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Cooling And Heating

How To Calculate The Costs Of Your Oil-Filled Radiator

Written by Dale Richardson - Updated: June 23, 2023

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There is a simple way to calculate how much your radiator is costing you. It just takes a little patience and knowing your heater’s power rating.

To arrive at the ultimate costs of an oil-filled radiator, one must take into consideration the power rating of the appliance and the total time that the radiator is being used. This will reveal the number of units that the radiator is using.

To save power and cut costs, it is prudent to find out how much your electrical appliances cost when they are being used. This article will focus on an oil-filled radiator.

But if you want to learn the same thing about your kettle, then read our article that explains everything about how much it costs to boil an electric kettle .

How Much Do Oil-Filled Radiators Cost To Run?

Winter has come. We take out the hot cacao, the electric blankets, and heaters. One of the most popular heaters is an oil-filled radiator. When calculating the costs of this appliance, first-time owners should be aware that the oil is not the topic here. This type of radiator does not use oil as a fuel but as a type of internal buffer. Like most other appliances in the home, an oil-filled radiator runs on electricity - and that is what we want to calculate.

In order to find out how much your radiator costs, one must multiply the hours it works with the power rating of the appliance. This will reveal the number of units that the heater use to heat up a specific room or home.

In case you want to learn more about how an oil radiator can benefit your home, learn more about what the benefits of an oil-filled radiator are.

How Long Does An Oil-Filled Radiator Take To Work?

The job of these radiators is to warm the room (and perhaps to keep the warm room if the weather is particularly cold). How long this takes depends on individual situations and also the size of the room. You will have to do a test run to see how long your oil-filled radiator takes to heat the room to a comfortable level where you turn it off again.

In case you are still considering buying your first oil radiator, you might have one burning question on your mind - just how safe are these types of heaters? This is a good question and you will find everything you need to know in our article that explains how safe oil filled radiators are and how to operate them safely.

How Does An Oil-Filled Radiator Work?

oil

This section is just for the curious readers who are wondering what the heck the oil is all about! Keep reading to learn more about this appliance’s genius inner design.

The oil is sealed and concealed inside, so it does not leak and the fluid is also not visible in any way. You also do not have to replace or top the oil up at any point. Once you plug in the oil-filled radiator and switch it on, the electricity creates energy. This energy is absorbed and kept by the diathermic oil.

Interesting fact - because of the oil’s ability to absorb a huge amount of heat, it reduces the amount of energy used to power the radiator. In other words, these appliances are cost-saving. However, the radiator will be running at full power until the oil achieves the required temperature. Once the electric power is turned off, the absorbed heat is released and energy is preserved.

Are you ready to buy your first oil-filled radiator? Here are the best oil-filled radiators on the market today. We reviewed each one for the best quality, performance, and other great features.

How To Calculate Your Radiator’s Power Consumption

Now that you know that the oil is an interesting feature but not the main focus, we are ready to measure how much electricity the radiator consumes. This will help you to decide if this is the right type of heater for you. It might also help you to determine how long you can keep it running without ruining the power bill.

As we have said above, once the oil radiator is switched on, it consumes more power than usual because it will be operating at full capacity. To know exactly how much energy is consumed, you should compare the maximum power output of the oil filled radiator to the maximum electricity costs incurred.

So, let’s say you want to know the costs of keeping the radiator running for two hours. To calculate how much energy is consumed, let’s say your oil radiator is rated at 2kwh, you will multiply the hours and the power output that’s measured in watts to get the units consumed in that period of time. Like 2KW by 2 hours = 4 units.

Are you ready for a great DIY project? Our guide has all the best tips and techniques on how to install a wall-mounted oil-filled radiator at home.

oil

A Quick Summary On How To Calculate The Costs Of Your Oil Filled Radiator

  • Oil-filled radiators are popular and warm countless homes across the world.
  • These heaters are more energy-efficient than some other types of heaters.
  • The oil is sealed inside and does not need to be topped up or replaced.
  • The oil is used by the heater to store and radiate heat drawn from an electrical power source.
  • The size and also the temperature of the room can influence how long an oil radiator needs to stay on to warm up the place.
  • Oil radiators also have different power ratings (this is essential to find out how much the appliance is costing you).
  • The costs can be calculated by multiplying the hours a radiator is running with the power rating. This should reveal how many units are being consumed every time you use the heater.
  • An oil-filled heater that draws a staggering amount of power units is not normal and should be assessed by an electrician.

READ NEXT: Heating off but radiator hot? Here's why.

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