250 watt vs 550 watt heated towel rail

thirtythirty

Apologies if this is the wrong forum but..

Looking to get an electric only heated towel rail of ~1000 / 1200 x 500mm size to install just outside the bathroom in a rented house.

Looking for an electric only for easy installation and as there is a standard plug socket right beside the door.

The thing I'm struggling with is what Watt / BTU to go for. I could for the same money get either:

A 250 watt / ~715 BTU one and leave that running 24 hours a day at a rough cost of €30 per month

or

A 55 watt / ~1900 BTU one and put in on a time for 4 hours morning and 4 in the evening at a rough cost of €25 per month

Is there any other aspect to this I should be considering apart from the power / time on / cost piece?

Any advice welcome

Wearb

I think the bigger one combined with timer will give you more flexibility.

If you are passing on the running costs to the tenants, it is likely that they will turn it off in any case, unless they are the ones that requested it.

thirtythirty

Thanks for feedback, I am the tenant also! Trying to do a least-invasive approach for the house as there's no proper airing cupboard since room heating is done with storage heaters. Which are the devil.

Just don't want to waste money on a bad solution.

Presumably no risk turning a pre-hard wired towel rail into a standard 3 pin in order to fit a timer?

The only other thing I was thinking about the 250 watt is that if it was on the whole time it might just take "the bite" out of the cold in the hallway / bathroom area which is near a rear door. Not heat the area up, just literally make it mild cold if you know what I mean. Or is it likely too wimpy to do that and will only just do the towels?

Wearb

You will need to check the wiring requirements to see what is allowable, though on the face of it I see no problem with what you suggest.

As for supplying space heating, you are only talking about a 1/4 and 1/2 of a single bar electric heater respectively. It will be like trying to heat a large pot of water with a candle.

cerastes

thirtythirty wrote: »

Thanks for feedback, I am the tenant also! Trying to do a least-invasive approach for the house as there's no proper airing cupboard since room heating is done with storage heaters. Which are the devil.

Just don't want to waste money on a bad solution.

Presumably no risk turning a pre-hard wired towel rail into a standard 3 pin in order to fit a timer?

The only other thing I was thinking about the 250 watt is that if it was on the whole time it might just take "the bite" out of the cold in the hallway / bathroom area which is near a rear door. Not heat the area up, just literally make it mild cold if you know what I mean. Or is it likely too wimpy to do that and will only just do the towels?

Presume you have gotten consent to do this if you are the tenant, otherwise you will be wasting your money doing it and then rectifying it.