Heating system for home office

hbab2009

Hi, during these times I've to work from home like many other people. This was grand during summer months. I split my garage in 2, garage isn't connected to the house. Fully insulated one half of it but now need to heat it. I like the ideal of putting a few radiators in the office. For this I know I need a boiler. Is there a system out there not too expensive which would heat 2 radiators. An oil or kerosene boiler? I'm not too gone on using storage heaters as I feel my electricity bill will go through the roof. Maybe i'm wrong to be thinking this way. Any help greatly appreciated.

graememk

If its well insulated, it should hold the heat.

So Storage heater and Night rate, Heat them on the night rate and they should keep the office warm all day.

even though oil is cheaper to run that the heaters it would be a long time paying back.


That or a little solid fuel stove! them things can belt out the heat.

graememk

Or... Or Something like this : https://www.buyitdirect.ie/p/tcl-9000-btu-black-wifi-smart-a-easy-fit-dc-inverter-wall-split-air-conditioner-with-5-meters-pipe-kit-iqool9b

It also has air conditioning, for the heat wave that we usually get every year. Dont know enough about them myself. Looking at the spec sheet it draws 4-6 amps, which is about 1-1.5kw and it shouldnt be running all the time either, due to the insulation.

hbab2009

thanks graememk, my thoughts were a solid fuel stove but couldn't justify the €1000+ with stove, flue and installation, the air conditioning unit looks tempting

madhatter76

I am in a similar situation thinking about how to heat in winter my garden shed where I work from home now.

One Idea I've heard about is far infrared heaters .. that act like a sun and heat the object (body) rather than the whole room.

I came across those guys here but their calculation seems way off.
https://www.wallheaters.ie/product-category/wall-heaters/

In Germany, I have seen that a 400W panel should be fine for 20-25 sm while here they get close to 1000W which is the same I would use a convector or oil radiator, so I don't see any efficiency.

Maybe anyone else has experience with those far infrared thingies.

hbab2009

Thanks for that madhatter76, never heard of those infrared heaters. Must do a bit of googling on them.

This piece of kit graememk sent me looks very good too https://www.buyitdirect.ie/p/tcl-900...pe-kit-iqool9b

Let me know what your moving towards.

Thanks

Newtown90

madhatter76 wrote: »

I am in a similar situation thinking about how to heat in winter my garden shed where I work from home now.

One Idea I've heard about is far infrared heaters .. that act like a sun and heat the object (body) rather than the whole room.

I came across those guys here but their calculation seems way off.
https://www.wallheaters.ie/product-category/wall-heaters/

In Germany, I have seen that a 400W panel should be fine for 20-25 sm while here they get close to 1000W which is the same I would use a convector or oil radiator, so I don't see any efficiency.

Maybe anyone else has experience with those far infrared thingies.

Bought and installed an 800w infrared heater 2 weeks ago in our cottage.

We've installed it on the ceiling of the main living room. It's a nice gentle heat but it takes a while to get the area heated up, we have it on a smart stat for the mornings when the stove isn't lighting.

If you were sitting under it in your office the radiant heat would be more effective no doubt.

Newtown90

Newtown90 wrote: »

Bought and installed an 800w infrared heater 2 weeks ago in our cottage.

We've installed it on the ceiling of the main living room. It's a nice gentle heat but it takes a while to get the area heated up, we have it on a smart stat for the mornings when the stove isn't lighting.

If you were sitting under it in your office the radiant heat would be more effective no doubt.

Have you a link please?

Newtown90

SouthWesterly wrote: »

Have you a link please?

Sure I got mine from

https://www.infraredcompany.com/collections/ceiling-mounted-panel-heaters/products/far-infrared-heaters-thermo-glass-max-absolutely-transparent-infrared-panels-400w-600w-800w-1000w-1300w

I ended up ringing the guy who owned it for advice on installation etc and he was fairly helpful.

madhatter76

@Newtown90
thanks, for that. You only have that now for 2 weeks and I don't know how large your cottage is. You probably don't have yet a bill or power consumption measurement but do you already know / guesstimate how much it takes out of the power line? Is it running 800w pretty much the whole day when you are at home?

My thought is that if 800w running 16 hours a day you're talking about
( Watt Usage * Hours/Day * Days/Mo. ) / 1000 = Kilowatt Hours used that month = 384kWh
that is quite a number even if you halve it for just the office time.

@hbab2009
I discarded the AC straight away as being the most inefficient way to heat a place. That thing burst when used to 3KW.

