most energy efficient method of heating small cottage

kdowling

I have a small airbnb cottage that has a living area and kitchen as one space, a double bedroom and a single bedroom.

heating the living area/kitchen is by means of a gas stove.

The stove starter needs to be replacced and i havent got around to it yet so we used a plug in heater in the living room and one

in each bedroom for the winter which I assume has been costing me lots in electricity (afraid to look at the bill!)

The problem with the air bnb is that some guests leave the heaters on all days and during the night.

I was looking at the evo volt radiators that you can control through wifi and thought it might be useful as I can turn them off remotley

if guests have left for the day.

until recently I also assumed that they would be more energy efficient but I have read recently that thats not the case as all electric radiators,

even the old type plug in I was using are 100% efficient (i.e. they dont lose heat)

Would it be more energy efficient to just put the two radiators in the bedroom and fix the gas stove.

I guess the issue with the stove is that they may also leave the stove on at night and when they leave during the day.

Would a gas stove me more energy efficient than the evo volt radiators?

If so would it be cancelled out by the fact that I cannot control the usage at all?

Thanks in advance.

The Continental Op

Have a woodburner and sell the guests the wood. Its Ireland so peat is traditional so get a pallet load of blocks and sell them the blocks.

Not as cheeky as it sounds as a friend does something similar but they do also have central heating so its up to the guests if they want a peat fire.

kdowling

I would consider that but I recon the reviews wouldn't be so kind if I implemented it!

Gant21

Would you consider long term renting it to refugees and getting paid by the government. It wouldn’t matter about bills then.

10-10-20

I think that the status-quo is the best option to a point here, but try to communicate and educate the visitors better to achieve your goals. I feel that remotely operated gas/electrical devices is an over-reach on their rights to privacy and autonomy. But, if you were to clearly communicate that the devices should not be left on while out of the house you may have some success in bringing the excess usage down. Also consider using indications such as indicator lights and isolation switches on the walls as a means of reminders to the users. You could go down the route of using round electrical sockets for the heaters with an associated isolation switch and bright indicator light as a type of coercive control in the bedrooms. Another option would be to fit a timer switch onto the plug, limiting heating sessions to 2hrs max, for example.

About night-time usage, you have a couple of views to consider though - firstly the visitors may be accustomed to warmer temperatures so may need additional heat. Secondly, is the house naturally warm, insulated and does it retain heat overnight? Thirdly, are they aware that using a heater overnight will dry the air and create a stuffy envoronment and discomfort... etc?

The Continental Op

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119398384#Comment_119398384

Don't see that working. Might make a difference to you or me but many guests are just going to say they've paid for the place so they'll do what they want. Some form of control the guests can't alter is the only 100% solution.

One solution I can think of for water heating if there in an immersion is a countdown timer. Press a button and the immersion comes on for a max of 2 hours - https://www.amazon.co.uk/SPARES2GO-Energy-Saving-Electronic-Immersion/dp/B07YPZ485C/

standardg60

One solution i can think of is the OP needs to stop being a scabby git and fix the gas stove and install adequate heating if they're expecting to rent the cottage over the winter instead of blaming the tenants for leaving the heating on all day. If i'm paying through the nose to stay somewhere i'd expect a minimum level of comfort.