Best heating solution home outside office
Discussion
I have an outside office (14*8ft) converted shed. All insulated and been using it years OK. I WFH full time.
Re-thinking my heating solution as we come into colder months in case current system could do with an update.
Currently have a floor standing oil heater (2000w I think) that in previous years would leave running from 8-11am. Then if get colder later on would use my 2000W fan heater to “top up” heat if I get cold, esp as it’s instant heat.
At the moment, not using oil heater as temps OK but often use the fan heater for an hour or so, maybe more…
Both are about 5y old.
They cost whatever to run, however I am wondering if replacing both with something better. I’ve heard infrared panel heater may be cheaper to run, however are they as effective? Would I still find myself using the fan heater when i get cold if they don’t work quickly? (like I do with the oil heater).
So cost to run is one factor, but also need something that is effective such that the fan heater may be redundant?
Note I cannot get CH into office as it’s down in the garden,
Re-thinking my heating solution as we come into colder months in case current system could do with an update.
Currently have a floor standing oil heater (2000w I think) that in previous years would leave running from 8-11am. Then if get colder later on would use my 2000W fan heater to “top up” heat if I get cold, esp as it’s instant heat.
At the moment, not using oil heater as temps OK but often use the fan heater for an hour or so, maybe more…
Both are about 5y old.
They cost whatever to run, however I am wondering if replacing both with something better. I’ve heard infrared panel heater may be cheaper to run, however are they as effective? Would I still find myself using the fan heater when i get cold if they don’t work quickly? (like I do with the oil heater).
So cost to run is one factor, but also need something that is effective such that the fan heater may be redundant?
Note I cannot get CH into office as it’s down in the garden,
Consider aircon?
Other than that, stick with a fan heater, if it's not costing too much to run.
Do you have any damp/humidity issues? A dehumidifier will also contribute a low level of heating.
There are other options, wood stoves, eberspacher type diesel heaters which will run on heating oil.
I do have a cheap radiant heater, it has its uses. But I wouldn't choose it for an office.
It's nice when you're working in a big space and want to keep your hands warm rather than heat the space.
I can't do some fine work if my hands are too cold!
Other than that, stick with a fan heater, if it's not costing too much to run.
Do you have any damp/humidity issues? A dehumidifier will also contribute a low level of heating.
There are other options, wood stoves, eberspacher type diesel heaters which will run on heating oil.
I do have a cheap radiant heater, it has its uses. But I wouldn't choose it for an office.
It's nice when you're working in a big space and want to keep your hands warm rather than heat the space.
I can't do some fine work if my hands are too cold!
Heatpump/ AC is the correct answer.
Will do heating and cooling, is much more efficient than your current solution - will get between 3 or 4 units of heat per unit of electric vs at best 1:1 using restive heating - and will warm or cool the space more quickly.
More expensive up front but a better solution. You can get all in 1 units which sit on the floor and have 2 holes in the wall to vent through if a buying a proper split system is not economic.
Will do heating and cooling, is much more efficient than your current solution - will get between 3 or 4 units of heat per unit of electric vs at best 1:1 using restive heating - and will warm or cool the space more quickly.
More expensive up front but a better solution. You can get all in 1 units which sit on the floor and have 2 holes in the wall to vent through if a buying a proper split system is not economic.
Thanks, no real damp/humidity issues that I am aware of…
Aircon would be nice but costs a lot to buy.
Also, how does a convection heater compare to my current setup? Could/would that replace both oil/fan?
E.g. something like this?
https://amzn.eu/d/0eNGVAC1
Aircon would be nice but costs a lot to buy.
Also, how does a convection heater compare to my current setup? Could/would that replace both oil/fan?
E.g. something like this?
https://amzn.eu/d/0eNGVAC1
Condi said:
Heatpump/ AC is the correct answer.
Will do heating and cooling, is much more efficient than your current solution - will get between 3 or 4 units of heat per unit of electric vs at best 1:1 using restive heating - and will warm or cool the space more quickly.
More expensive up front but a better solution. You can get all in 1 units which sit on the floor and have 2 holes in the wall to vent through if a buying a proper split system is not economic.
Proper AC is quite expensive, if the office is not costing much to heat, it may not be worthwhile, unless aircon is needed in the summer.Will do heating and cooling, is much more efficient than your current solution - will get between 3 or 4 units of heat per unit of electric vs at best 1:1 using restive heating - and will warm or cool the space more quickly.
More expensive up front but a better solution. You can get all in 1 units which sit on the floor and have 2 holes in the wall to vent through if a buying a proper split system is not economic.
Portable aircon unit would work, but IMHO way too noisy.
A good starting point would be to know how much the fan heater costs to do the job.
After this summer, I think I'd be starting from the POV of wanting aircon, rather than trying to save a few quid on winter heating.
We have a similar building. A standard air con unit can work as a heater too. You asked for the best heating solution so this is what I’d recommend. As the air con unit is a heat pump when in heating mode it will be much more efficient than a fan heater.
