Electric heating in 'man cave' - remote control possible?

Discussion in 'Electricians' Talk' started by moppitup, Jan 4, 2014.

  1. moppitup

    moppitup Member

    Hi folks
    Ive got a new cabin down at the bottom of a large garden. Its got all mod cons, inc wifi internally and is linked to the main house via Fixed lan cable.

    Its well insulated and a 2.5kw oil radiator with stat keeps the room toasty and i leave it ticking over.

    Problem is this is obviously wasteful when the cabin is not in use. My sons have the xbox and other such stuff. Its a sort of man cave and gets intermittent use. Is there a way of controlling the rad remotely? It would be great not to have to trudge through mud and rain to switch things on, wait for warm up then go back down. Also, i would like to keep it ticking over at say 10degrees and then ramp things up an hour or so before someone uses it.

    Some indication of temp would also tell us if things have been left on. Am i asking too much here?

    Any suggestions appreciated. I think ive found a solution to switch on/off using the siemens remote sockets but how to monitor temp?
     
  2. Sean_ork

    Sean_ork Screwfix Select

    moppitup likes this.
  3. Lectrician

    Lectrician Screwfix Select

  4. moppitup

    moppitup Member

    I KNEW someone would comment on this point..i agree but teenagers are not the best at switching stuff off.. ! ...but thanks for the tip on two heaters. The point about remote control means we could also heat things up on the way home from work, weekends away etc.


    Is there some sort of calculation i need to do to select the right wattage? Cabin is 30m sq. Ceiling about 2.4m high.
     
  5. wally

    wally Screwfix Select

  6. Ray Retired

    Ray Retired Active Member

  7. JP.

    JP. Screwfix Select

     
  8. big all

    big all Screwfix Select

    if you turn everything off at the mains in the house would that not solve the problem??
    a fan heater will give you much quicker heating up of a specific area with the heat spreading to other areas

    just be aware your electric heater can use 30p an hour or £7 a day or £216 a month
    of course during milder winter days it will be less but on a very cold spell could be near the full £50 a week to heat
     
  9. sinewave

    sinewave Screwfix Select

    Nice little 2.6kW ASHP would be nice in there.

    Bout £900 fitted though!
     
  10. Sean_ork

    Sean_ork Screwfix Select

    we like those air to air types here - especially when it's windy out ;)

    free heat
     
  11. moppitup

    moppitup Member

    Well aware of the cost hence why i want some more control other than the stat on the oil rad. Does a fan heater work out cheaper or just quicker? Thought the Kw's cost the same whatever?

    I thought about 2 of these for background heat...http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/JVSH400PRO.html

    With this to switch it set to say 11 degrees http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/HOHRT3.html


    Maybe ditch the oil rad and get a fan heater to then bring things up to 19degrees or so for rapid temp rise via iphone app and siemens remote socket


    Fyi The roof has 100mm kingspan and around 50mm in the walls, 25mm in the floor. Windows are small and sealed dg units. Things soon warm up and stay warm.
     
  12. big all

    big all Screwfix Select

    fan heater no time lag you dont spend 10 mins warming up the oil then remembering to turn it off or down 1/2 hour before you leave the room

    i would keep both and only use the fan heater when your present unless its a good quality fan heater

    my shed is about 21 cubic metres and will take around 20 mins to take the temperature from around 8to 15 degrees with a 2.6kw fan
    with it aimed at the body / work area from from about 2m away it warms the person much quicker so although the back ground will be a little chilly the person will be warmer
     
  13. moppitup

    moppitup Member

    Not sure im familiar with these? - free heat? Seriously? Surely its 2.6kw?
     
  14. Sean_ork

    Sean_ork Screwfix Select

    just out of curiosity - how often will you need to rush out to pre warmed shed
    yes, free heat - when it's windy
     
  15. wally

    wally Screwfix Select

    Its true that fan heaters will heat more quickly but I would not use them I think they would be more costly to run. I would still use panel heaters, the, dimplex plx range with inbuilt clock, they also have a pretty good stat & also a half heat switch. If you need to control the supply to it from another means i.e. remote sockets etc then you would need the one without the inbuilt clock.
     
  16. moppitup

    moppitup Member

    It gets used most weekends, and odd nights during the week when there is a tv preference clash or someone needs personal space. Piccy's attached. Neighbour has one too which is what inspired me. Cost me around £5k to build and lots of weekends with the hammer...

    Its actually been a boon for parties, at least you know where the teenage sons are...worst case scenario means mop and bucket to clear up...

    Some times though it might go a few days without any visit.

    What energy do the ashp consume vs what they give out? I assume i would need pro install?
     

    Attached Files:

  17. Sean_ork

    Sean_ork Screwfix Select

    the COP is around 3 ish - but that's very dependent on the external temps and varies from make to make
     
  18. That's nice, Moppit :)
     
  19. Sean_ork

    Sean_ork Screwfix Select

    just needs one of those 4K TVs now
     
  20. wally

    wally Screwfix Select

    Very nice Sean , the only problem is nothing is being broadcast at 4k yet as far as I know.
     

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