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🏠 Is It Cheaper to Heat One Room or the Whole House?
When the cold weather sets in, many homeowners face a familiar question:
“Is it cheaper to heat just one room, or should I heat the whole house?”
Whether you're looking to reduce your energy bills or make your heating more efficient, the answer depends on how you're heating, how often you're home, and how well insulated your property is.
Let’s break it down.
🔥 The Short Answer
Yes — in most cases, it's cheaper to heat just one room, especially if you're only using that space for long periods (e.g. a living room or home office).
However, there are important exceptions and factors to consider, such as:
- Your heating system type (central vs. electric)
- The insulation of your home
- The cost per unit of gas vs. electricity
- How often you switch rooms
🏘️ Central Heating vs. Room Heating: What's the Difference?
1. Central Heating (Whole House)
- Usually powered by a gas boiler
- Warms up all radiators in the house through one system
- More cost-effective when multiple rooms are in use
- Harder to localise unless you use thermostatic radiator valves (TRVs) or smart zoning
2. Electric Room Heaters
- Often used to heat a single room, such as a fan heater, oil-filled radiator or infrared panel
- Runs on electricity, which costs more per kWh than gas
- Great for short-term, targeted warmth
- Expensive if used for long hours or multiple rooms
💰 When Heating One Room Makes Sense
If you:
- Work from home and stay in one room most of the day
- Live in a small home or spend evenings in a single space
- Want to save money during off-peak hours
- Then heating just that room — with a well-placed electric heater or controlled radiator — can save money.
✅ Pro Tip: Close doors, use draught excluders, and insulate curtains to trap heat in one room.
🏡 When It’s Cheaper to Heat the Whole House
Heating the whole house may be better when:
- You have multiple people using different rooms
- Your home has underfloor heating or zoned controls already
- Your property is very well insulated, reducing heat loss
- You’re using a high-efficiency boiler and keeping your thermostat low (18–19°C)
- Plus, keeping some background heat throughout the home can:
- Prevent damp and mould
- Protect pipes from freezing
- Reduce strain on your boiler by avoiding constant stop-start heating
⚖️ Cost Comparison Example
Let’s compare two scenarios (approximate costs based on UK averages in 2025):
| Heating Type | Energy Source | Cost per Hour | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gas central heating (full house) | Gas (4p/kWh) | ~70p–£1/hour | Based on a 24kW boiler |
| Electric heater (single room) | Electricity (27p/kWh) | ~35p–50p/hour | Based on a 1.5–2kW unit |
Bottom line:
- Heating one room can be cheaper per hour,
- But longer usage = higher cost if using electric heaters.
🧠 Energy-Saving Tips for Any Method
No matter how you choose to heat your home, here’s how to reduce waste:
✅ Use TRVs to turn down unused radiators
✅ Install smart heating controls or timers
✅ Keep doors and curtains closed in heated rooms
✅ Add loft and wall insulation to retain warmth
✅ Lower the thermostat by just 1°C — saves ~10% a year
🏁 Final Verdict
👉 If you’re only using one room for several hours, it’s usually cheaper to heat just that room.
👉 If your home is occupied throughout (especially with central heating), it’s more cost-effective — and comfortable — to heat the house efficiently as a whole.
The key to savings? Control and insulation. Use timers, thermostats, and radiator valves to heat what you need, when you need it.
📞 Want Help Reducing Your Heating Costs?
At Gas-Go Heating, we help customers across Hampshire with:
- Smart heating upgrades
- Radiator balancing and TRVs
- Boiler efficiency checks
- Zoned control systems
📆 Need our services? Give us a call on 02393 782 351.