How much electricity do oil-filled radiators use?

Re: energy/radiator

OK - so it is switching on and off dynamically after all so even at 1KW or 2KW setting or whatver it is unlikely to be running at full pelt all of the time so the calculations above only give the maximum/worst case running costs? I seem to be going in circles now!
 
Re: energy/radiator

Yes, so basically at 2KW it is going to bring your room to your desired temperature twice as fast as at 1KW. So it is the same unit cost of electricity.

The thermostat (and all thermostats) are simply temperature sensitive, on/off (no in-between) switches, which activate at the threshold that you set.

If we have it set at the manufacturers setting of "4", it is probably going to switch itself off after half the time period for a 2KW setting, as opposed to a 1KW setting.
 
energy/radiator

The number of Watts consumed by the oil filled electric radiator can be seen on the label.With different settings the thing uses different kilowatts per hour when in running modus.Note:it might not be in the running modus all the time that it is plugged in the socket-because it has reached the desired temperature for example.
All oil filled electric heaters should have a thermostat,the chance that they ignite spontaneous or simply explode would be too high if they had no thermostat-the bi metal Ocras is speaking about is a thermostat.
If you really want to know in exact numbers how much your el.radiator is using than you can buy an energy meter.LIDL has them now and again,your local electric shop might have them as well.But when purchasing one of them (€10-15) check at the label the maximum permitted wattage.The LIDL type was good for a maximum of 3000 Watts as far as I remember.
By the way:the cheapest way to heat your room is by central heating supplied with heat from a condensing boiler.The CH radiator can be fitted with a thermostat as well. The electro magnetic fields caused by electric goods do not belong into the vicinity of children and certainly not into bedrooms.A problem that is by far underestimated .
 
Re: energy/radiator

when in running modus

Jaysus lads - any chance you could explain these sparky (?) terms?
 
Re: energy/radiator

I have to step in here. The number of kilowatts per hour an oil filled radiator uses is determined by the ambient temperature of the area it is heating, coupled with the thermostat setting.

The thermostat is for determining what temperature it will cut out at, and come back on at. It has nothing to do with safety.

Within the heater and sometimes attached to the thermostat housing, we have a safety-cut-out, which needs internal manual resetting. This is there, in case of the thermostat failing.

Every single current carrying conductor generates a magnetic field around it. The dangers of such, at relatively low currents is debateable. If one feels that an electric heater is generating a dangerous one, then one must consider every cable and appliance in the home.

Regards, "when in running modus"; I think I was off sick the day modii was covered Colaiste Na Spaircigh.
 
Re: energy/radiator

Thanks for that Ocras - so the pendulum has swung back towards the theory that the heater element(s) will be switched on and off under thermostatic control and will therefore may not be running at full wattage at all times.

The electro magnetic fields caused by electric goods do not belong into the vicinity of children and certainly not into bedrooms.

Is there any independent research that backs up this claim?
 
EMFs and sources of information

Hi ClubMan !
There is a lot research done on this issue since the mass introduction of mobile phones.But the phenomena of cell/nerve damage caused by electro magnetic fields is known since the early days of electric science.Especially within the standard household electricity,50-60 Hertz and 220/110 Volt.
Check google under " EMFs Swedish studies " for the newer ones.Sweden has changed their building regs.after the newer researches had been published,as far as I can remember the news reports there was an agreement in the EU that all national building regs should be rechecked and changed accordingly.But than we voted for the Conservatives and we got what we deserved:no thing.
In most EU countries building regs.demand that homes are build at least 100m away from overland power lines.Here in Eire they fix the cables of power lines straight to the house wall......
 
Re: EMFs and sources of information

There is a lot research done on this issue since the mass introduction of mobile phones.

Yes - but it was my understanding that there was no authoritative/conclusive evidence that showed that electromagnetic fields were detrimental to human or animal health? Unfortunately the [broken link removed] on this issue all seem to be removed for updating at the moment. For what it's worth the Skeptics Dictionary states that:
Many people fear that EMFs cause cancer; however, a causal connection between EMFs and cancer has not been established.

But than we voted for the Conservatives and we got what we deserved

Are you referring to the UK or somewhere other than Ireland here?
 
Re: EMFs and sources of information

Mobile phone technology and the health risks associated with them relate to microwaves not EMF's from 50hz supplies.

High voltage/high current overhead power lines are a different kettle of fish, as the fields generated are massive, and can be measured at reasonable distance.

Honestly, and no offence, yours is the first reference I (just interested, not an authority) have read about health risks related to domestic power and transmission.

All the google references I have found point to high tension/voltage power lines, not domestic voltages.
 
EMFs

There is plenty of information available.The Swedish building regs had been changed to the point that a house is not allowed to be build within the range of 150m of an overland power line.The limit for NEW homes next to high voltage power lines-railways for example -is 300m.The same is for Germany,but the German railways have to do/can do a test checking for the radiation before they decide to put up protective earthed fencing.The limit for new housing is as well 300m but allowing the lower limit of 150m if the testing results would allows for it,the geography playing a role and -of course-the national interest.For older buildings there is no time limit to test for radiation unless the inhabitants demand it.And most buildings build next to railway power lines belong to the railway company.
In other non-EU countries the building regs are considering power lines as a health hazard as well.
High voltage power lines were never allowed (on the continent!) to be build above houses or next to them.Here we see them over schools,hospitals and children creches.High voltage lines are those running more than 220/230 volts,correct me if I am wrong.
On the continent you can buy wallpapers that have a build-in protective metal web, a so called Faraday cage (excuse my bad translation).These had been available before the mobile phones appeared.For the power lines you could contact the cancer society for further information.
And don't think about using a mobile phone as a child minder/baby phone!
If you want to find out if something like an electromagnetic field exists in your home you can use a cheap compass.If the compass is irritated by a signal -of a cable for example-you can be sure that there is an EMF.But this method is crude,a compass won't show you the finer fields nor their strength.
I am not an authority in the field either ,so check yourself if you want to run the may- be- not -convincing risk.
I came across the point myself when I was trekking in Iceland,a hardly at all populated area .At Myggenvatten I walked at pitch black night to the camping place and felt the very strong sensation of a ...something.The next evening the same thing at the same spot again.In the morning I investigated it,it was an underground cable(rare enough in Iceland) coming out of the ground,going into a transformer station and leaving the station again.Investigating,well,just reading the tourist guide,I found out that this transformer is supplied with under ground cables for the reason that overhead cables would spoil the view on the lake.The population had demonstrated against the transformer afraid that it might drive away the trolls and fairies....
I neither saw the cable nor the lake nor the transformer station late in the evening but the EMF was certainly there.And believe me,Myggenvatten is as a "dry" place you hardly find elsewhere...
 
EMFs in homes

I found an US page:[broken link removed]