireplace

"Coal, ta" wRight?
Ms Goodbody's happy with the way Fnarr gives hers a stoke from time to time.
Or. Wear a nice warm jumper when taking a shower.