Most units have remote control so you can control the unit from indoors, depending on distance. The unit can also be set to a low temperature to prevent the room getting very cold and full of condensation in winter conditions.
Whether it will actually be possible to buy an aircon unit given the leftover demand from the summer is a good question.
Most units have remote control so you can control the unit from indoors, depending on distance. The unit can also be set to a low temperature to prevent the room getting very cold and full of condensation in winter conditions.
Whether it will actually be possible to buy an aircon unit given the leftover demand from the summer is a good question.
Dracoro said:
Also, how does a convection heater compare to my current setup? Could/would that replace both oil/fan?
An electric convection heater, oil filled heater, and fan heater all are 100% efficient at turning electricity into heat, so you won't get any benefit of one over the other (other than the directional airflow of the fan heater).The only way to get more efficiency is to use a reverse cycle heat-pump like a mini-split system as has already been mentioned. This will give you heating in winter and cooling in summer but will cost quite a lot more to buy and install.
Looks like there are units for DIY install for under £600 on Amazon etc (you need one that is designed for DIY install that is pre-charged with gas, pre-flared pipes etc, otherwise you need an A/C engineer to install).
Dracoro said:
How much are these suggested aircon units?
It looks like you are looking at £600-£800 or from £1600 installed:https://www.aircondirect.co.uk/nav/actype/wall-mou...
My home office is a converted garage with no central heating. I have an oil heater hooked up to smart plugs, presence and temperature sensors and the heating is automated to be as efficient as possible.
I've been trying to work out whether it's cheaper to heat the office up early morning on the cheaper rate and maintain it until I start work, or switch the heating on as late as possible. The maths is beyond me though.
Despite all that, it still costs a fair bit to heat over the winter so I'm interested in alternative ideas too.
I've been trying to work out whether it's cheaper to heat the office up early morning on the cheaper rate and maintain it until I start work, or switch the heating on as late as possible. The maths is beyond me though.
Despite all that, it still costs a fair bit to heat over the winter so I'm interested in alternative ideas too.
OldGermanHeaps said:
Campervan diesel heater running on used engine oil.
That's the 'eberspacher' type of thing I referenced?There are usable chinese versions around for under £100, lots of us have them on boats.
I don't use mine much, but it's very effective.
They are fussy about fuel though, dirty engine oil would be a bad idea. Kerosene is good, if you can get a suitable amount from someone with oil heating.
I use road diesel in mine.
So long as you use a lot less diesel heating the office than you would driving to work, it's OK?
OutInTheShed said:
OldGermanHeaps said:
Campervan diesel heater running on used engine oil.
That's the 'eberspacher' type of thing I referenced?There are usable chinese versions around for under £100, lots of us have them on boats.
I don't use mine much, but it's very effective.
They are fussy about fuel though, dirty engine oil would be a bad idea. Kerosene is good, if you can get a suitable amount from someone with oil heating.
I use road diesel in mine.
So long as you use a lot less diesel heating the office than you would driving to work, it's OK?
Or, you can go further with something like the Autoterm Baltica, which could do underfloor heating and hot water as well as blown hot air. Makes for a very nice environment.
My £50 amazon all in one chinese diesel heater has been running on 50-50 kerosene and all my used engine gearbox and diff oil Solid for the last couple of winters heating my caravan, pop up gazebo and various freezing godforsaken worksites the last couple of winters without any issues. If it f
ks up it was so cheap it isnt worth spending a couple of hours cleaning the chamber, I will just buy another.
It does a great job of heating the gazebo in the middle of a field in freezing conditions enough to successfully splice fibre.
ks up it was so cheap it isnt worth spending a couple of hours cleaning the chamber, I will just buy another.It does a great job of heating the gazebo in the middle of a field in freezing conditions enough to successfully splice fibre.
Dracoro said:
How much are these suggested aircon units?
I'd stick with the fan heater for a few more months and wait till the aircon kit prices come back down to normal after the price spike from the summer we've had... Then I dont see why you need a split setup for that sized space - one of these would probably be ideal with just 2 holes 4? inch holes cored and complete DIY install..... The unit similar to the link below was sitting at approx £500 last Jan.https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/226596804254?_ul=GB&...
Dracoro said:
Best heating solution home outside office
Condi said:
Heatpump/ AC is the correct answer.
More expensive up front but a better solution. You can get all in 1 units which sit on the floor and have 2 holes in the wall to vent through if a buying a proper split system is not economic.
More expensive up front but a better solution. You can get all in 1 units which sit on the floor and have 2 holes in the wall to vent through if a buying a proper split system is not economic.
Dracoro said:
Aircon would be nice but costs a lot to buy.
Make your mind up 
Aircon/heatpump is the right answer though if you want best and cheapest running costs. They're not that expensive to get fitted if you wait for the summer aircon backlog to be over before you get a quote. I got some quotes of £2.5k but got mine done for £1k in the end.Gassing Station | Homes, Gardens and DIY | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff