Korean Job Discussion Forums

[mrsquirrel]

Which is more cost effective to run in winter.

The under floor heating or a small space heater or a combination of both?

Used in a standard small box that GEPIK teachers live in.

[VanIslander]

LOVE sleeping on the hot floor, however inefficient

but the space heater with cheap humidifier is less costly and causes less respiratory problems

[mrsquirrel]

So an 800 or 1000w space heater will be cheaper to run than gas.

I would presume that you have to leave the ondol on the out setting so it doesn't freeze though.

What is the unit cost of gas?

[VanIslander]

[the eye]

Obviously, gas prices go up in the winter (supply / demand).
Two years ago, in the dead of winter, my gas bill reached as high as 160,000 for one month. I never kept the place extremely warm, and turned the floor heat off while i was at work. I was told by my Korean friends, that it is best to keep it on at a minimum level at all times to save money. I tried that and saved a fraction. Or it could have just been milder weather.

So, I tried an experiment last year. My apartment is rather large, (20pyoung, 3 rooms), and the floor heating cannot be routed to one particular roomat a time. It's all or nothing. It was a waste, so i got a decent space heater with a fan. I'm told those satellite dish shaped radiant heaters are just as efficient.

Anyway, the first benefit was that i could move it where it was needed. Secondly, it, plus a pair of slippers saved me a lot of money over the winter. The gas bill went down to 60-80,000.
My electricity bill went from about 30,000 to 45-50,000. I do use a lot of computer hardware.
But, the switch did save me a considerable amount.

And yes, you need to keep the floor a bit warm if you live in an area prone to long sub zero temps.

[the eye]

Another factor is whether you live above the parking area. If you do, your floor is directly subjected to the winter cold.
If there is another flat below you, your floor will be warmed considerably by it, and there is no need to keep your ondol on to avoid freezing pipes.

[Juregen]

Gas for sure

WE did the experiment

cause we pay about 200k for heating, we tried not to and used electric, we got a whopping 500k on our doorstep

experiment finished

[PeteJB]

Won't they unfreeze come warmer weather?

[bassexpander]

The problem with electricity (especially in expensive towns like Bundang) is that you hit a certain limit they have set, and your rates shoot up for what you consume after that amount.

Not sure what the numbers are, but I know this to be true.

[the eye]

[JungMin]

I would say the ondol is a very efficient way of heating.....

The problem arises when your windows are absolute garbage, you have a metal door with daylight streaming in all around, walls are made of concrete, etc.

[bbonthec]

I tried this actually, as I dislike ondol floor heating. A space heater will be much more expensive to heat your home with than the ondol. MUCH more expensive.

[bassexpander]

You can find it at various hardware shops in the colder months, but I purchased some 3M window plastic/insulator stuff from Costco for 10,000 won. I can cover 3 windows with a box of it. I did two windows today -- saves tons and keeps the drafts out. Pays for itself in a month, easily. It's similar to this, and shinks for a tight fit when you heat it with a hairdryer:



As much as people brag about wanting to "go green," it's amazing that they don't install these very cheap, money-saving, easy-to-use products.

I also buy the inexpensive foam with a sticky back on it for edges around doors . That also stops drafts and is an excellent investment. I got some from the 1,000 won street market near my home, and you can get the same thing for about 3,000 won a roll at a hardware store. One roll does about 1 1/2 doors.

Both of these products also help a bit with noise, which is worth it in itself.

[thiophene]

does that plastic thing come with really good directions? so you tape it inside your home on the wooden window frame then blow dry? can I do it on the wallpaper or will it be hard to come off? or should I do it on the outer metal windows? another problem is I have huge windows. maybe 6'x10', do they have sheets that big? or would taping one on top of the other suffice? or do I just cover the edges of the windows all around? and does this not make the window not open-able until you take it off? so should I not do 1 window just for those airing out days? I miss my dad .

thans so much!

[bassexpander]

It comes in large sizes, yes. Costco has many sizes, as does the hardware store down the street. This box was 2.1meters x 2.8 meters, and came with two sheets of that size, as well as plenty of tape. They had a larger size than that.

The tape is just a special kind of double-stick tape that you can put either on the edge of the wooden frame of the window, or on metal, if you want. Basically, it should work for what you want to do with it.

I usually put the tape all-around first, then peel off the protective paper from the tape. Then, I start with one corner up top, and find a corner of the plastic sheet. Leaving about an inch extra plastic sticking outside along the edge of the tape, I go around the window, sticking the plastic over the tape and trying to stretch/pull the plastic to remove as many wrinkles as I can as I put it up. Once you've stuck up the plastic all the way around the window, you can pull it off of the tape carefully to try to adjust and remove wrinkles/loose areas. Then when that's all done, get out the hair dryer.

See this geeky old commercial that shows how it's done, but it takes like 20 mins plus per window, if you do it right. They obviously put the tape on the edges around the outside angle, but my windows don't have an angle like this. Mine are flush with the wall, and it works fine to stick the tape along the edge of the window wood too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7Qr5AJOuiQ


Note: I wouldn't put the tape on wallpaper, as it will tear the wallpaper when you remove the tape. Also, once it's on, you shouldn't take it off until the spring. I suppose you could opt to leave it loose and pull it off of the tape from time-to-time if you had to.