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Thread ID: 108929	2010-04-17 07:53:00	Eco heaters - anyone tried?	Nomad (952)	PC World Chat

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
877503	2010-04-17 10:47:00	Anyone tried a eco heater? They are a flat panel stuck on a wall. (etc). I am not sure if what I have is the same as what you are talking about. They used to be made by a firm called Plaster Craft or something similar. They were designed as a mesh of heating wires to be plastered into a wall - kind of like underfloor heating. I have one that they made into a panel heater about 2 foot by 1 foot by 1 inch deep. I have it screwed to the inside of the modesty panel of my computer desk - it has been there for about 10 years. It warms up that cold air under the desk - you may have noticed that if you sit at a desk for any length of time your legs get frozen (well, at least on the mainland they do...). It uses a very small amount of power, keeps your lower body warm, and once it has been on a while, the heat rises from the keyhole part of your desk and keeps your hands, arms, and body warm as well. It doesn't do a whole lot of good as a heater for your back of course. It reduces the amount of heat you have to distribute around the room via another form of heating. Very pleasant, very effective, and costs nothing to run.	John H (8)
877504	2010-04-17 11:05:00	Anyone tried a eco heater? They are a flat panel stuck on a wall . I came across this type of heater, I bought one but they allow me to return it . I am a bit skeptical for a 260W or a 400W heater when most heaters are 2,000-2,400 Watts (even for a small bathroom fan heater) . I got the small one for my 3x2m room :D Trying to get my heating bills down for this winter . I learnt to do some calculations and found that a 2 . 5kW heater for 5hrs a day every day can really blow up the power bills and esp when you may have 3 or 4 going in the house . Cheers . Consumer NZ hasn't reviewed them either . i think the whole idea of an electrical heater being "eco" is total BS . sure its small heater but it will give out small heat . used to run small bar heaters or "closet heaters" i think they where called . fairly useless unless your heating a very small aera like under a desk, closet . i think they are just marketing BS . you would be better off with a fan heater (assuming you going with electrical heating) . at least a fan heater spreads the heat around and not just heat up one wall .	tweak'e (69)
877505	2010-04-17 11:59:00	Hmmm... ok. There were two sizes, 260W I have and the 400W. It says it heats a 9 and 12m square size room ..... www.econo-heat.co.nz Other than that I am looking at a heat pump for my room, maybe a 2.4kW which appears to the smallest, don't like electrical heaters, the kW cost too much to run.	Nomad (952)
877506	2010-04-17 22:10:00	Hmmm . . . ok . There were two sizes, 260W I have and the 400W . It says it heats a 9 and 12m square size room . . . . . . econo-heat . co . nz/index . php" target="_blank">www . econo-heat . co . nz Other than that I am looking at a heat pump for my room, maybe a 2 . 4kW which appears to the smallest, don't like electrical heaters, the kW cost too much to run . You mean "electric heaters" I presume . Yes they may cost more, but a heat pump will cost a lot more upfront and will still use electricity . I think it depends on the room and the circumstances . Those oil filled column heaters are good for small rooms, they take the chill off quite nicely, and a lot cheaper to run than say a fan heater .	Digby (677)
877507	2010-04-17 22:12:00	i think the whole idea of an electrical heater being "eco" is total BS . sure its small heater but it will give out small heat . Used to run small bar heaters or "closet heaters" i think they where called . fairly useless unless your heating a very small area like under a desk, closet . i think they are just marketing BS . x2 They should call them "small flat panel heaters" !	Digby (677)
877508	2010-04-17 22:23:00	x2 They should call them "small flat panel heaters" ! They are not oil fin heaters. It's like a piece of 5mm thick ceramic board that's all. Some calls them resistor heaters. I have it on a brick for trialling now. I will be returning it back today. I had it on for nearly an hour now, I cannot feel heat. Wait to June, haha, I would be a popsicle. It might be ok if you leave it on 24/7 every day and if it is cold, use a 2nd but a normal 2kW heater. My oil fin heater gets warm in 30mins. This heater here is a joke. No wonder shops didn't sell them other than Placemakers. Bunnings didn't have them. I am fed up with NZ weather and tierd of hugging to the heater and paying those bills. For this small room, I may get the smallest, from the maths I need a 1.9kW heat pump and some of them the coefficient of perforamance could be as high as 5x, which means a 2.5kW heat pump may only require 500W of power input.	Nomad (952)
877509	2010-04-17 22:30:00	The best thing you can do is insulate and double glaze windows. Putting on more clothes may be another partial solution.	Sweep (90)
877510	2010-04-17 22:39:00	I've got my down duvet jacket on these days, I refuse to turn on heaters to I get the heat pump in my room. I'm more than happy to pay for that than to spend every winter every year like the past. Like 2x iPads right :D Insulation being down this month. Plan to upgrade to R5.0.	Nomad (952)
877511	2010-04-17 23:02:00	We had some in a house we rented. They worked well at keeping the ambient temperature up a few degrees, but when it got too cold you really needed another source of heat. 10c per hour? That sounds expensive lakewoodlady. The Econopanel heaters were on display at the recent Home and Garden show and the man quoted 9 - 10 cents per hour to run, for the 400 watt, and 5-6 cents per hour for the 260 watt one. I think one might just be suitable for a small room that gets just a little bit chilly say somewhere in Northland. Not for Taupo when its - 0. LL	lakewoodlady (103)
877512	2010-04-17 23:10:00	The greatest benefit of those little heaters is keeping seldom used rooms drier. Having one in the toilet during winter is a pleasant luxury in the small hours of a winter morning if you have a mean climate. Just have it on a timer to run from 10 at night until 7 in the morning; if you are in Southland change the timer to March through November.	R2x1 (4628)
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