My thoughts for a well insulated place beside that IR is probably an oil radiator that once turned on needs just a little wattage to keep the temperature. And I will be sitting for 8 hours at least in the shed, so I will need constant temperature.

conor_mc

madhatter76 wrote: »

@hbab2009
I discarded the AC straight away as being the most inefficient way to heat a place. That thing burst when used to 3KW.

My thoughts for a well insulated place beside that IR is probably an oil radiator that once turned on needs just a little wattage to keep the temperature. And I will be sitting for 8 hours at least in the shed, so I will need constant temperature.

For such a small space and given the cost of a permanent heating system, I’d agree that it’s hard to see past a simple plug-in oil rad as a starter for ten. You’d be surprised how effective they are.

If you have a budget to add a little solar PV, that’d help offset the heating cost over time and would also benefit your household on days you’re not working in the office. Granted, it might not help hugely on the days you need heat so it’s probably a decision to be made based on overall household usage rather than office usage.

madhatter76

Correct and great point about PV. That might help to offset running costs.

In my case I forget to mention that my place is not getting much sun at all in winter .. But it might be an option for @hbab2009

Newtown90

madhatter76 wrote: »

@Newtown90
thanks, for that. You only have that now for 2 weeks and I don't know how large your cottage is. You probably don't have yet a bill or power consumption measurement but do you already know / guesstimate how much it takes out of the power line? Is it running 800w pretty much the whole day when you are at home?

My thought is that if 800w running 16 hours a day you're talking about
( Watt Usage * Hours/Day * Days/Mo. ) / 1000 = Kilowatt Hours used that month = 384kWh
that is quite a number even if you halve it for just the office time.

@hbab2009
I discarded the AC straight away as being the most inefficient way to heat a place. That thing burst when used to 3KW.

My thoughts for a well insulated place beside that IR is probably an oil radiator that once turned on needs just a little wattage to keep the temperature. And I will be sitting for 8 hours at least in the shed, so I will need constant temperature.

Sorry should have said the cottage is a weekend/holiday house so it gets very intermittent use and I've no ESB to compare with previous to date.

Like I said I have had it on only in the mornings from 7.30 to 9 to provide heat before the primary heat source is on.

It's a nice tidy solution for me rather than have a plug in radiator on a smart plug.

hbab2009

Any idea what the costs of solar pv would be and can you start off small with solar pv and add to the number of panels as more of a budget becomes available?

afatbollix

graememk wrote: »

Or... Or Something like this : https://www.buyitdirect.ie/p/tcl-9000-btu-black-wifi-smart-a-easy-fit-dc-inverter-wall-split-air-conditioner-with-5-meters-pipe-kit-iqool9b

It also has air conditioning, for the heat wave that we usually get every year. Dont know enough about them myself. Looking at the spec sheet it draws 4-6 amps, which is about 1-1.5kw and it shouldnt be running all the time either, due to the insulation.

This, Should be quite easy since you only have to cut one small hole in a wall.

They also pull heat from the outside so are more efficient usually 1kwh for providing 3kwh of heat. Make sure you place it in the right place so its not blowing on you all day. Also has air con for the summer.

Personally I would go for a smart one so could set it up so that each morning you can turn it on before you start work.

Idbatterim

air to air heat pump or infrared are great, way cheaper initially and worth a try, I used one just on big desk beside where I worked and it kept me warm, like the others say...

Borzoi

graememk wrote: »

Or... Or Something like this : https://www.buyitdirect.ie/p/tcl-9000-btu-black-wifi-smart-a-easy-fit-dc-inverter-wall-split-air-conditioner-with-5-meters-pipe-kit-iqool9b

It also has air conditioning...

AC would be a good option, but not this..

Self install requires specialist tools like a vac pump at a minimum, and nitrogen for pressure testing. Also to legally work on plant containing refrigerants such as R32, such as this, requires an Fgas licence. In fact these guys are exploiting, nay pushing a loophole, by selling to non certified people.

madhatter76

made the call and ordered this here at amazon germany

https://www.amazon.de/-/en/gp/product/B083RGCZGB/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

It has mixed reviews on Amazon but I found another page where they stated that it's a good device if you handle it wisely.

I will post a review once I have it.

Try1ng

madhatter76 wrote: »

made the call and ordered this here at amazon germany

https://www.amazon.de/-/en/gp/product/B083RGCZGB/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

It has mixed reviews on Amazon but I found another page where they stated that it's a good device if you handle it wisely.

I will post a review once I have it.

Hi - just wondering if you’re happy with it and would you recommend it?

madhatter76

Clear NOOOO
has nothing but hassle with that thing. It came apparently as broken cause it never turned on.

Try1ng

Thanks for the update - pity it didn’t work out.
What did you do in the end?
Looks like the infra-red could be a good solution.