Freezing cold kitchen

[flosswoss]

Our small kitchen has no heating and is absolutely freezing in winter. This causes problems with condensation when we start cooking so I need to know how others heat theirs. Ideally I'd like some sort of electric heating that's economical to run. Any ideas are very welcome before the really cold weather arrives!

 

[ColJack]

electric heating + economical = fail...
it's expensive to heat anything with electric.. that's why they came up with economy 7.. you store the heat at night when it's cheaper..

stupid as it sounds, air conditioning is probably the most economical way to use electric to heat the kitchen..
the reversible ones can heat in the winter and are often 300% efficient or more.. so for every 1000W you put in you get 3000W+ of heat out.. rather than 1000W in to >1000W out for a heater..

 

[foxhole]

Heating will not prevent condensation, lack of ventilation is the problem, an extractor fan should be used while cooking and there should also be a fixed vent.

 

[flosswoss]

Thanks both. Not thought about an aircon unit - I had a word with an electrician yesterday who's going to put some light fittings in for me and he suggested a plinth heater. We have a cooker hood and when the kitchen was fitted I was expecting some sort of ducting from the top of it to the outside world but the fumes etc just come out of the top of the cupboard which at least is fairly close to a vent in the wall (not sure whether this is standard procedure!) I'm such an amateur when it comes to house practicalities that I get really cross with myself - I'm waiting for a 'how your house works' course!

 

[ColJack]

if you have an air brick then the cooker hood could be vented out through that.. but then you lose a source of fresh air..
there should be another air brick somewhere in there for air circulation ( possibly at low level behind a unit? )

 

[joe-90]

so for every 1000W you put in you get 3000W+ of heat out..

You've just solved the world fuel shortage. Put 1 unit in and get 3 units out. That's magic that is.

 

[foxhole]

The cooker hood would be vented outside if fitted today as recycling hoods are very inefficient.You could still have this altered.

 

[ColJack]

so for every 1000W you put in you get 3000W+ of heat out..

You've just solved the world fuel shortage. Put 1 unit in and get 3 units out. That's magic that is.

why the rolling eyes? it's true..

the extra heat comes from the atmosphere.....

 

[joe-90]

You can't get out 3 times what you put in - it's the laws of physics.

 

[ColJack]

yes you can..

you take thermal energy from one place and move it to another..
you use 1000W of electrical energy for every 3000W of heat that you move from outside to inside ( or visaversa in the summer. )

 

[joe-90]

Give a us a link to the physics involved and explain why it isn't used worldwide; why every other type of heating isn't obsolete and why it isn't done on an industrial scale.

 

[kevplumb]

never heard of a heat pump joe

thats all it is

 

[ColJack]

you're not using the electricity to generate the heat, you're just using it to move heat from one place to another..

http://greenlivingenergy.co.uk/faq.html#heat_pump

 

[foxhole]

So when it is -3 degrees out side where does the heat pump get the heat from?

 

[ColJack]

outside..

the boiling point of refrigerant is in the minus °C numbers, so it can absorb heat at below freezing..

they have de-frost cycles to get the ice off the fins on the big industrial ones..