Determining the running cost of the oil filled radiators is not that straight forward since there are various
factors an individual has to consider. When initially switched on, oil filled radiators just like the electrical
radiators will operate at 100% power efficiency, thus consuming less power than when in full operation.

All the electricity consumed is turned in to heat once they are switched on. However, this is not always true since, in some instances, the radiator power consumption is dependent on the room size and the current temperature as compared to the heater maximum power output.

How do oil filled radiators function?

The oil filled radiator heating elements are responsible for heating the oil, which then releases the heat
required to the room. The operating temperature of the oil is maintained by the heating elements, which are easy to switch on and off or regulate their power consumption rate. For instance, if the room is freezing, then the heating elements must be switched on for a considerable period. It ensures that the oil is fully heated, thus releasing much heat to the room. Once the temperature desired is attained, the power consumption of the radiator can be regulated to minimise its power consumption since little power is required to maintain the temperature of the heated oil at that current level.

Note a well-insulated room can keep internal temperatures for a more extended period than poorly insulated rooms.

A relatively large oil filled radiator can be more effective in terms of heating the room faster since it’s
heating elements can take a shorter period to heat the oil. This means that you can switch on the heating
elements for less time as it will have heated the oil to the required room temperature as a compared radiator with lower power specifications.

More powerful heaters have an advantage over the less powerful radiators in that though they will consume the same level of energy they will take lesser time heating the room thus the running cost is almost equal to that of less powerful radiators.

Higher power rated radiators are more efficient in that they can heat larger rooms faster than lower powered heaters since the heating elements of larger radiators are heating the oil quicker. These radiators have many fins, thus radiating heat faster.

Once a radiator is switched on, the radiator runs at full power when heating the oil to its operating
temperature. In some cases, the radiator cannot heat the room up to the most appropriate temperature due to the factors such as too large rooms for the radiator being used of poor insulating of the room. In such a case, the radiator will keep running at full power, and this makes calculating the running cost very challenging.

When calculating your radiator maximum running cost, consider the radiator maximum power output and
the electricity cost per unit. The power output of your oil filled radiator is given in Watts. Therefore 1000Watts is equal to 1KW. This is the standard unit of a single electricity measurement. For instance, an oil-filled radiator has a power output of 2KW. Assume you run this radiator for ten hours every day, then your maximum power consumed will be 2kw *10=20KW per hour.

In this example to get the running cost, you will now multiply the maximum power consumed by the value of the electricity per unit. For instance 20KW per hour *£ 0.05=$1.